Tech opens 2023 home slate Sunday vs. NM State

LUBBOCK, Texas -- The Texas Tech women's soccer program opens a five-match homestand on Sunday night when they welcome the New Mexico State Aggies for a 7 p.m. match.

The match will serve as the Red Raiders home opener and will feature a pop socket giveaway for the first 250 fans in attendance.

Tech is a perfect 16-0 in home openers under Tom Stone with the last home opener loss coming during the 2005 season.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
MATCHUP: Texas Tech (0-0-1) vs. New Mexico State (1-0-0)
DATE: Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023
LOCATION: Lubbock, Texas (John Walker Soccer Complex)
TIME: 7 PM

LAST TIME OUT:
Despite dominating shots to the tune of 15-3 and placing nine of those 15 attempts on frame, the Texas Tech Red Raiders battled the New Mexico Lobos to a 1-1 draw Thursday night at the UNM Soccer and Track Complex.

Texas Tech (0-0-1) looked to have the match won, as freshman Sam Courtwright scored a highlight reel first goal on a perfect feed from Taylor Zdrojewski in the 77th minute.

The connection between a pair of classmates served as seminal moment for both players, who recorded their first career goal and assist respectively.

Tonight's moment for Zdrojewski was made even more special by the fact that it served as the culmination of a near year long rehab following a devastating season-ending injury last Aug. 27.

Boosted by the momentum from the goal, Tech kept pushing forward to find the elusive second goal of the match.

Midway through the 87th minute, Tech's Kylie Bahr was whistled for an offsides just inside UNM territory.

The call, which seemed innocuous at the time, proved to be crucial as it awarded the Lobos a free kick opportunity.

UNM took advantage, as keeper Ali Davis cemented her status as the player of the match, serving a perfect ball deep into the Red Raiders defensive third. In addition to setting up her teams lone goal, Davis also made eight saves denying the Red Raiders time-and-time again.

With the ball bounding toward the endline, UNMs Paige Satterlee chased it down, sending a cross deep into the Tech six-yard box.

The cross skimmed off Mercedes Morris' head and fell right to the feet of Ellie Robinson who deposited the ball into the lower-left portion of the net and past White.

As previously mentioned, the goal was the lone shot on goal for the Lobos on Thursday.

The undisputed player of the match, Davis stood on her head, recording eight clutch saves, two of which came on a crucial sequence in the 20th minute when she stonewalled Giselle Kozarski twice from point blank range.

In the draw, Kozarski and Courtwright each recorded four shots, one more than the entire Lobo team.

SCOUTING THE AGGIES:
• Fresh off a program-record 13 wins and the first NCAA appearance in program history, New Mexico State opens its first season as a member of Conference USA. The Aggies announced their intentions to leave the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) back in November of 2021 and officially joined CUSA back on July 1.
• Despite losing all-time saves leader Makenna Gottschalk and Second Team All-WAC selection Landy Williams, the Aggies return quite a bit in 2023, as the Aggies return 94% of their goals from 2022 and 86% of the overall assists. The large portion of that offensive production from a year ago came from 2023 Preseason CUSA Player of the Year Loma McNeese who scored 10 goals a season ago. McNeese has already found the score sheet in 2023, as she scored the game winning goal in the Aggies 2-1 victory at Portland State Thursday.
• New Mexico State also brought in nine newcomers ahead of the 2023 season including NJCAA Division II All-American Ariana Leamons. Leamons scored 42 goals and has 35 assists in just 39 career matches at the JUCO level.
• In the win Thursday night against Portland State, the Aggies received a goal and an assist from McNeese who as previously mentioned buried the game winner after a Bianca Chacon free kick in the 85th minute. In her first career start, NM State keeper Valerie Guha made five saves to earn her first career victory.

UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders continue the five-match homestand on Thursday when they welcome Utah State. First kick from the John Walker Soccer Complex is set for 7 p.m.

Tech opens 2023 home slate Sunday vs. NM State

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Players Mentioned

Kylie Bahr

Sam Courtwright

Taylor Zdrojewski