Abilene Christian
1-1-0, 0-0-0
New Mexico State
1-2-0, 0-0-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico St. | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Abilene Christian | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wildcats Drop First Home Match of Season, Fall to NMSU 1-0
8/21/2026 12:09:00 AM | Women's Soccer
ABILENE — Abilene Christian (1-1-0) fell to New Mexico State (1-2-0) in a narrow 1-0 defeat on Thursday evening at Elmer Gray Stadium. Despite outshooting the Aggies' nine with 23 shots, including 11 on goal, the Wildcats were unable to convert any into goals.
Tonight was an exciting home opener for our fans, and while it's a tough result to accept, there's a lot we can build from, head coach Stephen Salas said. I thought our ability to create dangerous chances continues to improve, but we have to be more clinical and disciplined in the final third. We also have to control what we can control and put ourselves in a position where the outcome isn't decided by a late decision or a penalty.
The Wildcat offense attacked early and often, with Aliyah Anderson taking an early shot in the 7th minute, which was saved by NMSU's goalkeeper who remained pivotal in keeping the score level, saving additional shots from Jenna Verplancke in the 21st minute and Mikayla Abrenica in the 25th minute. Despite Abilene Christian's aggressive attempts, including a total of nine shots, the first half ended 0-0, as New Mexico State's defense held firm.
In a tense second half, New Mexico State secured a 1-0 victory over the Wildcats. The decisive moment came when the Aggies converted a penalty kick in the 64th minute, putting New Mexico State ahead. ACU had opportunities to equalize with penalty kick attempts by Abrenica in the 80th minute and Baylie Simon in the 90th, both of which were blocked by the goalkeeper.
Nia Leslie nearly scored the tying goal in the final seconds off the rebound from the missed PK, but time expired before the ball crossed the goal line, giving the Aggies the 1-0 victory.
The Wildcats played with a balanced offensive attack with Abrenica's five shots, Anderson's four and Simon's two. Bella Medrano played all 90 minutes in goal, recording four saves on nine shots faced.
I was proud of the fight our team showed to battle back and force two penalty kicks, but now we have to learn from it, Salas said. It's our second game of the season, and with our goal of winning a conference championship, the most important thing is how we respond in our next game. Through our first three games, we've consistently created more in the attacking third and outshot our opponents. Now, our focus is on turning that attacking production into more goals and results.
UP NEXT
In their next game, the Wildcats will host UTEP on Sunday, Aug. 23, at 1 p.m. at Elmer Gray Stadium. The match will be streamed for free on ACUSports.com. The Miners tied their game Thursday night 1-1 against the Tarleton State Texans in Stephenville.
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Team Stats
Esmerelda Arenas Cejas
NMSU Esmerelda Arenas Cejas PENALTY KICK GOAL.
64:10
