Vaqueras fall to Aggies

The game started out even, but, ultimately, New Mexico State University won against the UTRGV Women’s Soccer Team with a score of 1-0 Friday.

The game kicked off with a lot of pushback from New Mexico State. 

UTRGV attempted to push for shots against the Aggies, but New Mexico’s defense was too strong.

The Vaqueras allowed the Aggies to push far into their space, but 20 minutes into the first half they still were unable to score.

Aggies took multiple shots, while UTRGV played a little more conservatively.

New Mexico State made a hard push with 18 minutes left in the first half and attempted a shot, which goalkeeper Emma Loov blocked. Within 3 minutes, Loov blocked another shot on goal.

The first half ended with no goals on the board.

With about 27 minutes left in the second half, Loov blocked another shot on goal, making it her sixth save.

New Mexico’s midfielder Loma McNeese made a goal with about 13 minutes left.

New Mexico State’s final goal earned the team a win. With the loss against the Aggies, the new UTRGV season record is 0-3.

UTRGV Women’s Soccer Team head coach Mark Foster said the game was heartbreaking but he believed the team played fantastic.

“Three conference games, each one has got away from us by a goal, but I really think we deserved three draws at a minimum,” Foster said.

Asked his thoughts about Loov’s performance, he replied, “I thought she was fantastic. Couldn’t have done anything on the goal, very unlucky on the goal. She got a couple good saves. … Big-time performance from her.” 

She played the whole game and racked up seven saves. 

Asked how she feels she played, Loov replied “I feel I played good. I mean, it’s still something I can improve. … It was a good game and I got a lot of help from my defenders.”

She said the goal was unlucky. 

“A lot of the players waited for a signal and it didn’t come,” Loov said. “So, we got distracted and we need to keep playing. … It was unlucky.”

Midfielder Elina Seppala also played the whole game and attempted three shots.

Seppala said the team had a decent performance. 

“I think there’s a lot of positive things to take away from all this,” she said. “I feel like there was chances to get at least one point. … Of course it’s disappointing.”

Asked about her performance, Seppala replied, “It was fine, you can always do some situations better. Next time I gotta step up.”

The Vaqueras are set to play against Sam Houston State University at noon Sunday at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex on the Edinburg campus.