LAS CRUCES, N.M. (Sept. 4, 2016) – A season-high four goals lifted Wyoming soccer over the New Mexico State Aggies on Sunday afternoon, 4-1.

The Cowgirls pressured New Mexico State (1-5-0) early, and their effort paid off when junior forward Shaina Ashouri netted a free-kick goal, her first of the 2016 campaign, in the 12th minute. The Aggies responded in the 25th minute with a rebound goal from Aileen Galicia to knot the game at 1-1. Freshman forward Michaela Stark reclaimed the lead for Wyoming (3-2-1) with a huge goal just before halftime.

The second half belonged to the Cowgirls. Senior forward Anne Hinman found the end of a blocked shot from Ashouri and put it in the back of the net to double Wyoming’s lead in the 72nd minute. Not content with a two-goal advantage, senior defender Katie Marcheso continued her impressive run-of-play with her third goal in three games to put the game out of reach with less than 10 minutes to play.

“I’m really proud of the team, with the tough conditions in the heat,” said head coach Pete Cuadrado. “We had similar shots to Friday’s game, but put more in the back of the net and put New Mexico State away. That’s really the difference in the game, taking advantage of our opportunities. I’m proud of how we responded, it’s great to get back above .500, and we’re ready for a good Utah Valley team next Friday.”

The Cowgirls outshot the Aggies 23-11 on Sunday, and put 10 on frame compared to just two from New Mexico State. Ashouri led Wyoming in shots (5) and shots on goal (3) for the second-consecutive game.

The Cowgirls keep finding new ways to score goals, now with two from corner kicks, one from the penalty spot, and one from a free kick this season. After goals from Ashouri and Hinman, eight Wyoming players have netted goals in 2016. Marcheso, with her third tally of the year on Sunday, now leads the team in goals and points (6). Redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Cristina Salazar made her first appearance in the Brown and Gold, closing out the final seven minutes of Sunday’s contest. For the first time this season, no Cowgirl played the entire 90 minutes; Rowntree and Ashouri led Wyoming with 83 minutes, each.

The Cowgirls return home for a matchup with Utah Valley on Friday, Sept. 9. Kick-off from Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex is set for 4:30 p.m. The live stream of Friday's match will be available through GoWyo.com, and will also be available for viewing on the Mountain West Network at TheMW.com and on Campus Insiders at CampusInsiders.com. Live stats will be available at GoWyo.com. 

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