New Mexico Game Notes | Kickin’ Childhood Cancer Page | Live Stats | Live Stream
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Rivalry games are great. Alabama-Auburn football. Michigan-Ohio State football. North Carolina-Duke in men’s basketball. BYU and Utah in, well, anything really. Quietly, away from the national glare, New Mexico and New Mexico State is just as intense. On the women’s soccer field, where the latest Rio Grande Rivalry game between UNM and NMSU will take place, Friday night at 7:30 p.m., it’s two teams that more than want to win over its rival, it’s two teams that hate to lose to its rival.
You’d figure hatred. You’d figure bad blood. You’d figure bulletin board material.
You’d figure wrong. Very, very wrong.
Despite the rivalry, the two teams, New Mexico and New Mexico State, are teaming up this week and using the rivalry for good, as both teams will be incorporating a non-color, yellow, into the match to raise awareness for pediatric cancer. To that end, a gofundme for “Kickin’ Childhood Cancer” has been established with the hopes of raising $10,000, along with plenty of awareness for pediatric cancer.
To donate, please click this link.
“Myself and Rob Baarts, the head coach at New Mexico State, are working together to try and raise some funds and raise some awareness for childhood cancer in our state,” said Dyche, who said both teams will be incorporating the color yellow in some fashion on Friday. “It’s going to be a great thing when you have two rival schools coming together that’s all in the best interest of our state.”
“We will be rivals on the field, and when the game is over hopefully everybody will be happy.”
UNM is coming off a 2-1 victory over UTEP at home, and home is not just where the heart is for New Mexico, its where the wins are. The Lobos are 3-0-0 at home with 11 goals and just three against, and 0-3-0 on the road with just one goal for and five against. New Mexico State is 1-5-0 but have showcased a potent offense, and they are coming off back-to-back tough 3-2 losses, one to Abilene Christian and then in double overtime to a talented Boise State squad. NMSU took the rivalry game last year 1-0 on a very late goal, its only win, and just second goal, in the eight-year series. It still bothers UNM and head coach Heather Dyche just a tad.
“Audrianna Chavez, who is a local kid, scored an unbelievable game-winner with 47 seconds left. A great goal and … one that kicked them off to a good year. That one still stings a little bit but that’s what you want in a rivalry, you want it to go back and forth and be great games. For me I love it when kids from this state are doing well so it’s cool to see Aubrey doing that,” However, wishing Chavez and the Aggies well goes only so far. “But not against our team. She can be good against other teams.”