Air Force Women’s Soccer returns to Cadet Soccer Stadium after a split road trip to Nevada. The team will host New Mexico on Thursday at 6 p.m. MT and San Diego State on Sunday at 1 p.m. MT in crucial Mountain West conference matchups.
Both games will be streamed on the Mountain West Network, with live scoring updates available on the Air Force Falcons website.
The Falcons enter the weekend with a 1-2-1 conference record, placing them seventh in the Mountain West standings. A recent 1-0 victory over Nevada was followed by a 3-1 loss to UNLV. With the Mountain West standings tightly contested, Air Force aims to gain momentum with these home games. Currently, only six points separate eighth-place New Mexico (four points) and fourth-place UNLV (nine points).
Junior Eleanor Musgrove and sophomore Kendall Rippley lead the Falcons in scoring with seven points each (three goals and one assist). Sophomore Chase Borntreger (two goals, two assists) and freshman Mai Mateaki (three goals) each have six points.
Air Force boasts a strong defensive record, ranking third in the Mountain West in shutout percentage (0.500), which also places them 50th nationally. Junior goalkeeper Kylie McElroy leads the conference and is 22nd in the nation with six shutouts. Rippley’s offensive prowess is evident in her national rankings: 25th in shots on goal per game (1.91) and 31st in shots per game (3.82). She is also second in the Mountain West in both categories.
New Mexico enters the match at 1-3 in conference play, coming off losses to No. 12 Utah State and Boise State. Lobo forward Presley Devey leads her team with six goals and two assists, totaling 14 points, good for fourth in the Mountain West. Air Force holds a 21-10-1 all-time series lead against New Mexico but has lost the last five matchups. Their last victory against the Lobos was a 3-0 shutout at home in 2019.
San Diego State holds a 6-13-8 overall record and is currently fifth in the Mountain West with a 2-2 conference record. The Aztecs started conference play with home wins against Nevada and UNLV but then suffered losses to No. 12 Utah State and Boise State on the road. Historically, San Diego State has dominated the series against Air Force, with the Falcons’ sole victory coming in a 3-0 home win in 2001.
In their previous game, Air Force lost 3-1 to UNLV despite outshooting the Rebels 16-13. UNLV took an early 2-0 lead, and while Air Force managed to score in the 55th minute thanks to Lauren Mirande’s first career goal, UNLV responded quickly to extend their lead. Rippley led the Falcons with five shots and three shots on goal.
These upcoming matches against New Mexico and San Diego State present crucial opportunities for Air Force Women’s Soccer to improve their standing in the Mountain West conference.
