New Mexico State University Women's Soccer

NM State Head Coach Rob Baarts is set to begin his seventh season with the Aggies following a historic 2023 campaign that saw the squad secure their first regular season conference title in the program's first season as members of Conference USA. Alongside this achievement, the Aggies posted their first undefeated record in conference play (6-0-2), becoming just the tenth CUSA program to achieve this feat and the first in their first season as conference members.  Baarts was named CUSA Coach of the Year, a first for the NM State program, while coaching Loma McNeese to the program's first player of the year award, while also garnering CUSA Offensive Player of the Year. Xitlaly Hernandez was named CUSA Defensive Player of the Year, while a total of seven Aggies garnered All-Conference selections.  The Crimson & White advanced to their second consecutive conference title game, facing off with the Liberty Flames at the CUSA Championships in Ruston, La.  In 2022, Baarts led the Aggies to their most wins in program history with a 13-5-3 record, culminating in the program's first-ever conference title after three shutout victories in the WAC Tournament.   Last season's championship run also led to the program's first postseason appearance – a game where the Aggies nearly pulled off an upset over seven-seeded Mississippi State, ultimately falling 2-1 to the Bulldogs in Starkville.    With those 13 wins on the season, Baarts stands alone as the winningest coach in program history, with an overall record of 33-56-7. Baarts secured this accomplishment with a win over Tarleton State (9/30/22) in shutout fashion (4-0), surpassing Freddy Delgado (24) for the most wins as an Aggie head coach.   Under Baarts, the Aggies were also able to secure the most conference wins (7) in program history while also featuring the school's first undefeated season at home, going 7-0-2 when playing in Las Cruces.   In total, seven Aggies secured All-WAC recognition – the most in a single season – with Loma McNeese (first team), Makenna Gottschalk (second team), Landy Williams (second team), Xitlaly Hernandez (second team), Jena Johannes (freshman team), Sofia Beerworth (freshman team) and Sydnee Johnson (freshman team) all earning a spot on the WAC's yearly awards lists.   In addition, five of Baarts' players made the WAC's All-Tournament Team following the programs win over Utah Valley (1-0) in the WAC Championship: Loma McNeese, Sofia Beerworth, Xitlaly Hernandez, Tati Jerman and Makenna Gottschalk all secured a spot on the list with Gottschalk earning Tournament MVP – the first Aggie to do so. Baarts picked up his first win as a head coach in a 3-0 victory over Northern Illinois on Aug. 31, 2018, and his first conference win, 2-1, over Chicago State on Nov. 14, 2018. Under Baarts’ guidance, senior Aileen Garcia became NM State’s all-time leading goal scorer with a goal versus Albany on Aug. 19. The Aggies also posted nine Academic All-WAC award winners in Baarts’ first season at the helm.   Baarts joined NM State after spending two seasons at San José State, where he led the Spartans to their first Mountain West Conference regular-season title in 2017 with a 12-6-2 overall record and 9-1-1 league mark as an assistant.   The regular-season championship was just SJSU’s third title since the program started in 1995. The other two titles came during the 2009-10 seasons when San José State won it back-to-back years while in the Western Athletic Conference.   During his time with the Spartans, Baarts guided 12 players to all-league honors – including the 2017 MWC Player of the Year in Darriell Franklin and MWC Newcomer of the Year Jamilecxth Becerra.   “I am very much looking forward to getting started as the next head coach of the New Mexico State women’s soccer program,” Baarts remarked. “My experience in being a part of multiple Division I Final Four teams in my career as a player, and as a coach I believe will serve the program well in what it will take to become a national contender.”   Prior to his tenure at SJSU, Baarts spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s soccer programs at his alma mater, the University of Portland. His time with the Pilots was highlighted by a national championships in 2005 with the women’s program that finished the year 23-0-2.   While with Portland, Baarts helped guide the both the men and women’s teams into postseason play in 2009. That year was also the women’s fourth-consecutive trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals.   Baarts was in charge of all recruiting activities during his time with the Pilots. In addition, he also oversaw scouting and preparations for opponents along with team travel. Both the men’s and women’s teams for Portland had a 96-percent graduation rate during a seven-year span under his supervision.   Over a dozen Pilots that played under Baarts went on to play professionally on soccer’s biggest stage – including Megan Rapinoe (U.S.A.), Stephanie Lopez (U.S.A.), Sophie Schmidt (Canada) and Christine Sinclair (Canada).   No stranger to success himself, Baarts was a four-year letter winner with the Pilots from 1987-90 where he guided Portland to three-consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. As a sophomore, Baarts captained the 1988 team to an undefeated regular-season as well as the program’s first semifinal appearance in the NCAA Tournament and finished with a 21-1-0 overall mark and perfect 5-0-0 mark in West Coast Conference play.   To this day, Baarts’ 13 game-winning goals still stands at second all-time in program history. He is still the single-season record holder with eight game-winning goals during the historic 1988 season.   After his collegiate career, the Vancouver, British Columbia, native spent eight seasons playing professionally with the Portland Pride, Portland Pythons and Utah Freezz.   Baarts’ coaching career started with the Portland City United youth team before leading the Sunset High School boys’ varsity team from 1991-2003, and won back-to-back coach of the year honors in 2001-02.   An active member of the United States Soccer Federation, Baarts is an “A” license holder, and has coached multiple youth soccer age divisions for the FC Portland Academy since 2004.   Baarts is married to his wife Jen and have four sons, Tyler, Carter, Tanner and Jaxson and one daughter, Nina. Baarts Through the Years 2004-2013 | Portland | Assistant Coach 2016-2017 | San Jose State | Assistant Coach 2018-Pres. | NM State | Head Coach   Record at Portland: 99-103-36 (.492) Record at SJSU: 22-12-6 (.625) Record at NM State: 33-56-7 (.380) Record as Assistant: 121-142-42 (.466) Record as Head Coach: 33-56-7 (.380)  

a { text-decoration: none; color: #464feb; } tr th, tr td { border: 1px solid #e6e6e6; } tr th { background-color: #f5f5f5; } Stacie Owers joined NM State in March 2024 as the Associate Head Coach for women’s soccer, where she leads the program’s recruiting efforts and works with high-academic, high-character student-athletes. She oversees opponent scouting through video analysis, designs and implements training sessions and match strategies, and supports team culture, academic success, compliance, and program integrity. Owers also develops individualized IDP and KPI plans to support the program’s long-term growth. Owers arrived in Las Cruces after two successful seasons as the head coach at Rhodes College, where she guided the Lynx to a 21-9-3 record and an appearance in the 2023 Southern Athletic Association Championship. Prior to Rhodes, she served as the head girls’ coach and assistant boys’ coach at Arlington High School, helping both programs secure district championships and postseason success. She also spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Christian Brothers University, helping the team reach the Gulf South Conference Quarterfinals three times. A former standout player, Owers’ career includes time with Southampton FC, Portsmouth FC, and several other clubs in England; NJCAA national championship success and All-American honors at Tyler Junior College; and Division I experience at UMass Amherst. She also competed professionally for the Memphis Americans, winning a national championship during the 2020–21 indoor season. Owers holds two master’s degrees from Christian Brothers University. She lives with her wife, Matt, and their dog, Trucker, and is passionate about travel, health and nutrition, leadership, neuroscience, and staying active through soccer, pickleball, and hiking.

D’Angelo Garcia prepares to enter his fourth season as the Aggie's assistant coach. Garcia joined NM State in 2022, helping lead the program to the most wins in program history with 13 total victories - culminating in their first-ever conference championship after defeating Utah Valley, 1-0, in the Western Athletic Conference Championship. Last season, Garcia helped the Aggies to an undefeated record in conference play (6-0-2) and to another program first as they took home their first regular season title in year one as members of Conference USA - leading to an appearance in the CUSA Championship game.    Garcia’s primary duties lay with the Aggies’ goalkeepers, while also handling a majority of team operations including travel. Under his guidance, Makenna Gottschalk was able to secure two conference player of the week awards, a Second Team All-WAC award, WAC All-Tournament Team selection and a WAC Tournament MVP honor, while Valerie Guha was named to the CUSA All-Freshman team and recorded the second-most single-season shutouts in program history (6) en route to the program's first conference championship.    Garcia came to Las Cruces after spending four seasons as the head women’s soccer coach at the University of the Southwest. Garcia was promoted to full-time head coach effective immediately after the conclusion of the 2018 season, and led the Mustangs to a conference championship in 2019. Prior to his interim role, Garcia served as the graduate assistant coach for the men’s soccer program at University of the Southwest for the 2017 season. As his main duties, Garcia helped train the goalkeepers as well as individual training sessions with the forwards.    As interim head coach for the women’s soccer team, Garcia led the Lady Mustang’s to a 9-8 record, securing a top-6 in the conference, Throughout his first season, he developed first-team all-conference and second team all-conference players.   Prior to his arrival at USW, Garcia was a member of the Wayland Baptist men’s soccer program helping the program win it’s very first regular season and conference championship his senior year, placing the program’s first berth into the NAIA men's soccer tournament. Garcia earned an Exercise and Sport Science degree in Kinesiology.   A New Mexico native (Artesia, N.M.), Garcia currently resides in Las Cruces, N.M., with his wife Haley and their two sons, Beckham and Brooks. He obtained his Master’s in Business Administration with an emphasis on Sports Management and Recreation in 2019, and also holds a USSF Coaching License, continuing his education.  

The 2026 season will be Sean Mac Williams' first as an assistant coach for NM State. Mac Williams comes to Las Cruces following previous stops at both Providence and Louisville. Interim Head Coach Benet Higgs' announcement rounds out the 2026 coaching staff alongside graduate assistants Paige Bachman and Alejandro Velasco.   Assistant Coach Sean Mac Williams, on joining the Aggies: "First, I want to thank Coach Higgs for the opportunity to join the staff this upcoming season. I'm truly honored to be a part of this program and excited to help support our student-athletes achieve success on and off the field. Go Aggies!"   Across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Mac Williams served as a graduate assistant for Providence. In his two campaigns, the Friars amassed 47 victories, including 22 in Big East play. The group earned nine series wins, with seven coming in conference action. During that time, the offense improved its batting average from .241 to .287, climbing from a .357 slugging percentage in 2023 up to a .424 mark a season ago.    While Mac Williams guided the offense, the Friars mashed 57 home runs, scoring 458 runs for an average of 4.49 per contest. The squad totaled 129 doubles, 24 triples and 267 walks to boost a combined .777 OPS across 102 games with Mac Williams in the dugout.    The 2025 campaign was one of Providence's best in recent history. Head Coach Kelsey Christensen's first year at the helm resulted in 25 wins, setting the program's second-highest mark since 2006. In the postseason, the Friars advanced to the Big East Championship semifinals, notching three wins in the process. After toppling hosting Villanova in the tournament opener, Mac Williams oversaw the bunch earn two straight shutouts by a combined score of 17-0.   Before his tenure with Providence, Mac Williams also served as a student manager at Louisville, assisting with the program's day-to-day operations. The Cardinals won 63 games over his two springs with the group, amassing 26 victories in ACC play, advancing to the NCAA Regionals in 2023.   Interim Head Coach Benet Higgs, on the addition of Mac Williams: "It was clear throughout the process that Sean is a student of the game, and his work ethic and development-minded approach embody the Aggie mindset. His experience at Louisville and Providence adds a valuable perspective as Conference USA continues to expand its footprint east. We're excited to welcome him to New Mexico State and continue the tradition and style of play Aggie Softball is known for."   This spring, Mac Williams is set to lead the Aggies into their third season as members of Conference USA. NM State will look to clinch its third consecutive trip to the CUSA Championship in May, where it hopes to earn its first NCAA Regional bid since 2018.