The New Mexico State University soccer community is mourning the surprising death of Thalia Chaverria, a junior student and soccer player for the Aggies women’s team, on Monday morning. Chaverria had just celebrated her 20th birthday on July 2 and was set to begin her third season on the team.
Mario Moccia, the Director of Athletics at New Mexico State, expressed deep sadness at the passing of the young woman, saying that those who were lucky enough to know her recognized she had a bright future ahead of her. The Las Cruces Police Department responded to Chaverria’s home at 7 a.m., and detectives do not believe her death is a result of criminal activity.
Moccia commented on the tight-knit community of New Mexico State and how this loss is being felt among them. Chaverria had contributed to the team by helping them win their first conference title in the school’s history, as well as seeing the fourth-greatest amount of time on the field.
Rob Baarts, the head soccer coach, described Chaverria as an inspiration and a rock, and expressed that she will be dearly missed. Friends of Chaverria’s family have created a GoFundMe page to help her parents transport her body from New Mexico to her hometown of Bakersfield, California. They describe her as a loving daughter, sister to two brothers, and dog mom to her fur babies, leaving many memorable moments of her long, beautiful curly hair and smile.