DAVIS, Calif. – UC Davis scored a pair of second half goals as the Aggies downed visiting UC San Diego, 3-1, in women's soccer action Thursday afternoon on Aggie Soccer Field.
Sophia Bruno scored her second goal of the season for the Tritons, who fell to 5-10-2 on the season (3-5-1 in Big West play).
The Aggies improved to 10-8 (5-5) with the victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the sixth minute, UC Davis fired off a shot that was stopped by captain
Delaney Whittet off the Tritons' back line to keep the match scoreless. Four minutes later, the Aggies got on the board thanks to a goal from Emma Hasco.
UC Davis earned back-to-back corners in the 23rd minute but could not capitalize. In the 27th minute, UC San Diego's
Lucy Tang – who had just checked in to the match moments before – fired a shot that was saved by Aggies' keeper Nicki Rucki.
The Tritons tied the match in the 29th minute. Senior midfielder
Sophia Bruno sent in a ball from distance, and it trickled past Rucki, to level the match at 1-1.
The match stayed 1-1 through the first half. UC Davis out-shot the Tritons 12-4 over the first 45 minutes, with UC San Diego keeper
Keara Fitzgerald making five saves.
In the second half, the Aggies re-took the lead in the 54' on a goal from Leslie Fregoso. UC Davis looked to add to its lead in the 66', but a point-blank shot attempt was punched over the net by a leaping Fitzgerald to keep her team within a goal at 2-1.
In the 69th minute, the Aggies did add their third goal with a tally from Emma Vane.
Overall, UC Davis held a 27-8 advantage in shots – including 11 shots on goal. Fitzgerald made seven saves with UC San Diego being credited for a team save early on thanks to Whittet's stop.
QUOTABLE
"We had to play out of position and that put us out of our rhythm early on," said UC San Diego head coach Kristin Jones. "They came out very excited for their senior day and we didn't match that excitement. The best thing is, we get one more chance on Sunday."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Junior midfielder Ava D'Arcangelo made her first career start for the Tritons.
- Senior back Ashlynn Kolarik came off the bench in the 37th minute – her first action since Sept. 5. Kolarik was sidelined for nine matches due to injury.
- Even with Thursday's result, the Tritons lead the all-time series, 6-4-3. The last meeting was in 2003 as Division II programs.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego wraps up its 2021 season on Sunday morning, when the Tritons play at Hawai'i. The Big West match is scheduled for an 11 a.m. HST start (2 p.m. PDT).
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
