Teams: UC Davis at Oregon
Records: Aggies, 0-0 (0-0); Ducks, 0-1 (0-0)
Where: Pape’s Field – Eugene, Ore.
When: Saturday at 1 p.m.
Who to watch: Christina Corsa will have her first opportunity to build on her standout freshman campaign this Saturday.
The Danville, Calif. native is the team’s top returning scorer after tallying 23 goals and nine assists in 2008.
Did you know? UC Davis is the youngest team in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
Its roster is made up of seven freshmen, nine sophomores, three juniors and two seniors. One of those juniors, Britt Farquharson, is in her first year with the program after transferring from Longwood.
Preview: A new year means a new look for the 2009 Aggies.
The most noticeable difference from last season’s team will be the absence of its two top scorers, Katie McMahon and Katie McGovern.
Now graduated, the duo combined to score 98 of the team’s 195 goals in 2008.
“It’s definitely tough to replace that type of senior leadership,” coach Elaine Jones said. “However, we do have a lot of younger players who are very talented who can fill in the scoring area.“
Jones said she expects her freshmen and sophomores to contribute right away, providing the offense with some balance.
As for who will replace graduated senior Hilary Harkins and start as goalkeeper on Saturday, that’s still up in the air.
“I think it will be a game-day decision,” Jones said of her choice between sophomores Kjersten Nordmeyer and Alyssa Cranska. “They’re excited to have the opportunity this year. They’ve both been working very hard, so we’ll see.“
Oregon is coming off a 17-5 home loss to Stanford. The Ducks got off to a fast 3-1 start before the Cardinal went on a 15-0 run to run away with the MPSF victory.
“Oregon is always tough,” Jones said. “They’re athletic and feisty, so we definitely anticipate a good battle on their turf.“
–Michael Gehlken
