Teams: UC Davis at Cal State Bakersfield
Records: Aggies, 1-0-1; Roadrunners, 2-2-0
Where: Main Soccer Field
When: Friday at 7 p.m.
Who to watch: After Jordan Martin’s game against Marist, it is clear that the senior is a force not to be messed with.
In the highly physical match-up with the Red Foxes on Sunday, Martin played aggressively and was in the mix during almost every UC Davis scoring chance.
Despite not scoring due to some controversial calls, the Temple City, Calif. native still had three shots on goal, and booted several near-scoring corner kicks.
Did you know? CSU Bakersfield recently celebrated a 2-1 win over the No. 13 ranked San Diego Toreros. The win came in the closing minutes of the match as the Roadrunners put back-to-back goals into the net less than two minutes apart. With the win, the ‘Runners had improved to 2-0-0.
Preview: On Sunday, the Aggies wrapped up a two-game home stint with a win over Marist, defeating the Red Foxes 3-2.
UC Davis‘ record improved to 1-0-1, while Marist’s fell to 1-2-0.
Multiple goals from senior forward Rochelle VanBuskirk and another from sophomore defender Aisha Lott keyed UC Davis‘ come-from-behind win.
The Red Foxes struck first as they scored in the 14th minute, a goal which fired up the Aggies, who scored exactly one minute later.
Marist forward Kate Fox netted her second goal of the game in the 24th minute to give her team the 2-1 advantage going into the half.
In the second half, Marist midfielder Nicole Kuhar committed a foul on a slide tackle that allowed UC Davis a direct kick from near midfield.
The direct kick was taken by defender Aisha Lott who was able to drop a long bomb in the back of the net over Marist goalkeeper Jamie Balzarini. The 35-yard strike tied the score.
The game continued to be physical as four yellow-cards were handed out, one within the penalty box.
VanBuskirk was able to capitalize on the penalty kick by crushing a ball into the left net, giving the Aggies the 3-2 edge.
“We were pleased to even it up in the second, and we did better with the change in urgency,” said coach MaryClaire Robinson. “We really came to life after they scored, and we need to work on our housekeeping earlier on.“
That sense of urgency is going to be critical in the Aggies upcoming match with the Roadrunners.
CSU Bakersfield is a late-scoring team as all of their goals this season have occurred during the second half.
Since their win over the Toreros, the Roadrunners have cooled off slightly, having lost their last two matches.
The CSU Bakersfield squad was handed their first defeat of the season on Friday against New Mexico – a 2-0 shutout. The loss was followed by a 2-1 loss to UNLV two days later.
The Friday bout will be the Aggies‘ first road game of the season.
– Andrea Gutierrez
