In the first road game of the season for the UC Davis women’s soccer team, the Aggies made it clear that they came to play.
UC Davis started its first of four straight road games with an indisputable 5-0 victory over Cal State Bakersfield.
The non-conference game was expected to be tough for the Aggies as the Roadrunners looked to snap a two game losing streak.
Despite an aggressive style of play and good ball control the Runners were unable to connect as they were banked for the first time this season.
“After the bus ride I was a little concerned with our power after sitting for so long,” said coach MaryClaire Robinson about the six-hour trip.
To Robinson’s delight, power didn’t seem to be an issue as the Aggies took a four-goal lead into the break.
Highlighting the first half was senior Marisa Boge who scored three times.
Boge’s first goal came on a break away during the 18th minute. She followed that up with another goal six minutes later and then a third just before halftime.
Boge’s hat trick is the first in her collegiate career as well. She also became the first Aggie to record a hat trick since Dayna Dumont accomplished the feat in 2007.
Seniors Jordan Martin and Rochelle VanBuskirk teamed up in the 33rd minute for another score as Martin set up VanBuskirk for a breakaway to net the third goal of the game. The score was VanBuskirk’s third of the season.
After the half, the Aggies continued to apply pressure.
In the 70th minute, freshman Alexis Knudtson scored off of an assist by Anna Quigley. The score was the lone goal of the second half and gave UC Davis the five-goal edge.
The Aggies’ victory was the largest shutout in the previous three seasons and the biggest win on the road in the past 14 years. The last time the Aggies defeated an opponent by such a large margin was in 1995 against Cal Poly Pomona by a score of 7-0.
After the game, coach Robinson stressed the importance of group intensity early on, something that the team had to learn the hard way after coming from behind in the previous match against Marist.
“We won a lot of balls in the air, which allowed for a lot of great looks in the beginning,” Robinson said. “I was also pleased to see they did a good job closing in.”
Davis controlled the ball for the majority of the match, out shooting their opponents 14-7.
The Aggies’ defense also had a solid day, keeping starting goalkeeper Sarah Peters free from any opposing shots on goal during her 75 minutes of play. Freshman goalie Kathleen Brandl recorded the only save of the game for the Aggies.
With the victory the Aggies remain undefeated and push their record to 2-0-1. The Runners drop to 3-3 overall.
Next up for UC Davis is a match-up with the University of Montana, in Missoula, Mont. on Thursday.
ANDREA GUTIERREZ can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
