Teams: UC Davis at Pacific
Records: Aggies, 3-12 (0-5); Tigers, 3-11 (2-3)
Where: Brookside Field – Stockton, Calif.
When: Saturday at 1 p.m.
Who to watch: Forward Rachel Sabes recently returned from an ankle injury that sidelined her for two games to score a goal against the California Golden Bears on Sunday.
The health of that ankle will be a factor in this weekend’s game, as coach Vianney Campos believes using her forward’s athleticism is the best chance to come out victorious.
“Our forwards have a lot more speed than most team’s defenders so we definitely want to exploit that with every team that we play.”
Did you know? Campos, a 2007 Pacific graduate, set the school records for points in a season (72), goals in a career (68), goals in a season (32), and goals in a game (five). In her senior campaign, she led the entire nation with 3.79 points per game and 1.68 goals per game earning her first-team All-American honors.
Not only does Campos sport the physical talent, she also has a strong mental fortitude, something that translates to her team.
“When I look back on that season I still think that there is more that I could have done to help the team,” Campos said. “There isn’t anybody who has higher expectations than I do.”
Preview: When the Tigers traveled to Aggie Stadium back in September, they scored the only goal of the match in the fourth minute of a 1-0 victory.
This time around, the Aggies believe that the game can go the other way.
“We hadn’t settled into our game yet,” Campos said. “We just have to play our game from the get-go. If we bring it from the beginning, we can prevent early goals like that.”
Despite Campos’ playing and coaching ties with Pacific, she is confident that her team will have the advantage come Saturday.
“They can know my philosophies all they want but they don’t know my girls,” Campos said. “I played with and coached a lot of their players so I know how they play and how to fire them up. I know them like the back of my hand.”
– Mark Ling
