Teams: UC Davis vs. Denver; Regis
Records: Aggies, 7-2 (2-0); Pioneers, 8-4 (2-0); Rangers 2-5
Where: Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium – Denver, Colo.; Regis University – Denver, Colo.
When: Friday at 4 p.m.; Saturday at 11 a.m.
Who to watch: In a season full of strong freshmen play, no first-years have had a larger presence than Anna Geissbuhler.
The Worthington, Ohio native is second on the team in both goals with 16 and a shooting percentage of .615.
“Our freshmen have always been able to contribute in the right way,” said coach Elaine Jones.
Did you know? Beginning with the upcoming games, the Aggies have two matches every weekend from now until the second week of May.
Preview: This could be the best team Jones has ever coached.
But don’t expect to hear that from Jones.
“It’s been really nice to win, but the season is only halfway over,” she said. “There are still a lot of games to be played. We have to stay focused if we want to keep winning.”
The Aggies return to Mountain Pacific Sports Federation action this Friday when they match up against Denver. The last time the Aggies met the Pioneers was in the MPSF tournament last spring when UC Davis upset Denver 16-14 in the first round.
“They’re a tough conference opponent,” Jones said. “They have some quick players and a very active goalie. It’s a good match-up for our team.”
The Aggies play Regis Saturday afternoon to cap the two-game road trip. Despite being a Division II team, the Rangers won’t be taken lightly.
“Regis is a feisty team,” Jones said. “They have some aggressive players.”
Jones said the key to the team being successful the rest of the season is offensive and defensive execution, specifically finishing shots and limiting turnovers.
Arguably the biggest reason for the team’s successes has been its shooting. The Aggies have three players shooting over .600 with junior Gina Hoffmire and senior Molly Lapolla are each converting over 67 percent of their shots. Geissbuhler is close behind at .615. The school record for shooting percentage belongs to Danner Doud-Martin who shot .618 in 1999.
– Jason Alpert
