Last Saturday, the UC Davis women’s soccer team fell to Saint Mary 3-0 at Saint Mary Stadium in Moraga, Calif.
Despite the defeat, the Aggies lost nothing but a chance to open the 2010 soccer season on a positive note.
Though the score was lopsided, the game was much closer than it appeared. Despite allowing their first goal of the new season a mere 15 minutes in, the Aggie defense would hold the Gaels scoreless for the next 65 minutes. Two goals in the last final 12 minutes would lay all hope of a comeback to rest.
Over the course of the match, the Gaels outshot the Aggies 20-7. UC Davis had no shots on goal, while the Gaels managed seven. Other than Allison Kelly’s three shots, no other Aggie had more than one.
Even though the offense failed to produce, coach Maryclaire Robinson received quality performances from different players. Kelly’s three shots were joined by the 90 minutes played by both junior Lisa Kemp and redshirt freshman Macie McMillan.
“Lisa is doing a great job of providing leadership in summer camp,” Robinson said.
This is especially important because the Aggies will have to rely on younger players who have gone through the system to deliver leadership and experience. Of the 25 players, only one of them is a senior, and 10 of them are incoming freshmen or transfers.
Meanwhile, goalkeepers Kathleen Brandl and Maria Magana had two saves apiece.
Though the Aggies lost, they have a chance to open up their regular season with a win against Sacramento State. The last time the Aggies won their season opener was the first year of Division I soccer in 2007, as they defeated Kent State, 1-0.
The last time the Hornets and Aggies squared off, both teams scored one goal in the second half and could not score another as the game resulted in a 1-1 tie.
The Aggies will again look to Sam Faber to provide leadership on the pitch. The coaches hope that the midfielder will distribute the ball and create good opportunities in the next game against Sacramento State.
The competition will also be a homecoming to Kelly, as she is a native of Sacramento and went to Rio Americano High School, which resides less than four miles away from the Sacramento State campus.
MATT WANG can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
