Teams: UC Davis vs. Pacific
Records: Aggies, 4-7 (0-4); Tigers 2-10 (0-2)
Where: Aggie Stadium
When: Saturday at 1 p.m.
Who to watch: Sophomore forward Marissa Hughes has been a nice scoring threat for the Aggies.
The Vista, Calif. local has three goals this season, including one in UC Davis’ most recent game against Ball State.
Did you know? This game has an extra level of importance for coach Vianney Campos.
Campos played four years of field hockey for Pacific and was an assistant coach before joining the Aggies.
She led the nation in points per game and goals per game her senior season at Pacific.
Preview: UC Davis will be looking to end its home schedule with a victory.
To do that, the Aggies will do their best to bring energy to the game from the start.
“We want to come out with a lot of excitement,” Campos said. “We think we’ll have a strong home crowd. It’s a big game.”
UC Davis can take confidence from more than just the home field advantage.
The Aggies defeated the Tigers in an exhibition match this summer, and UC Davis feels they have improved since that time.
“It brings us a lot of confidence to know that we can beat them,” Campos said, “and I feel like we’ve gotten 10 times better since then.”
Still, the Aggies know they will have to be at the top of their game if they expect to beat the Tigers.
“Pacific has improved a lot over the course of the season,” Campos said. “They’re coming off a few tough losses and we expect them to have a chip on their shoulder.”
Regardless of Pacific’s mental state, the match-up will be the best chance this season for the Aggies to get their first ever NorPac Conference win.
Campos feels it is a feat her team deserves.
“A NorPac win is much needed right now,” she said. “The players have earned it with the way they’ve competed. We’ve been playing like NorPac contenders and getting a conference win would show that we are here to compete on the highest level.”
– Trevor Cramer
