Teams: UC Davis at UC Riverside
Records: Aggies, 6-11-0 (4-5-0); Highlanders, 5-10-1 (2-6-0)
Where: UCR Soccer Stadium – Riverside, Calif.
When: Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
Who to watch: This game will be a homecoming for Riverside, Calif. native Kevin Schulte.
The 5’8″ freshman had a break-out performance Saturday when he set a UC Davis record with four assists in the Aggies’ 4-2 victory over Cal Poly last Saturday.
Schulte is currently the team leader with six assists and sits second in the team in points with eight.
Did you know? Only three players have started all 17 games for the Aggies this season.
The senior trio of Chris Beville, Jason Santos and Nate Javadi has been consistent for UC Davis all season.
Preview: The Aggies’ goal for the weekend is pretty simple – win.
A victory for UC Davis over UC Riverside will put the Aggies in a good position to qualify for the Big West Conference Tournament. If they lose, their season will most likely be over.
Coach Dwayne Shaffer believes his team will enter this match with all the motivation they need.
“There’s no reason to have a pregame speech in this game,” he said. “We need to win. It’s that simple.”
For UC Davis, part of getting this win will be neutralizing the Highlanders’ home-field advantage.
The Aggies believe they have taken a step toward doing just that by playing on the artificial surface in Aggie Stadium earlier this year.
“We’ve had the opportunity to play and practice on turf,” Shaffer said. “That will help us when we go down there and play off their turf surface.
Shaffer also thinks that the teams’ matchup earlier this year will play in the Aggies’ favor.
“We had the opportunity to play them earlier this year,” he said, “and we got the win. That helps our confidence.”
Even if the Aggies get the win, they will still need help to make the Big West Conference Tournament.
UC Davis is currently tied with Cal State Fullerton for third in the Big West, one point ahead of Cal Poly. The Titans, however, hold the tiebreaker over the Aggies, and both Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly have a game in hand over UC Davis.
– Trevor Cramer
