It has been a historic season for UC Davis.
In the 2010 campaign, the Aggies got their first NorPac Conference victory and had their highest win total in their short two-year history. UC Davis looked to end their year on a high note as they played in the NorPac tournament at Davidson University last week.
Thursday – Longwood 6, UC Davis 2
Prior to the contest against Longwood, the Aggies did not know what to expect from their East Division foes.
UC Davis found out early that the Lancers meant business.
Longwood scored twice in the first six minutes of action and added two more before 15 minutes had run off the clock.
One more Lancer goal just before halftime sent the teams to the break with the score 5-0.
It was a tough way for the Aggies to start the tournament.
“They were better than we expected them to be,” said coach Vianney Campos. “They exposed our weaknesses in the first half and we weren’t able to adjust. They played their best and we didn’t. They caught us off guard.”
UC Davis improved in the second half.
Emily Mecke scored in the 59th minute to put the Aggies on the board.
After another Longwood score, UC Davis freshman Cloey LemMon added a second for the Aggies.
The late surge was not enough, however, and the Aggies fell 6-2.
Friday – UC Davis 4, Appalachian State 2
UC Davis bounced back in their final game of the season.
Marissa Hughes scored on a Nadia Namdari assist in the 13th minute to take the early lead.
Namdari went on to add one of her own, and the Aggies took a 2-0 lead into half.
The fast start was key for UC Davis.
“The girls recognized what had happened against Longwood,” Campos said. “Even in pregame warm-ups we had a different attitude, and it carried over to the field. We figured out how to get things back on track.”
The Aggies kept things rolling in the second period.
Marissa Hughes got her second score in the 57th minute.
The Mountaineers got on the board in the 65th minute, but freshman Cloey LemMon responded for the Aggies with a goal less than 10 seconds later.
Appalachian State added one late, but the Aggies finished with a 4-2 win.
UC Davis was happy to end the year on a high note.
“It was extremely important for us to get this win,” Campos said. “It was a great season, and ending the year on a high not will help us remember that through the offseason.”
TREVOR CRAMER can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
