Apparently, the Aggie is higher up the food chain than the Seawolf.
UC Davis topped Sonoma State by a score of 10-4 on Saturday – the Aggies’ second victory over the Seawolves in exactly one week.
“The scores were pretty similar, but the beginning [of Saturday’s] game was very different,” said coach Jamey Wright. “It was a much better start for us. Our shooting was crisp and sharp. Everybody did a good job of scoring and passing.”
On Saturday, UC Davis jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter with a total of three goals from sophomores Carmen Eggert and Jessica Dunn.
The Aggies extended their lead to 5-0 with goals from junior Kaylee Miller and freshman Hannah Curran before the Seawolves got on the board with just over a minute left in the first quarter.
UC Davis added to its lead in the second frame, as centers Dakotah Mohr and Alicia Began chipped in two goals.
The Aggies held a 7-3 halftime advantage and would extend it further after the intermission with goals from Michelle Hook, Katie Schlueter and Heidi Kucera. Kucera’s goal was her first for the season.
For all their scoring, Wright is more pleased with the defensive strength the Aggies are building.
“The thing that stood out was how our goalies did a great job at sensing when passes are coming, being aggressive, and coming out of the goal [to break up plays],” said Wright. “Our two goalies changed the angle and clamped down a lot of times.”
With one month before the start of Big West Conference play, the Aggies have the best record in the league. Wright says they still have a great deal of work to do on both sides of the pool.
“We’re going to have to maintain our fitness level and continue to focus on pressure defense and extra man offense,” said Wright. “We are doing those things well, but we want to continue to improve.”
The Aggies also have other things to deal with – finals are looming, creating mixed up practice schedules and limited training time.
Also, UC Davis’ first opponent after finals is No. 2 California on Sunday, and the opponents that the Aggies face during spring break aren’t cupcakes either.
“To come out of finals and have Cal as your first opponent is a huge challenge,” said Wright. “Also, [our next opponents] are pretty good. They’re not coming to California for the tan, but are going to play hard. We have to be ready for that.”
MATT WANG can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
