Teams: No. 15 UC Davis vs. Cal State Northridge, vs. No. 14 UC Santa Barbara
Records: Aggies, 16-7; Matadors, 16-11; Gauchos, 17-8
Where: Matador Pool – Northridge, Calif.; Campus Pool – Santa Barbara, Calif.
When: Saturday at noon; Sunday at noon
Who to Watch: Though the Aggies took advantage of many 6-on-5 opportunities against Fresno Pacific, George Washington and Pomona-Pitzer, they had a rough time converting on the power play against Stanford.
UC Davis will rely on sophomore Jessica Dunn to get things started during these power plays, and will need a strong showing from the native of Los Alamitos, Calif. in the upcoming conference games.
Dunn leads the Aggies in goals (39), assists (30) and points (69). Dunn has also scored 13 goals when the Aggies are a player up. Dunn already posted a hat trick against the Matadors earlier this season.
Did you know? Though head coach Jamey Wright values his team’s balanced scoring, Cal State Northridge also boasts depth of scoring.
The Matadors boast have seven players with 20 or more goals this season.
Preview: As odd as it may sound, Wright appreciates the fact his team took on Stanford in a 12-6 loss.
Despite the difficulty scoring on power plays, Wright believes it gives both him and the Aggies confidence going into league play.
“I’m glad we’re going into [Big West] Conference [play] having played Stanford,” Wright said. “The game told us that we’ve got to ratchet a few things up. When we scheduled [the game earlier this season], I wasn’t sure but it has worked out well for us.”
UC Davis will get to push tempo against two teams on very different trajectories.
The Matadors are looking for any sort of consistency. They’ve struggled against ranked opponents as they have just one win over the top 20 in the nation
The Gauchos lack a win over a ranked team. They are, however, clicking at the right time.
Riding a five- game win- streak and winning seven of its last eight, UCSB hopes to run the table in conference play.
Though the Aggies will face off against some of the teams that know them best, Wright seems satisfied with where his team is.
“I feel like, given some of the injuries we’ve had and the mini obstacles, we’re in a pretty good place,” Wright said. “Everyone is contributing and clicking. Our general offense is pretty good and I think we’ll be staying in the same scheme.”
– Matt Wang
