The Aggies were excited to debut this year’s squad of players, and two games later it is easy to see why.
UC Davis started the week with a solid win over club team California Storm, followed by an impressive victory against University of San Francisco.
Coach MaryClaire Robinson is pleased with the two wins and is determined to keep the Aggies on their current trajectory.
Sunday – UC Davis 1, California Storm 0 (Exhibition)The Aggies kicked off their preseason with a win over the California Storm of the Women’s Premier Soccer League.
The offense attacked early and often with UC Davis attempting seven shots in the first half.
The Aggies kept pressuring the Storm defense and the hard work paid off in the 43rd minute of the first half when freshman Rogan Dolan scored off a pass from senior Lisa Kemp.
The offense continued to play well in the second half but was unable to find the net a second time and the Aggies tallied a 1-0 victory.
Overall the Aggies took 18 shots with 11 of those being on goal. Defensively UC Davis had a solid performance. The Storm managed just eight shots with only three of those being on goal.
The Aggies performed well in their first game and Robinson was especially pleased with how well the new players have integrated into the team. “Our infrastructure is strong and stable,” Robinson said, “We’re all on the same page and going in the right direction. It makes it easy for our newcomers to come in and see exactly what they need to do.” Saturday – UC Davis 2, University of San Francisco 0
The Aggies entered their season opener fresh and ready to go. University of San Francisco, however, proved to be a tough opponent. “That was a great game,” Robinson said. “It was a good test against a very well organized team.”
The first half was a defensive battle between the teams with both squads only allowing four attempts.
The UC Davis defense continued to frustrate the Dons in the second half and goalie Maria Magana posted six saves on the day for the Aggies.
The Aggie offense continued to chip away at the Dons defense, finding success in the 80th minute when freshman Lexi Poppoff managed to score on a breakaway.
Just over a minute later Kemp passed the ball to junior Allison Kelly and she sent it sailing into the upper corner of the goal to give the Aggies a 2-0 win.
Robinson was pleased with the depth of the Aggie roster. “We played almost 20 players and that let us rest some players and get some fresh legs into the game,” Robinson said.
If these first two games are any indication, the Aggies are ready to for their season.
“It’s a great way to start the year,” Robinson said. “We’re just going to rest our legs, keep focused, fine tune a few things and we’ll be prepared.”
KIM CARR can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
