On the surface it had all the makings of a tough week for the Aggies.
UC Davis took the pitch Thursday afternoon against a Pacific team they had not defeated in three years. Three days later they played Cal Poly, a squad they were also 0-3 against over the last three seasons.
However, this year’s squad is determined to break these traditions and write a different story. This weekend was a new chapter for the Aggies who showed that they are serious contenders for the Big West Conference Championship.
With the wins, UC Davis moved to 9-4-1 on the year, 3-1-1 in conference play.
Thursday – UC Davis 3, Pacific 2 (OT)
Pacific struck first on Thursday afternoon to go up 1-0 18 minutes into the first half.
Ten minutes later, Aggie fans were on their feet as leading scorer Allison Kelly headed in a beautiful goal off a pass from Mary Beth Mazurek to tie the game at 1-1.
Five minutes later freshman Rogan Dolan scored her first goal as an Aggie off a pass from Kristen Holmberg.
Pacific had a chance to tie it up with 11 minutes left in the half but Aggie goalkeeper Maria Magana had an incredible block – flying to her right to deflect the ball out of bounds.
However, Pacific was not done. They managed to score with four minutes left in the first frame tying the game at 2-2 going into halftime.
The second half was far from uneventful but neither team managed to score and win the game outright.
The match went into overtime and Pacific had the first chance at winning. However, they were unable to sneak a shot past Magana who blocked the attempt and sent the Aggie offense racing back down the field.
Senior Lisa Kemp managed to turn her Pacific defender and pass the ball over to sophomore Kiele Argente who booted it in for the golden goal win.
“It was very exciting,” Argente said, “We really wanted this game. We wanted to get this game back.”
It was the Aggies’ first win over the Tigers in three years and coach MaryClaire Robinson was thrilled with the result.
“This game has been on our goal sheet all year. It’s nice to finally cross it off.”
Sunday – UC Davis 2, Cal Poly 1
UC Davis refused to relent against Cal Poly.
The Mustangs managed to get on the board first to take a 1-0 early in the first half.
The Aggies were quick to get it back though with Anna Quigley scoring 15 minutes later off a pass from Dolan.
The game was tied at the end of the first half but the Aggies managed to pull ahead in the 54th minute when Hannah Hicks scored the game-winner and her first goal of the season off an assist from Kemp.
Overall the Aggies and Mustangs each had nine attempts. All nine of the Aggies’ were on goal but Mustang goalie Brooke Gauvin managed to block seven of them. Cal Poly had four attempts on goal but Magana saved three of them limiting the Mustang offense to one score in game.
Coach Robinson can be proud of her team’s performance this weekend.
“This is a huge weekend for us,” Robinson said, “The [conference] race is very tight and for us to get one win at home and another on the road is absolutely fantastic.”
Robinson had plenty of praise for her seniors this weekend as well. She applauded their performances against both Pacific and Cal Poly.
“In games like these it’s not me who wins, it’s the senior leadership that wins games like these.”
KIM CARR can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
