Teams: UC Davis at Cal State Bakersfield; vs. UC Santa Barbara
Records: Aggies, 9-4-1 (3-1-1); Roadrunners, 3-11-1: Gauchos, 6-9-2 (1-4-0)
Where: Main Soccer Field – Bakersfield, Calif.; Aggie Soccer Field
When: Today at 7 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m.
Who to watch: Freshman Rogan Dolan is heating up for UC Davis, scoring her first goal as an Aggie last week against Pacific and tallying another assist against Cal Poly.
The Concord, Calif. native has put her impressive footwork to work for the Aggies, playing 286 minutes so far this season. Dolan is part of the squad of younger players on the team that have earned praise from coach MaryClaire Robinson and senior teammates this year.
The Aggies are serious contenders for the Big West Conference Championship Tournament this year and the team will continue to rely on younger players like Dolan to keep the wins coming.
Did you know? UC Davis played both Cal State Bakersfield and UC Santa Barbara last year. It tied 1-1 against the Roadrunners and earned a 2-1 conference victory over the Gauchos later in the season.
Preview: The Aggies kick off the weekend with a non-conference game against the Roadrunners.
UC Davis is riding the momentum from its impressive victories last weekend but it has to be careful not to let its guard down, even in a non-conference game.
The Roadrunners will be hungry for a win after suffering a 0-1 loss against Cal State Fullerton last Sunday.
The Aggies’ match against CSU Bakersfield will set the tone for how they enter Sunday’s home game against conference rival UCSB.
Although the Gauchos are currently last in conference the Aggies cannot afford to enter the game with a complacent mindset.
“These conference points are like gold,” Robinson said. “We need to keep the intensity high and not lose out focus.”
UCSB earned its first conference victory over UC Riverside last Sunday and it will have an opportunity to grab another on Friday when it plays Pacific before returning to Davis for Sunday’s match.
The Aggies certainly have the talent to win both of these games and Robinson has applauded her team’s dedication and work ethic this year.
She has also mentioned how the Aggies have also benefited from a strong defense this season.
“Defensively we have Aisha Lott in the backfield and she provides a lot of confidence. Taylor Chamberlain has also done very well for us. We’ve got Maria [Magana] in net and she’s had some huge saves this year.” Robinson said.
The Aggies hope to extend their three-game winning streak this weekend. They also want to earn another conference victory this Sunday at 1 p.m. in Aggie Soccer Field.
– Kim Carr
