The Aggies entered spring break looking to build some momentum as they prepared to return to Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play this week.
UC Davis put together some strong performances over the last two weeks, going 2-2 to bring their overall record to 5-5.
Monday, March 19 — UC Davis 18, Central Connecticut 6
The Aggies captured their second lacrosse non-conference home game of the season against the Blue Devils.
Junior midfielder Hannah Mirza scored a game-high five goals while attacker Elizabeth Datino tied the school record of six assists. Datino, who leads NCAA Division I in points per game, scored four goals for 10 points.
Mirza also contributed three assists and a team-leading four draw controls. Freshman Elizabeth Landry and Charlotte Morris each chipped in three goals, junior Anna Geissbuhler added two and freshman Allie Lehner netted one.
The Aggies outshot the Blue Devils by a 34-17 margin, won 23 ground balls and cleared 18 of 20 attempts in transition. The six goals allowed marked a season best for the Aggies.
“That game was a solid effort and it demonstrated the team’s versatility and balance,” said coach Elaine Jones.
Monday, March 26 — Holy Cross 12, UC Davis 9
The Aggies lost by a slim margin to the Crusaders in Worcester, Mass.
Freshman Charlotte Morris scored all four of her goals in the last 19 minutes of the game, allowing UC Davis to cut the lead from 9 to 3. Junior Anna Geissbuhler had a goal and three assists.
Freshman Elizabeth Landry tallied four draw controls and three caused turnovers. Hannah Mirza added three goals and two assists.
Holy Cross Crusader Taylor Zebrowski netted four goals, and freshman Laura Ryan chipped in another three.
“I think we played fairly well,” said Jones. “We were very close and we gave it all we had at the end.”
Tuesday, March 27 — UC Davis 11, Bryant 7
The Aggies overcame a second-half deficit to capture an 11-7 win over Bryant in a non-conference game at Bulldog Stadium.
UC Davis jumped out to a 3-0 lead during the first 14 minutes of play, with Geissbuhler assisting on goals to Datino and Lehner. However, the Bulldogs responded with five unanswered to establish a 5-3 edge with eight minutes remaining before the break.
After the intermission, the Aggies netted two goals in less than a minute to equalize the score at 6-6. After falling behind 7-6, the Aggies scored five unanswered goals to end the game.
The Aggies outshot their hosts by a 37-22 margin and won 13 of the game’s 20 draws.
Thursday, March 29 — Vermont 16, UC Davis 13
The Aggies ended their road trip with a tough battle against the Vermont Catamounts.
UC Davis rallied back from an 8-3 first-half deficit to within one goal with less than five minutes remaining, but was ultimately unable to complete the comeback.
Datino contributed three assists for seven total points. Mirza tallied three goals and an assist, while goalkeeper Jordan Majka recorded a season-high 14 saves.
“It’s unfortunate to end the roadtrip with a loss,” said Jones. “But we are excited to play back with our fans around for our next matchup.”
UC Davis will face conference foe California Wednesday in Aggie Stadium.
VEENA BANSAL can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
