The UC Davis women’s lacrosse team hoped to bounce back after its tough road trip to the East Coast two weeks ago.
However, things did not get easier this past week as the Aggies lost two difficult games to Mountain Pacific Sports Federation rivals California and Oregon. Both games had periods where it seemed anyone could win, but the Aggies were not able to secure the victory in either match.
With the losses, UC Davis moved to 5-7 overall, 2-2 MPSF play.
Wednesday — California 15, UC Davis 10
UC Davis began the week pitted against MPSF rival Cal on a chilly Wednesday night at the Aggie Stadium.
The game started off tough for the Aggies as they found themselves in a 6-1 deficit in the first half, but the team was able to claw back. UC Davis scored four goals in the last nine minutes of the first half, cutting the lead to 7-5 before halftime.
When asked what she learned about her team from this game, coach Elaine Jones said, “I learned that my team doesn’t give up or quit.”
In the second half, however, Cal was able to take over the game with four unanswered goals, extending its lead to 12-6 to put away the game early in the second half.
Juniors Elizabeth Datino and Stephanie Guercio, along with freshman Elizabeth Landry, had two goals apiece in the defeat.
“Datino was very consistent for us this entire weekend, and Landry did a good job of working hard all over the field,” Jones said.
Sunday — Oregon 16, UC Davis 13
The Aggies traveled to Eugene, Ore. to face another MPSF rival in the Oregon Ducks. UC Davis played a great first half going into halftime, tied in at nine.
The Aggies came out of halftime with a lot of energy and seemed ready to take control of the game. Junior Hannah Mirza completed her hat trick early in the second half on her way to four total goals in the game. Datino and Guercio also contributed with three goals each.
Despite the three-goal Aggie advantage, the Ducks were able to fight back due to the extraordinary play of Jana Drummond, who had six goals. The game was tied at 13-13 with 16 minutes to play, but Drummond and the Ducks scored the three straight goals to put the game away.
“We need to have more composure when we have the lead,” said Jones. “We were excited; we were up three and left the game plan.”
Even with the tough losses, Jones did not hold back from praising members of her team.
“[Goalie] Jordan Majka had some big saves for us, and Mirza did a great job scoring goals and winning draws,” Jones said.
The entire game was a tight one, consisting of seven ties and four lead changes. Although the Aggies were not able to come out on top for either games, the team is already looking ahead to this weekend’s matchup with Denver.
JASON MIN can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
