UC Davis Athletics from 9/30-10/4
Men’s cross country
Capital Cross Challenge (seventh-place finish)
In the Sacramento State-hosted Capital Cross Challenge, freshman Jordy Ceja had 14th place finish, running the eight-kilometer race in 25:16.9, helping his team to a seventh place finish. Senior Patrick Fitzgerald came in barely 20 seconds behind Ceja for 26th place with a time of 25:37.8. Less than a minute behind Fitzgerald was sophomore Luke Dorman at 26:11.6 and senior Jordan Rushing at 26:27.5, who finished in 38th and 43rd, respectively.
The Aggies will next race in Louisville, Ky. at the NCAA Pre-Nationals after more than two weeks without competition.
Women’s cross country
Capital Cross Challenge (eighth-place finish)
Leading the team’s eighth-place finish was freshman Muna Alhamad, who ended her five-kilometer race with a time of 18:10.3 to come in 33rd. Classmate Megan MacGregor was only seconds behind, at 18:14.1 for a 36th place finish. The freshmen came out in force for the Challenge, and consistently made decent showings.
UC Davis will race on Oct. 17 at the NCAA Pre-Nationals held in Louisville, Ky.
UC Davis vs. Montana (27-13)
In a home game, the Aggies had a disappointing loss against Montana. Taking the first quarter with a lead of 6-0 gave all those watching hope that the team could earn their first win of the season. By halftime UC Davis had a one-point deficit, but the game was by no means over. However, the third quarter saw interceptions and poor executions that led to an eventual loss of 27-13.
The homecoming game awaits the football team on Oct. 10 as they face Northern Arizona at Aggie Stadium.
Men’s soccer (5-6-0)
UC Davis at UC Riverside (W, 2-0)
UC Davis at Cal State Fullerton (L, 1-0)
In their first Big West game of the season, the men’s soccer team got two into the net and denied UC Riverside from scoring at all. Senior goalkeeper Kris Schultz let nothing by as he protected the net five separate times, while freshman Roy Boateng and sophomore Kyle Higgins each drilled a ball past the UC Riverside keeper.
With a loss against Cal State Fullerton in the final three minutes of the game, the Aggies broke their four-game winning streak and remain on the brink of a positive record.
UC Davis will begin a four-game homestand, starting with CSUN on Thursday.
Aggie Invitational
In their first home event of the season, UC Davis hosted eight schools at the Aggie Invitational. The doubles team of junior Bryce McKelvie and sophomore Tommy Lam defeated a pairing of Nevada’s Mile Cilic and UC Davis sophomore Everett Maltby, 8-6 in the Flight “B” championship.
McKelvie then won the Flight “B” singles championship against Maltby, in a 6-2, 6-2 victory.
The men’s tennis team will play in the three-day UCSB Classic starting on Friday.
Men’s water polo (9-6)
UC Davis at Air Force (W, 11-10 (SV))
A close game was played in the pool between UC Davis and Air Force, with freshman Sasa Antunovic delivering the game-winning goal mere seconds into sudden victory, ending the match. The Aggies had only managed to tied up the score throughout the game, never claiming a lead until the very end.
The Aggies welcome four upcoming home games which start on Oct. 10 with two exhibition games, first against West Valley College and followed later that day with an alumni game.
Field Hockey (6-9)
UC Davis vs. Stanford (L, 2-1)
UC Davis vs. California (L, 1-0)
Two close games gave the Aggies two losses as they competed against two solid teams: Stanford and Cal. Junior Kayla Wigney scored the single goal against Stanford, keeping them within striking distance but ultimately unable to convert any more shots to goals. UC Davis rained five shots upon the Cal keeper but could not find the net.
They will play UMass-Lowell in another home game on Friday.
UC Davis vs. Cal Poly (W, 1-0 (2OT))
UC Davis vs. CSUN (T, 0-0 (2OT))
The defeat of Cal Poly became the Aggies third win in their four game homestand, as senior forward Haley Hughes scored the only goal of the match in double overtime and freshman keeper Alexis Smith continued to dominate in front of the net.
With a scoreless game against CSUN, Smith set a UC Davis program record with nine shutouts so far in the season, and approaches the league’s record as well.
Cal State Fullerton will host the women’s soccer team on Friday.
Women’s tennis
Cal Fall Invitational
To start their season, the women’s tennis team played in the Cal Fall Invitational held in Berkeley, Calif. With a strong show of force on the first day, freshmen Kelsey Bryant and Isabella Von Ebbe and junior Alex Huie each won their singles matches in two straight sets. Sophomore Jessie Lee was the only Aggie to claim a victory over the weekend, winning the singles consolation championship.
Women’s tennis will travel to the Saint Mary’s Fall Invitational on Friday for a three day tournament.
UC Davis vs. UC Riverside (W, 3-1)
UC Davis vs. UC Irvine (W, 3-1)
In the first two games on the new court at the Pavilion, the Aggies have come away with two great victories. Winning three sets to one in both matches, UC Davis wrestled the wins away in a number of close sets and exciting triumphs.
Check out a recap of the UC Riverside match here, and the UC Irvine defeat here.
The Aggies will attack UC Santa Barbara in the third straight home game on Thursday as they fight to keep their streak alive.
