The Aggies defeated San Jose State on a hot Sunday afternoon
By MEGAN JOSEPH — sports@theaggie.org
The UC Davis men’s soccer team felt the heat on Sept. 24 with a fully packed stadium and a rival team. Nevertheless, they delivered a three-to-zero win against the San Jose Spartans that marked the Aggies’ first home win of the season. After a long wait, the team’s ecstatic behavior showed how much this win meant to them.
The game started off strong with the Aggies holding the lead and showing their relaxed and powerful gameplay. The other team took a more aggressive approach, with the San Jose State team receiving two yellow cards within the first three minutes of the game. Even so, it did not stop the Aggies from scoring with second-year Cason Goodman receiving a perfectly placed ball from fourth-year Ryan Dieter. Cason then shot it into the top of the net for the Aggies’ first goal of the game in the ninth minute.
Cason’s constant pressure on the defense and his ability to win possession of the ball from the other team made this a great game for him. He, along with the rest of the Davis offense, kept the San Jose defense on their toes. His brother, second-year Luke Goodman, played the entire game in the defense.
Luke also played very well in the game, successfully stopping the other team from making breakaways and passing the ball through the defense. It’s safe to say we can expect to see a lot of good plays from these brothers in future games.
Not long after, the Aggies saw their next chance to score as Cason and fourth-year Sean Bilter passed the ball up to first-year Ian Ngonethong. Ngonethong shot the ball in the box and put the Aggies two points ahead of San Jose in the 16th minute of the game. As new Aggies, the first-years have already started showing their potential and abilities on the team. Many of them have had a lot of playing time in recent games, highlighting the team’s need for fresh new talent.
On the other hand, team captains and veterans Bilter and fourth-year Ethan Hoard played outstanding games. Bilter did a great job sending the ball up to the forwards and supporting his teammates where it was needed. Hoard also played in the back and did a good job at being the first to the ball, while continuously making tackles against the opposing team.
Starting off the second half of the game was a bit slower. Both teams were fighting for the ball and attacking, but neither were successful in their finishes and the score remained two to zero. In the 71st minute of the game, Dietier saw his opening in the defense and took it. He took his shot in the lower right corner that the goalie wasn’t fast enough to save, putting the Aggies three ahead of San Jose.
Following this third goal, the Aggies started playing much faster and regained their rhythm. They started attacking and taking more shots against the Spartans. No goals were scored in the remaining 19 minutes of the game, but the Aggies took 12 shots on goal in the second half, which was four times as many shots as San Jose’s three.
Overall, the Aggies had an incredible game that made it one of the most exciting games to watch, especially for fans. This season is going to be a tough one, but the Aggies might have what it takes to go all the way and win it all.
Written by: Megan Joseph — sports@theaggie.org
