Aggies women’s soccer put up 0-0 draw against Loyola Marymount University on the road

A strong defensive effort by the Aggies earned them their second straight shutout

By COLINA HARVEY— sports@theaggie.org

On Sept. 10, the UC Davis women’s soccer team faced the Loyola Marymount University (LMU) Lions in a non-conference road game. The match ended in a scoreless draw with just six shots on goal for the two teams combined.

After starting the season with a record of 1-1-3, the Aggies picked up their first home win against University of the Pacific on Sept. 6. The winning goal came from forward Ashley Brewer, a third-year human development major — her first goal scored for the Aggies since transferring in this season. UC Davis was looking to build on this momentum in their match against the Lions.

The Lions started strong, with LMU midfielder Alaina Lee scoring the first shot on goal in the 4th minute. The Aggies responded with defender Sydnie Fong, a master of management student, scoring her own shot on goal in the 8th minute. 

UC Davis’ goalkeeper Cat Pieper, a fifth-year political science major, worked hard to save shots taken by the lions. LMU forward Izzy Smith gave Pieper her third save of the game in the 14th minute, quickly following Lee’s shot that was also saved. 

In the 18th minute, the Aggies thought they had scored the go-ahead goal when forward Lakelee Perkins, a third-year psychology major, scored off an assist from forward Lisette Gregoris, a fourth-year human development major. However, the goal was disallowed due to an offsides call and the game remained scoreless. 

The two teams went back-and-forth with possession for the rest of the half however neither team was able to score. By halftime, LMU recorded a total of five shots, only of which three were on goal. UC Davis recorded four shots in total, one of those being on goal. 

Less than three minutes into the second half, UC Davis’ Payton Henry, a first-year communication major, hit a shot on target but was unable to hit the back of the net. This was her first shot on goal for the Aggies.

A strong Aggie defense managed to stifle the Lions’ offense throughout the rest of the match, forcing them to take difficult shots.

LMU’s Sydney Schuler put up one last attempt on goal in the 90th minute, but the shot was no match for Pieper. The score remained 0-0 when the final whistle was blown. 

The Lions ended the game with 11 shots, four of which were on goal, and the Aggies ended with seven shots, two of which were on goal.

Although the Aggies struggled to generate offensive opportunities, they performed well on their half of the field. Following the match, Davis’ Kiley Fehrenbacher, a third-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week. The Aggie backline, made up of Fehrenbacher, Fong, Ava Peterson, a second-year undeclared major and Courtney Wagner, a fourth-year psychology major, held the Lions to just four shots on goal. Pieper helped keep LMU scoreless.

The Aggies will begin Mountain West competition on Sept. 24 with an away match against the United States Air Force Academy.

Written by: Colina Harvey — sports@theaggie.org