The streak continues.
UC Davis entered the week having won its previous 11 games against Saint Mary’s. The streak did not end on Friday as the Aggies claimed a 21-12 victory over the Gaels.
UC Davis got off to a fast start, scoring six goals in the first 14 minutes and jumping out to an early three-goal lead. Saint Mary’s caught up from there, though.
The Gaels held the Aggies scoreless for the final 16 minutes of the first half, and UC Davis entered the break trailing 7-6.
Senior Christina Corsa believes UC Davis was its own worst enemy during that stretch.
“We were beating ourselves,” she said. “We had some silly turnovers and we weren’t protecting our sticks very well.”
The Aggies exploded in the second half, outscoring the Gaels 15-5 in the final frame to secure the victory.
“The key for us [in the second half] was to keep composed,” Corsa said. “Their defense was putting pressure on us, but we were able to calm down and get back into a rhythm.”
One of the Aggies’ main problems in the first half was their inability to slow down the Gaels in transition. UC Davis corrected this in the second half by pressing Saint Mary’s further up the field.
“They have some fast girls,” Corsa said. “We knew we needed to step up and cut off their runs early and we did a really good job of that in the second half.”
Corsa was the standout performer for the Aggies as she tied a school record with six assists.
“[Corsa] played well today,” said coach Elaine Jones. “She played like a senior should.”
Corsa believes the way the team moved on the offensive end allowed her to be creative in passing the ball.
“We did a really good job of pressing in transition, especially in the second half,” Corsa said. “It made it easy to find the open girls.”
Corsa also added four goals, tied with sophomore Elizabeth Datino for the game high.
Senior Gina Hoffmire, sophomore Hannah Mirza and freshman Meghan Jordan each found the back of the net three times.
Although this win will not count in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation standings, UC Davis believes the victory will give them a mental edge when they face Saint Mary’s in a conference match-up later this season.
“It will definitely have a big effect when we see them again,” Corsa said. “They think of us as their big rivals, and we showed we can beat them so hopefully we can do it again later on.”
TREVOR CRAMER can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
