Sports

It took a 2,200-mile road trip and a strong dose of inclement weather, but the book has been closed on the UC Davis men's soccer team's historic season.

Three days after winning its first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament game in a 4-0 drubbing of Denver at Aggie Soccer Stadium, UC Davis was knocked out of tournament contention by No. 12 Michigan on Tuesday, 2-1.

The gun sounded at 9:08 a.m. Monday morning.

It signaled the start of the NCAA National Cross Country Championships in Terra Haute, Ind. and marked the first time that an Aggie duo - seniors Kim Conley and Kaitlin Gregg - had ever competed in the biggest meet in the country.

Through five games this season, the UC Davis men's basketball team has proven that it can play winning basketball.

The only task left is to prove it for 40 minutes.

The Aggies dropped to 1-4 after a pair of single-digit losses, falling on the road to Arkansas before losing to Portland in its home opener.

Teams: No. 17 UC Davis at No. 13 Michigan

Records: Aggies, 13-4-4; Wolverines, 12-5-3

Where: U-M Soccer Complex - Ann Arbor, Mich.

When: Today at 11 a.m.

Teams: UC Davis at Southern Utah

Records: Aggies, 1-1; Dons, 1-2

Where: The Pavilion

When: Today at 7 p.m.

There are some things you never forget.

The Aggies will always remember their perfect regular season in 2007 that ended with a loss to Loyola Marymount in the Western Water Polo Association championship game.

UC Davis was looking to avenge that loss this year, but came one goal short of getting there.

Former Aggie Derek Moore gave UC Davis national attention two years ago by becoming national champion of his weight class.

Now, the Aggies are doing it as a team.

Dwayne Shaffer couldn't help himself. In the final minutes of Saturday's contest at Aggie Soccer Stadium, the UC Davis men's soccer coach walked toward the student section, hopped on top of the closest chair he could find, grabbed a towel and waived it repeatedly to pump up an already rowdy crowd.

UC Davis had a fitting conclusion to a season filled with frustration.

In a game that saw the Aggies defense make a goal line stand and Greg Denham have a career day, mistakes and missed opportunities proved to be insurmountable in a 28-20 loss to San Diego on Saturday at Toreros Stadium.

"It was a case of where we were our own worst enemy," head coach Bob Biggs said. "We had way too many penalties at critical times, a fumble in the red zone, an interception in the red zone. We just couldn't overcome our mistakes."

Senior forward Quincy Amarikwa predicted it and Denver head coach Bobby Muss affirmed it.

Before UC Davis' opening round game of the NCAA Tournament against Denver, Amarikwa said he expected his team to dominate the Pioneers offensively, and to impose its will on them.

The Aggies did that and then some, knocking off Denver in a commanding 4-0 fashion before an overflow crowd of 1,344 at Aggie Soccer Stadium.

For the second straight week, the UC Davis women's basketball team had to fly across a time zone to play a Friday night game.

This time, the outcome wasn't as favorable.

A week after defeating Southern Utah, UC Davis fell victim to a 15-1 scoring run by Denver over the final three and a half minutes of play to give the Pioneers their first victory of the season, 64-50.

In the last match of their season, the Aggies didn't have much of an answer for Pacific.

The Tigers packed quite a punch on Friday night as Gibson and Anderson slammed down 12 kills each en route to a three-set victory.

But at the end of the match, there was an obvious air of excitement and promise that seemed to fill the Pavilion.

Event: NCAA Division I National Championships

Where: LaVern Gibson Course - Terre Haute, Ind.

When: Monday at 9:08 a.m.

Sitting at home in Auburn, Calif., Greg Denham was a 17-year-old with dreams.

He dreamt of glorifying God on the football field. He dreamt of leading his team to championships. He dreamt of playing in the NFL.

There was just one problem: Denham was sitting at home.

In a non-contact offseason drill leading up to his all-important junior year, the Placer High quarterback suffered a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

Teams: UC Davis at San Diego

Records: Aggies, 5-6; Toreros, 8-2

Where: Toreros Stadium - San Diego

When: Saturday at 6 p.m.

Radio: KHTK 1140 AM