Teams: No. 8 UC Davis vs. No. 20 UC Irvine

Records: Aggies, 12-2-2 (4-1-2); Anteaters, 8-1-5 (1-1-3)

Where: Aggie Soccer Stadium

When: Saturday at 1 p.m.

Who to watch: Senior Jordan Vanderpoorten has been a key component to a bulletproof defense this season up until some recent struggles.

The La Verne, Calif. native has started 15 of the Aggies‘ 16 matches this season and has one assist.

Did you know? With two goals Wednesday against Cal State Northridge, senior forward Quincy Amarikwa upped his goal total for the season to 15, moving him into a first-place tie in the nation in that category.

This seems impressive, but it is even more astonishing considering that head coach Dwayne Shaffer calls Amarikwa the most fouled player in America.

Preview: The Aggies bounced back from Saturday’s disappointing loss to UC Riverside in dramatic fashion Wednesday against Cal State Northridge.

The Matadors jumped out with the first goal five minutes into the match, but Amarikwa quickly answered with a score six minutes later to even the game.

In the 17th minute, Cal State Northridge defender Jeremy Hohn was ejected after he threw Amarikwa to the ground.

The Aggies were not able to capitalize immediately as the Matadors scored a shorthanded goal in the 24th minute.

After playing behind late for the third straight match, senior midfielder Dylan Curtis converted from 15 yards out in the 81st minute to even the score.

Five minutes later, Amarikwa headed in an Ian Conklin pass to stun the Matadors, prevent the upset and secure the 3-2 win.

The Aggies will finish up their week at home on Saturday against UC Irvine. The teams tied 1-1 when they met in Irvine on Oct. 1.

The Anteaters are led offensively by senior midfielder Matt Murphy who has seven goals and four assists on the season.

–Max Rosenblum 

Teams: UC Davis vs. North Dakota

Records: Aggies, 4-4 (1-0); Fighting Sioux, 5-1 (0-0)

Where: Aggie Stadium

When: Saturday at 6 p.m.

Radio: KHTK 1140 AM

Who to watch: Greg Denham has been making the most of UC Davis‘ current five-game homestand.

Through three games – all wins, the sophomore has thrown for 296.3 yards per game with 13 touchdowns and two interceptions. He has also completed 70.2 percent of his passes, helping him to a 179.40 efficiency rating over the span.

Did you know? Saturday’s Great West Conference matchup with North Dakota will be the final night game of the year at Aggie Stadium. UC Davis concludes its home schedule on Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. against rival Sacramento State.

Preview: Great offense, stout run defense – UC Davis‘ success at home this season has been easy to define.

The Aggies have averaged 527.3 yards of offense per game at Aggie Stadium while averaging only 45.8 rushing yards against.

Not even the absence of the team’s top two running backs could slow down production last week against Iona. Playing in place of Joe Trombetta and Brandon Tucker, who were both sidelined with knee injuries, reserves Corbin Cutshaw and Josh Reese combined for 310 total yards (208 rushing) in a 55-24 win.

“They were obviously good players before [Trombetta and Tucker’s injuries],“ head coach Bob Biggs said, “but we never really got a chance to see if it would transfer from practice to games. Clearly, it’s transferring.“

Trombetta is likely to return in time for the Sac State game in two weeks while Tucker is more of a doubt for the home finale.

If the Aggies‘ offense keeps rolling and their defense keeps shutting down running games, North Dakota may have to rest its offensive hopes on quarterback Danny Freund.

The senior has completed 70.1 percent of his passes this season for 1401 yards with 16 touchdowns and only two interceptions. The 165.80 efficiency rating, however, has come against Division II competition, as North Dakota is in its first year of a four-year reclassification process from Division II to Division I.

On the season, UC Davis has the sixth-best rush defense in the Football Championship Subdivision and the 17th-best offense (ninth-best passing). It is also second in the country in average time of possession (34:59).

–Michael Gehlken 

Men’s tennis

UC Davis junior Hunter Lee picked up two victories on Sunday in the consolation draw of the ITA Northwest Championships in Berkeley. In his third match of the day, he was defeated by Washington’s Brad Bator, 6-4, 6-2, in the quarterfinals.

Lee’s run started in the round of 32 with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Yousef El Bouzkouri of Saint Mary’s. Next up was Portland State’s Kyle Erickson, who fell to Lee, 6-4, 6-2. That set the stage for the quarterfinal showdown against Bator.

Lee was the last of eight Aggies still participating in the tournament.

Women’s tennis

Jessica Harris, Herzyl Legaspi and Emma Shapiro all picked up wins in consolation matches, Saturday, at the ITA Northwest Championships in Stanford. Desiree Stone competed in the main draw and was defeated in the round of 32.

Stone advanced after picking up a pair of wins on Friday to open the championship. On Saturday, Stanford’s Carolyn McVeigh posted a 6-2, 6-3 victory to advance to the round of 16. McVeigh entered the tournament with a No. 77 preseason ranking.

The Aggies won three of their four consolation matches. Harris defeated San Jose State’s Olivia Marshall after the Spartan retired with Harris leading 5-4 in the first set. Legaspi was a 6-3, 6-1 winner over Portland’s Ann Gullickson. In addition, Shapiro defeated Gonzaga’s Sophie Lantta, 6-4, 6-3.

Aggie Digest is compiled by the California Aggie sports staff with briefs from the UC Davis athletics website, ucdavisaggies.com.

In the fall, Corbin Cutshaw looks like any other UC Davis running back.

He uses vision. He cuts. He bursts.

Then the spring arrives, and Cutshaw is still at it. He’s still using vision, still cutting, still bursting – just like in the fall.

Sort of.

He uses vision to read the baseball as it leaves the pitcher’s hand. He takes his cuts with a metal bat. He bursts out of the batter’s box toward first base.

At a time when playing two collegiate sports at once has become a rarity, the Economics major finds a way, doubling as a running back and outfielder for the UC Davis football and baseball teams, respectively.

Last year as a freshman, Cutshaw redshirted in both sports, so he has yet to play a game in baseball. But for the last two weeks, the Santa Fe Christian High graduate has been making an impact on the gridiron, excelling on the ground and out of the backfield for the Aggies (4-4).

Leading up to Cutshaw’s second straight start, Aggie Staff Writer Michael Gehlken recently sat down with the Carlsbad, Calif. native to discuss his recent productivity and some of the sacrifices that come with being a two-sport Division I athlete.

Since Joe Trombetta and Brandon Tucker’s knee injuries two weeks ago, you’ve taken advantage of an increased workload, rushing 24 times for 178 yards and a touchdown to go with seven receptions for 69 yards. After spending all of last year redshirting, what’s it been like for you to finally get back on the field and have that success?

It definitely feels really good. I redshirted last year, like you said, and during that time, you’re just practicing and never seeing the benefits during a game. It feels really good to get back in the swing of things.

How important has it been for you to make the most of your time on the field?

Since I redshirted last season, no one’s really been able to see what I’m capable of doing. So every game, every day, every practice, it’s just an opportunity to show to not only myself but also this team and coaching staff that I’m capable of playing at a very high caliber and intensity.

During the high school recruiting process, how high of priority was it for you to find a college that would let you play both football and baseball, and how much did that factor into your decision to commit to UC Davis?

It was really important because I wasn’t ready to quit baseball. I love that sport – I’ve been playing it since I was little. And of course, for football, there’s nothing else like football. Deciding to play both was definitely a really big decision. I know when I was being recruited, I talked to Bob Biggs, the head coach, and I told him I wanted to have the opportunity to play baseball, and he said that was fine because he knew my background. I was pretty successful at baseball in high school and didn’t want to give it up, and he knew where I was coming from – they were all up for it.

It was really nice finding a college football program with coaches that were supportive because a lot of coaches were like, ‘No, we want you to focus on one sport.‘ The coaches here really encouraged me to do whatever I wanted to grow as an athlete.

What schools were recruiting you as a one-sport athlete?

I was getting recruited by SDSU for football, USD, Cal Poly and four or five private schools back East. I didn’t get recruited that much for baseball because I signed early with Davis so I was kind of off the radar.

What time of the year is it most difficult to be both a football and baseball player, and what kind of sacrifices do you have to make?

For time of the year, I think it’d be the transition from winter to spring. That’s when the baseball season starts picking up, and that’s when spring football starts picking up. Last year, there were a couple times a week that I’d go straight from football to baseball practice, so like six hours a day I’d be doing some type of physical activity.

One of the sacrifices I have to make is definitely less family time. I only went home to visit twice last year because I was too busy with football and baseball. Like six out of the seven days of the week, I‘d have practice for either football or baseball, so free time is a sacrifice.

Which sport do you feel you’re better at?

Better at? I don’t know. It’s a matter of opinion, I guess. I like to say I’m decently good in both. I think I might be a little more knowledgeable in baseball just because I’ve been playing it for so long and have been around it for so much longer. …I first started playing football in high school, and I’ve been playing baseball my whole life.

MICHAEL GEHLKEN can be reached at sports@californiaaggie.com.