Oct. 30, 2005

Box Score

DAVIS, Calif. - Senior defender Lindsay Hellman's goal in the 60th minute accounted for the only scoring as UC Riverside defeated UC Davis, 1-0, in a non-conference women's collegiate soccer match at Aggie Field Sunday.

The Aggies, playing the final contest of the 2005 season, finish the year at 5-10-3. The Highlanders improve to 11-3-4 overall.

Hellman's goal came on what appeared to be a failed Highlander offensive drive. The UC Davis defense had successfully held Riverside to without a shot and cleared the ball out toward the midfield. Hellman corraled the loose ball, then sent a high floater back toward the Aggie penalty box. It came down at such a steep angle that Aggie goalkeeper Krystyn Lizak had almost no play on the ball, but just low enough to sneak under the crossbar.

It was only one of three shot attempts by the Highlanders in the second half, after UCR had outshot its hosts by a 10-3 margin before the break.

The Riverside defensive crew protected its net from several Aggie chances late in the game. In the 75th minute, UC Davis senior Christen Rauschnot sent a perfectly placed ball to forward Dayna Dumont in the penalty box. The Highlanders cleared the ball before Dumont could get a shot off. Five minutes later, Aggie senior Kristin Aja was in position to accept a long serve in the box, but UCR senior Renee Scachetti cut off the pass and sent the ball out of potential harm's way.

"It comes back to getting your chances, and we had some great balls across the face of the goal," said UC Davis head coach MaryClaire Robinson. "Early on, it felt like two heavyweight boxers plodding along. We had some great corner kicks and some great balls that we couldn't get on the other end of. That was the difference."

Lizak finished the game with five saves in the Aggie net. Riverside's keeper Tawny Poggio posted two saves against Annie McAllister and Julia Gamlen.

Riverside currently holds the top slot in the Big West Conference, of which the Aggies will become a full-fledged member in 2007. The Highlanders have posted four straight 10-win seasons and earlier this season earned their first-ever regional ranking by Soccer Buzz Magazine.

Sunday's contest also represented the career finale for six UC Davis seniors: Lizak, Aja, Rauschnot, Sita Kuteira, Lindsey Raymond and the injured Alison Green.

"The Big West has grown by leaps and bounds since last fall, which makes it really exciting to be a part of it," said Robinson. "I think this was a tough season. We had some good leadership, and I think we grew. The seniors took us as far as they could take us, which is really powerful. We're going to be a tough team next year just from the battles we've had this year. It's an exciting time for us."

GOALS - UCR: Lindsay Hellman (unassisted), 59:15. UC Davis: none.
SHOTS - UCR: 13. UC Davis: 6.
SAVES - UCR: Tawny Poggio 2 (90:00). UC Davis: Krystyn Lizak 5 (90:00).
CORNERS - UCR: 1. UC Davis: 4.
FOULS - UCR: 10. UC Davis: 14.