Oct. 11, 2008

Box Score

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Senior forward Quincy Amarikwa scored two goals and sophomore goalkeeper Ryan McCowan came up with six saves to lead 13th-ranked UC Davis to a 2-0 shutout victory over 15th-ranked UC Santa Barbara in a Big West Conference men's soccer game in front of 4,007 fans at Harder Stadium Saturday night.

The win extends the Aggies' unbeaten streak to 10 games as they improve to 11-1-1 overall and 3-0-1 in conference play. The Gauchos drop their first game in conference to fall to 1-1-1 and 6-4-2 overall. It marks the first time the Gauchos have been shutout in 31 games and is the first Aggie win in Santa Barbara.

Amarikwa, who also tallied two-goal games against Air Force and Long Island, scored his 11th and 12th goals of the season to add to his career high total. His first goal came at the at 17:03 mark off an assist from junior Paul Marcoux. Amarikwa took a pass from Marcoux in the center of the field and beat Gaucho goalkeeper Kristopher Minton. It was the second assist of the season for Marcoux.

Amarikwa struck again in the 48th minute when he converted a bicycle kick off a volley by fellow senior Ian Conklin. It was the first assist of the season for Conklin. Amarikwa finished with a game-high three shots on goal. Senior Dylan Curtis and redshirt freshman Rene Cuellar also managed shots on goal.

McCowan saved all six Gaucho shots on frame to help the Aggies gain their third consecutive shutout. His save total was just one shy of his career best and helped the team improve their record to 2-2-1 over UC Santa Barbara since the 2006 season.

Defending Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Chris Pontius led all players with seven shots, two of which came on frame. Bongomin Otii also managed two shots on frame while Minton saved three shots in goal.

The Gauchos held a slight advantage in shots at 14-10, but the Aggies managed more corner kicks, 6-4. A total of 28 fouls and seven yellow cards were issued in the contest.

UC Davis returns home on Wednesday to host another conference game against Cal State Fullerton. The game will begin at 3 p.m. and marks the second time in as many weeks the Titans and Aggies will face each other.

GOALS - UC Davis: Quincy Amarikwa (Paul Marcoux) 18th; Quincy Amarikwa (Ian Conklin) 48th.
SHOTS - UC Davis: 10 (Quincy Amarikwa 4). UCSB: 14 (Chris Pontius 7).
SAVES - UC Davis: Ryan McCowan (90:00) 6. UCSB: Kristopher Minton (90:00) 3.
CORNERS - UC Davis: 6. UCSB: 4.
FOULS - UC Davis: 18. UCSB: 10.