Sept. 27, 2009

Final Stats

DAVIS, Calif. - The UC Davis men's soccer team claimed a 1-0 victory over crosstown rival Sacramento State in an intense, aggressive match at Aggie Soccer Stadium Sunday.

John Joslin scored the lone goal of the game for UC Davis in the 54th minute. The Aggies improve to 3-6-0 overall while the Hornets now stand at 4-4-1.

The UC Davis offense started strong in the first half and maintained a consistent rhythm throughout the period. Lance Patterson and Paul Marcoux opened with shots within the first 10 minutes of play and Michael Garrick's attempt in the 16th minute was blocked by a Sacramento State defender.

The Aggies took six shots in the first half while the Hornets were unable to take any.

"In the first half, we played good soccer, we just didn't play very inspired soccer," said head coach Dwayne Shaffer. "We got through the first half and played good soccer. We just didn't score."

Sacramento State turned up the intensity in the second half and their offense began to pressure the Aggie defense. Max Alvarez took a shot in the 51st minute and forced UC Davis goalkeeper Ryan McCowan to make a save. Ernesto Carranza and Fernando Cabadas each took shots in the 52nd and 53rd minutes, but both sailed out of bounds.

UC Davis broke away in the 54th minute as Chris Leer dribbled up the far sideline and slid a pass across the middle as Joslin trailed. Joslin one-touched the pass into the lower left corner of the goal and gave the Aggies the 1-0 lead.

"Scoring the goal gave us a ton of confidence and momentum," said Shaffer.

Play turned physical after Joslin's goal and the redshirt freshman found himself on the receiving end of a red card in the 57th minute after tackling a Sacramento State defender. UC Davis would continue play with one man down.

Sacramento State picked up a warning of their own when Oscar Torrico received a yellow card in the 64th minute, but UC Davis' head coach Dwayne Shaffer received a red card in the 65th minute and was forced to leave the field.

The Hornets used their extra player advantage and sent several shots toward McCowan. Scott Crandall's attempt in the 66th minute was blocked while Alvarez's second attempt was wide.

In the 80th minute, freshman Riley Newport was also removed from the game when he received his second yellow card of the match. The Aggies finished the game with only nine men on the field but were still able to preserve the 1-0 victory.

"Our guys did a great job of continuing to battle and that's part of learning the game," said Shaffer. "We hung on. Our guys fought hard and we got a win and a shutout today. Moving forward, we just need to play with more spirit and a better mentality. The group is learning that you have to be focused for all 90 minutes."

UC Davis opens Big West Conference play Wednesday at UC Irvine. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.

 Sacramento State (4-4-1) vs. UC Davis (3-6-0) Date: Sep 27, 2009  Attendance: 822 Weather: 99 degrees, clear
 Goals by period       1  2  Tot ------------------------------- Sacramento State....  0  0 -  0 UC Davis............  0  1 -  1
 SCORING SUMMARY:  1.  54:20 UCD Joslin, John (2) (Leer, Chris) - shot to lower left corner off cross to middle of box
 Shots: Sacramento State 15, UC Davis 11 Saves: Sacramento State 3 (Kenny, Ryan 3), UC Davis 2 (McCowan, Ryan 2)