Oct. 9, 2010

Box Score

DAVIS, Calif. - John Joslin scored his second goal of the year in the 24th minute and the UC Davis men's soccer team held off eight second half shots from Cal State Northridge to edge the Matadors 1-0 in a Big West Conference matchup Saturday at Matador Field in Northridge, Calif.

The win snapped a six-match losing streak for UC Davis and moves the Aggies to 3-8 overall and 1-2 in conference play. With the loss, Cal State Northridge now stands at 2-7-2 overall and 1-1-1 in league action.

The Aggies received an indirect free kick at the 24:38 mark and Jacob Barron touched the ball to Joslin who fired a shot towards goal. The shot deflected off a Matador defender into the lower left corner of the goal to give UC Davis the early lead.

UC Davis preserved the lead through the first half and entered the second period on the attack. Jason Santos' shot less than a minute into the second half was saved by Cal State Northridge goalkeeper Michael Abalos and a follow-up attempt from freshman Kevin Schulte was wide. Nathan Javadi's header attempt off a corner kick from Alex Henry went just over the crossbar, and Schulte's second attempt at the 51:45 mark was also high.

Starting in the 71st minute, both teams fired shots, but the respective goalkeepers came up strong for their teams. Omar Zeenni was there to save Matador tries in the 71st and 74th minutes while Abalos held off another shot from Schulte at the 72:21 mark as well as a try from Lance Patterson in the 78th minute.

The Matadors kept up their attack with consecutive attempts in the 83rd and 86th minute. Rafael Garcia's shot at 83:18 was high while Zeenni was there to save Sam Ball's try at 86:21. With the minutes winding down, Cal State Northridge earned a corner kick with just under two minutes to go, but the Aggie defense would ward off the threat to preserve the win.

Zeenni made his second straight start in goal for UC Davis and finished with a season-high five saves. Abalos also recorded five saves.

Schulte led UC Davis offensively with three shots while Henry and Javadi each had two shots. For the Matadors, Garcia led all players with four shots.

The Aggies and the Matadors each took 12 shots apiece while Cal State Northridge took a 7-3 edge in corner kicks.

UC Davis returns to action Wednesday, Oct. 13 as the Aggies host UC Riverside under the lights of Aggie Stadium at 7:15 p.m.