Sept. 12, 2010

Box Score

DAVIS, Calif. - Michael Garrick and John Joslin each scored a goal in the second half and the UC Davis men's soccer team held off a late attack by Saint Mary's to top the Gaels 2-1 in a nonconference match Sunday at Aggie Soccer Field.

UC Davis moves to 2-2 overall while Saint Mary's is now 2-1-1 on the season.

Saint Mary's struck first, finding the back of the net only five minutes into the game. Nathan Arambula sent a long throw into the 18-yard box which found Malcolm Alugas who flicked the ball with a header to Tom Mohoric. Mohoric one-touched the ball past UC Davis goalkeeper Tommy Siragusa to give the Gaels an early 1-0 advantage.

The Aggies strengthened their attack with shots from Lance Patterson, Rene Cuellar and Jason Santos, but UC Davis couldn't find the equalizer.

UC Davis goalkeeper Tommy Siragusa then went down with an injury 30 minutes into the half and the Aggies substituted in freshman goalkeeper Omar Zeenni. The UC Davis defense did their part to protect the goal for the remainder of the half as Saint Mary's only took four shots.

As play resumed after halftime, UC Davis maintained possession and forced Saint Mary's goalkeeper Doug Herrick to make four saves in the first 10 minutes of the half. The Aggies' persistence would pay off, however, as Garrick scored the equalizer in the 58th minute. Lance Patterson began the play with a run down the right sideline, then slotted a pass across the box to a waiting Garrick, who scored from three yards out.

Joslin's gamewinner would come in the 72nd minute. Jacob Barron's corner kick landed in a flurry of players and, in an attempt to clear the ball, a deflection off two Saint Mary's defenders found a waiting Joslin who struck a shot into the lower right corner of the goal.

With time winding down, Saint Mary's resumed its strong attack. A shot from Ismail Adam looked on target, but Dan Reese's volley cleared the ball. In the 86th minute, a shot from Arambula was blocked, giving the Gaels a corner kick. Adam's shot was headed out of the area by Patterson and found Trevor Newquist, but Newquist's attempt was wide. The Gaels were awarded a second corner kick, but were unsuccessful.

in the closing seconds, Saint Mary's was awarded a free kick outside of the 18-yard box and Adam's third shot of the night was a low hard attempt that was blocked. Joel Fumia received the rebound, but his shot sailed over the crossbar, allowing UC Davis to preserve the win.

Herrick recorded eight saves, while Siragusa had one before leaving the game.

Patterson led UC Davis with four shots, while Garrick had three. In total, 11 different Aggies combined for 20 shots. For Saint Mary's, Adam's three shots led the Gaels while Dylan Leslie and Fumia each had two.

UC Davis takes to the road for five straight games, beginning with a game against Oregon State Friday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. in Corvallis, Ore. The game is part of the Oregon State Hensor/Nike Classic and concludes with Sunday's 1:30 p.m. matchup with Seattle.