Sep 8, 2013

Box Score

SAN FRANCISCO - Facing No. 18 Cal, its first nationally ranked team of the season in its final game at the University of San Francisco Tournament, UC Davis entered halftime trailing by a slim 1-0 margin. Unfortunately for the Aggies, two Bears goals scored within 90 seconds of one another created too large a deficit for UC Davis to erase as the Aggies ended the second of their nine straight matches on the road by a 4-0 score at Negoesco Stadium.

Cal remains undefeated at with a 5-0-1 mark, UC Davis will enter Friday's 6:30 p.m. (PT) contest at Utah with a 2-3-0 record.

After UC Davis goalkeeper Taylor Jern recorded three saves within the first five minutes of action, the Aggies generated their inaugural scoring opportunity of the afternoon on their first corner kick of the match.

Taken by senior forward Mary Beth Mazurek, her corner started a chain of events in front of Cal goalkeeper Emily Kruger that resulted in a shot from senior midfielder Hannah Hicks, one that sailed just over the crossbar.

A Cal cross led to its first goal of the afternoon, scored on a header in the 31st minute, to give the Bears a 1-0 lead. Outside of that one shot, Jern turned away every shot within her reach throughout the first 45 minutes of the match and entered halftime with eight first-half saves.

When action resumed after the break, it was UC Davis that was the first to attack when a shot from freshman forward Taylor Locke, taken just 42 seconds into the half, was blocked by Cal.

Locke and senior midfielder Hannah Hicks each led the team with two shots, and were two of three Aggies to tally a shot on goal.

Junior forward Lexi Poppoff was the other Aggie whose shot was turned away at the final moment by Kruger to prevent UC Davis from scoring its first goal.

Even though UC Davis was the first team to generate an opportunity in the second half, it was the Bears who were the first to score, doubling their lead at the 48th minute on its first second-half shot.

Ninety seconds later, Cal increased its lead to three before scoring its final goal of the day with 34 minutes remaining.

Even though they trailed by a sizable margin, UC Davis continued to attack Kruger at the opposite end of the field throughout the rest of the contest and nearly capitalized on two occasions.

Emma Tinloy narrowly missed her intended target on her only shot taken against the Bears; Cal's 'keeper needed to make a quick play on a header from Hicks just a handful of seconds later to stem the Aggies' attack.

In all, seven players were responsible for UC Davis' nine shots.