Box Score Oct. 4, 2014 Box Score
DAVIS, Calif. -- UC Davis sophomore
Connor Willis-Hong capped off his first career start in grand fashion Saturday afternoon, converting a
Matt Sheldon corner kick into his first career goal and helping lift the host Aggies to a 1-0 victory over UC Riverside at the Aggie Soccer Field.
UC Davis finished in regulation for the second straight contest following seven consecutive double-overtime matches, remaining unbeaten at 4-0-7 overall and 2-0 in Big West Conference play heading into next week's clash with top-five ranked UC Irvine and perennial power CSUN in Southern California.
After putting up four goals in a win over Sacramento State on Thursday, the Highlanders were shutout for the sixth time this season, falling to 2-7-1 overall and 1-1 in league action.
The Aggies applied the early pressure, taking six of the first seven shots on Saturday and forcing UCR goalkeeper Ashkan Khosravi into three key saves, but it wasn't until the 44th minute that UC Davis broke through with the only goal of the match.
UC Davis pushed forward and won a corner to the left side. Sheldon stood over the ball and served a perfect pass to the near post, right to the head of Willis-Hong. The sophomore broke loose from his defender and skied for a header back to the far post, beating Khosravi to the right side for the only score of the match.
"I wasn't going to go in on the corner, but Dash (teammate Dashiell MacNamara) told me to just get in and he'd drop for me," Willis-Hong said. "I was jostling in the box a bit and lost my man, the ball went over Ramon's (teammate Ramon Martin Del Campo) head and I just tried to put it on goal and it went in."
Holding a halftime lead for only the second time this season, the Aggies opened the second half looking for an elusive second goal, winning a pair of corner kicks to start the period, but were unable to convert. Shots by Willis-Hong and Ian Palmer forced Khosravi into two more saves, and senior Ramon Martin Del Campo missed a header wide in the 69th minute off a corner by Ryan Gross.
With the Highlanders now pressing for the equalizer, it was the UC Davis defense that had to stand firm, turning away three consecutive corners by UC Riverside in a three-minute span and, later, a flurry of chances by UCR, which took five of its seven shots in the final five minutes of the match. Jonathan Tovar missed wide, Ricardo Ruiz had one stopped by Aggie goalkeeper Armando Quezada, Michael Salazar had one blocked, and Stephen Copley missed high twice -- including a sliding chance that just missed the upper right corner with 36 seconds to play.
UC Davis also had a pair of chances by Dashiell MacNamara and Palmer saved by Khosravi -- the former at point blank range -- while freshman Lizandro Torres had a spinning chance off a pass by Sheldon clang off the crossbar in the 78th minute.
Quezada finished with four saves in posting his second shutout of the season for the Aggies, while Palmer led all players with five shots on the day. UC Davis finished with an 18-14 advantage in shots, including a 7-4 lead in shots on goal.
"Hopefully, the two wins this weekend give us the boost we need to go down to Southern California, away from home, and get the results we need," Willis-Hong said. "They're both very good teams, but I think we can be successful if we keep playing the way we're playing."
The Aggies and Anteaters meet on Thursday (Oct. 9) at Anteater Stadium, before heading to Northridge to take on the Matadors on Saturday (Oct. 11). Both matches are scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
