Box Score

DAVIS, Calif. - UC Davis defender Lauren Paul scored her first career goal in the ninth minute to give UC Davis a 1-0 lead - an advantage the Aggies held until Cal State Fullerton scored on a penalty kick in the 86th minute in Sunday's 1-1, double-overtime draw at Aggie Soccer Field.

By recording a tie in both Big West home matches played, the Aggies earned another point, improved their overall mark to 3-7-3 and league record to 0-0-2. Cal State Fullerton ends its inaugural weekend of league competition with an identical overall and 1-0-1 conference record.

"I think we played well against a formidable opponent - a Cal State Fullerton team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season. Our defense was solid and we were hitting our stride until that unfortunate penalty kick took place and influenced the final result," said UC Davis head coach Twila Kaufman.

On the Aggies' first shot of the afternoon, the Aggies found the back of the net thanks to Paul's heads-up play. On a cross from Mandy McKeegan that bounced around like a pinball in front of the Titans net, Paul pounced on the loose ball and muscled her way through traffic to score her first-ever goal as an Aggie to give her team a 1-0 lead.

"Lauren Paul is willing to do whatever it takes to score a goal." Added Kaufman, "she is a center back by nature, but when we pulled her forward, she showed the crowd what everyone on the team already knows."

That 1-0 score remained untouched for the following 77:37 - a block of time that saw Aggie goaltender Taylor Jern stop four Fullerton shots, and her teammates turn away another six, before a foul was committed in the Aggies' penalty area with 4:10 remaining in the match.

Cal State Fullerton capitalized on the subsequent penalty kick, tied the match at 1-1 and held on throughout the following two overtime periods to escape Aggie Soccer Field with a point in the Big West standings.

Said Kaufman, "We are humbled by the tie because we played exceptionally well, and are looking forward to getting back on the field for next week's road matches."

UC Davis will continue conference play during its annual swing through Central California beginning with Friday's match at Cal Poly - the defending Big West regular season champions. Action from San Luis Obispo will start at 7 p.m.