Box Score

DAVIS, Calif. - Five combined goals, two penalty kicks 10 cards and another overtime period took place throughout Saturday's Causeway Cup matchup at Aggie Soccer Field - one that the pro-Aggie crowd will remember years from now even though UC Davis fell by a 3-2 score.

UC Davis will enter Wednesday's season finale at Aggie Soccer Field, against Cal Poly, with a 6-3-9 overall record and 4-3-2 mark against Big West teams. Sacramento State will enter its final match of the year with a 6-9-3 and 4-4-1 records.

Before the match, Andre Brown, Sam Hoeck, Ian Palmer, Brian Ford, Matt Sheldon and Ramon Martin Del Campo were joined by friends and family members as each were honored by the in a Senior Day ceremony.

Once action commenced, only two minutes passed before the Aggies fell down a man after receiving a straight red card.

A challenging situation for UC Davis became even more so when Sacramento State scored far post in the 29th minute to jump out to an early 1-0 lead.

Even though the Hornets' 1-0 advantage remained untouched at the break, the Aggies' lineup was altered dramatically with less than two minutes remaining until halftime when another straight red card was given.

Throughout the afternoon, a combined 10 cards were distributed, forcing both coaches to make dramatic adjustments on a moment's notice.

"I cannot remember the last time my team received a (red) card that early in the game... but they continued to battle," said UC Davis head coach Dwayne Shaffer following the match.

"Even down two players we still created scoring opportunities and played for the win."

One of those chances took place just over eight minutes after play resumed when Sheldon drilled a shot from 20-plus yards that found the upper right-hand corner of the Hornets' net.

Sheldon finished with a team-high four shots but it was that strike, with his team down two players that tied the match at 1-1.

The goal was his fourth of the season.

"Matt scored a beautiful goal and did everything that we asked him to do, especially after we had to adjust our tactics," added Shaffer.

The scoreboard remained untouched for the next 15 minutes until Sacramento State's Paul Geyer curled a shot that snuck inside the far post to push the Hornets ahead by a 2-1 margin.

Even shorthanded, the Aggies continued to control the action in the middle third of the pitch and wisely attacked the Hornets' goal when appropriate. That aggressive mindset paid dividends in the 74th minute when an overaggressive Sacramento State defender knocked Noah Wilson to the ground inside his team's 18-yard box.

Awarded a penalty kick on the play, Del Campo made the Hornets pay for their error by scoring his second goal of the year to tie the match once again.

Saturday's rollercoaster affair took another dramatic turn when Sacramento State was issued a penalty kick of its own five minutes later. Unlike the Aggies, who capitalized on their opportunity, Sacramento State failed on its chance when Armando Quezada dove to his left and punched the ball away to safety.

"Armando has been outstanding ever since he joined the team, and he was outstanding today. In practice, he does a great job blocking penalty kicks, and that effort showed in today's game. By blocking that kick, he saved the team at a crucial point of the game," said Shaffer.

In addition to keeping a 2-2 score as is, that save allowed the Aggies to battle for a victory in its third consecutive overtime contest.

Unlike last week's matchup at Bonney Field when both teams left with a point in the standings, it was the Hornets who kept their playoff hopes alive by scoring the game-winner, on a set play just outside the 18-yard box, in the 98th minute.

"My team deserves all the credit for battling back, playing hard and tying the match, I though we did exceptionally well. Sometimes soccer is just a cruel game," said Shaffer.

With Saturday's result, UC Davis will need an appropriate result to clinch a spot in the league's postseason tournament. Fellow North Division rivals Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara will square off at 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Once completed, the playoff picture will clear up dramatically and provide concrete options for the Aggies to continue their season.

"We need to win here on Wednesday, that is the bottom line," Shaffer said. "To this day, I feel that we are the best team in the Big West, even though today's game did not fall our way."

Wednesday's regular season finale against the Mustangs is set for 2 p.m.