Box Score

DAVIS, Calif. - A Utah header that deflected off the bottom of the crossbar brought an abrupt end to Sunday's overtime match as that shot helped the visiting Utes escape Aggie Soccer Field with a 1-0 win over UC Davis.

The result pushes UC Davis' overall record to 3-5; Utah will return to Salt Lake City with a 5-0-2 mark.

Sunday's match marked the second occasion this season that the Aggies faced a team that was listed in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's national poll as the Utes received votes in this week's listing, narrowly missing the top 25 threshold.

Throughout regulation, Utah fired 22 shots towards UC Davis' net. However, because of the Aggies' stingy defense, hardly any of those attempts were dangerous scoring opportunities since they were taken from long range.

"Our backline found its groove. Not only did everyone look good on defense, they chose great opportunities to join our attack. Even though Utah has numerous scorers and strikers, our defenders were able to match-up well against all of them," said UC Davis head coach Twila Kaufman following the match.

Utah's header, scored off a corner kick in the 92nd minute, was one of the rare shots taken by the Utes all afternoon within the Aggies' 18-yard penalty area.

Bouncing down straight towards the end line (rather thtn back onto the field or out-of-bounds) after drawing iron, one of numerous UC Davis players quickly kicked the ball back into play towards one of her teammates. However, that kick was for naught since a whistle was blown moments later, signifying that the ball completely crossed the goal line a fraction of a second before being redirected away from the Aggies' goal.

The second-ever meeting between Utah and UC Davis - last year's match in Salt Lake City ended in a 2-2 draw - was also the third overtime contest for each squad this year.

In addition to their defense prowess, the Aggies displayed extreme poise and restraint when Utah was whistled for two yellow cards in the second half.

On both occasions, UC Davis flipped action from its third to the neutral portion of the pitch on a counterattack; each opportunity saw an Aggie nearly blast past Utah's line of defenders before hitting the turf after suffering a foul. Even though each play ended with quick yellows, both instantly nullified any chance of the Aggies scoring on would-be 1-v-1 chances.

"There are a lot of things in this game you cannot control ... including what the other team is doing. We keep reiterating how important it is to make the right decisions and focusing on what we can control. I firmly believe that if we make the correct choice time after time, things will eventually fall in our favor," Kaufman said.

Lexi Poppoff led all Aggies with three shots and was one of two players to record a shot on goal.

After shaking her defender by quickly reversing directions on her first-half scoring run, Kayla Collins - the other player to record a shot on goal - fired a curling attempt that was collected by Utah's goalkeeper.

UC Davis netminder Taylor Jern finished with nine saves.

The Aggies will return to action on Friday, Sept. 19, at Nevada, before concluding their final non-conference road trip at Santa Clara next Sunday.