Match 6

California Golden Bears (4-2, 0-0 NorPac)
at
UC Davis Aggies (1-4, 0-0 NorPac)

Friday, Sept 19 - 3 p.m.
Aggie Field Hockey Facility - Davis, Calif.

Live Stats 
In-game Twitter Updates

Match 7

Central Michigan Chippewas (1-5)
at
UC Davis Aggies

Sunday, Sept 21 - 12 p.m.
Aggie Field Hockey Facility - Davis, Calif.

Live Stats 
In-game Twitter Updates


DAVIS, Calif. - Before embarking on a three-match Northeast region road trip next week, UC Davis will host two home contests this weekend. Included in this week's schedule is the Aggies' NorPac opener against Cal and a non-conference matchup versus Central Michigan. 

Start time for Friday's match against the Golden Bears is set for 3 p.m.; Sunday's contest at Aggie Field Hockey Facility will start at noon.

UC DAVIS FIELD HOCKEY JOINS THE TWITTER-SPHERE
Fans of UC Davis Field Hockey now have the opportunity to connect with their favorite athletic program, on Twitter, at the team's new handle, @UCDFieldHockey.

In addition to scores, news, notes, and highlights fans will now have an opportunity to interact and communicate with coaches and members of Aggie field hockey. By providing photos, video and information year-round, fans can catch a glimpse of events and moments that take place off the field.

HOME SWEET HOME
On Aug. 23, Aggie Field Hockey Facility, the program's new home facility, officially opened its doors to the public. The $3.2 million facility - built thanks to the collaborative efforts of donors, parents, the Athletics Department and campus - broke ground in late May and was the site of a field dedication ceremony that took place that afternoon.

UC Davis has played and practiced at Aggie Stadium since resuming varsity competition in 2009. The stadium's artificial turf is ideal for football and lacrosse but provides a much slower-paced game for field hockey. The new facility will have a USA Field Hockey certified turf that will provide the Aggies the same regulation-sized playing surface used by nearly every prominent collegiate program in the country.

SCOUTING CALIFORNIA
Even though its season is just three weeks old, UC Davis will compete in its inaugural NorPac match of the year when California drives to Davis this Friday. The Golden Bears-Aggies matchup also marks the first West Division contest of the year since Stanford will not compete in its first interdivisional tussle until Sunday.

Last week, Cal swept its East Coast road trip after defeating UMass, 2-1, and Yale by a 3-1 score. The Golden Bears enter its NorPac opener nursing a three-match win streak, the program's longest since the team competed in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

Friday's match will feature two league award winners when NorPac Rookie of the Week, UC Davis goalkeeper Makheila MacDonald faces Andrea Earle, the conference's Offensive Player of the Week. Last week, Earle registered both game-winning goals and now leads her team in this category.

The Golden Bears also made the most of their penalty corners by scoring three of five goals on those opportunities.

Keep an eye on senior forward Lara Kruggel, she has scored five of her team's 13 goals, on 13 shots, and enters this week's action ranked No. 14 in the NCAA with her 1.00 goals per game average.

Cal and UC Davis split its season series in 2012 and '13.

Series History: California leads 8-2
Last UC Davis Win: 10/13/13; 2-0 in Davis
Last California Win: 10/20/13; 3-1 in Berkeley
Last Five UC Davis Results (most recent listed first): L, W, L, W, L

SCOUTING CENTRAL MICHIGAN
For the first time ever, UC Davis and Central Michigan will face one another in a non-neutral matchup when the Chippewas visit UC Davis Sunday afternoon. The first-ever meeting, one that ended with a 3-0, UC Davis shutout victory, took place in St. Louis. Last year's 2-1, overtime thriller was won by the Chippewas on Ball State's home turf in Muncie, Ind.

Before facing the Aggies, Central Michigan will battle Stanford and Pacific on Thursday and Friday before concluding a season-long five-match road trip in Davis.

Of the Chippewas' first nine matches of the year, seven will take place outside their home turf in Mount Pleasant, Mich. After dropping its home opener to Maine, CMU rebounded in its next home event to defeat VCU, 2-1.

In the team's four home matches, all losses, Central Michigan scored three combined goals.

Through their first six matches, the Chippewas average 6.7 shots per game and have taken 27 penalty corners.

Series History: Series tied 1-1
Last UC Davis Win: 9/18/10; 3-0 in St. Louis
Last Central Michigan Win: 9/27/13; 2-1 (OT) in Muncie, Ind.
Last Five UC Davis Results (most recent listed first): L, L

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS

In 2014, UC Davis field hockey is:

1-4 overall
0-0 against NorPac teams

0-1 overall at home
1-2 overall on the road
0-1 overall in neutral-site matches

0-0 overall at home vs. NorPac teams
0-0 overall on the road vs. NorPac teams

0-1 against ranked opponents

0-2 in matches decided by one goal
1-1 in matches decided by two goals


0-1 in overtime

0-1 when UC Davis scores first
1-3 when opponents score first

0-0 when leading at halftime
0-1 when trailing at halftime
1-3 when tied at halftime

1-1 when UC Davis outshoots opponents
0-2 when opponents outshoot UC Davis
0-1 when shots are tied

1-2 when UC Davis takes more penalty corners
0-2 when opponents take more penalty corners

0-0 equal number of penalty corners 

OUR PLACE IN THE (NOR)PAC
Among other NorPac teams, UC Davis is ranked:

Shots: 71 (5)
Shots Per Game: 14.20 (3)
Goals Scored: 10 (5)
Goals Allowed: 16 (T-4)
Assists: 8 (4)
Saves: 28 (6)
Penalty Corners: 32 (4)
Defensive Saves: 1 (T-4)

TOP-10 TALENT
Aggie field hockey players who possess top-10 rankings entering this week's action include (rankings in parenthesis):

Shots: Jamie Garcia - 21 (3); Agustina Singh - 17 (8)
Shots Per Game: Jamie Garcia - 4.20 (2); Agustina Singh - 3.40 (3)
Points: Kayla Wigney - 6 (6)
Points Per Game: Kayla Wigney - 1.20 (T-5); Jamie Garcia, Stephie Sabraw - 1.00 (T-8)
Assists: Hannah Drawbridge - 3 (T-1); Kayla Wigney - 2 (T-2)
Assists Per Game: Hannah Drawbridge - 0.60 (1); Kayla Wigney - 0.40 (4)
Game-Winning Goals: Stephie Sabraw - 1 (T-3)
Saves: Beth Lee - 14 (6); Makheila MacDonald - 12 (7)
Saves Per Game: Beth Lee - 3.50 (4)
Goals Against Average: Beth Lee - 3.15 (5)
Save Percentage: Beth Lee - .519 (6)

IMPRESSIVE DEBUT LEADS TO WEEKLY ACCOLADES
By recording 12 saves against then-No. 7 Iowa (9/11) in her debut appearance, the NorPac Field Hockey Conference selected freshman goalkeeper Makheila MacDonald as its Rookie of the Week.

MacDonald is the first Aggie honored by the NorPac since Stephie Sabraw was chosen as the league's Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 5, 2013, and the first UC Davis freshman since Agustina Singh captured rookie recognition on Oct. 15 and Oct. 22, 2013.

Competing in her first collegiate game, Makheila MacDonald single-handedly kept UC Davis within striking distance against then-No. 7 Iowa throughout last Thursday's neutral-site match.

Facing 28 shots, MacDonald recorded 12 saves, all in the second half. Her efforts Included five saves on five consecutive penalty corners, which allowed the Aggies to preserve its two-goal deficit midway through the second half.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE LASTING ONES
By collecting 12 saves against then-No. 7 Iowa on Sept. 11, Makheila MacDonald recorded the highest saves total by an Aggie goalkeeper in her first-ever college game played.

I HAVE NOT SEEN A PERFORMANCE LIKE THAT SINCE...
Makheila MacDonald's 12 saves are the most earned by an Aggie since Lauren Sawvelle collected a career-high 16 on Sept. 3, 2010. Ironically, Sawvelle's total was also earned at Stanford - site of the Aggies' non-conference, neutral matchup against No. 7 Iowa.

NO SHOTS FOR YOU!
A new program record was set when UC Davis visited Saint Louis on Sept. 6. In that game, the Billikens recorded only one shot - a single-game, all-time low for an Aggie opponent.

The previous single-game low took place in the 2011 season opener when Pacific visited Aggie Stadium on Aug. 26.

SHARING MEANS CARING
Entering the Aggies' inaugural road trip of the season, Hannah Drawbridge posted three assists - all earned last season. Within a 24-hour period, she matched that total by setting up Kayla Wigney and Jamie Garcia's goals scored at Saint Louis (9/6), and Stephie Sabraw's at Indiana (9/7).

TWO TIMES THE FUN IN THE PLAYOFFS
The last Aggie to score more that one goal in a game before Wighey found the back of the cage twice vs. Central Michigan, Cloey LemMon helped UC Davis win its first-ever playoff game. Responsible for half of her team's goals in a 4-2 victory over Radford in the 2013 NorPac Tournament, LemMon's effort is the only multi-goal game recorded by an Aggie in the playoffs since the program was resurrected in 2009.

CH-CH-CH CHANGES
The NorPac Field Hockey conference experienced a handful of changes since the conclusion of the 2013 season, one of which involved the organization of schools in each of the league's two divisions.

The conference has restructured its divisional footprint for 2014 after Radford discontinued its program in February, along with Longwood (MAC) and Davidson (A10) changing conference affiliation.

This season, Pacific will compete as an East Division team.

Forced to relocate its games to allow construction of a parking structure next to Memorial Stadium, Cal will not host any games at Maxwell Family Field and play all of its games off campus. All NorPac opponents will host Cal twice this year.

FIELD HOCKEY'S SECOND SEASON
Forced to relocate all of its home games due to the construction of its new field, Pacific will host the 2014 NorPac Conference Championship Tournament. This year-end event will take place in Stockton, California, from Nov. 6-8 at Pacific Field Hockey Turf with event seedings based on each team's conference record.

WELCOME BACK
Also taking place on Aug. 23, following the conclusion of the "Field of Dreams Dedication Ceremony" was UC Davis' annual Alumnae Game. Current and former field hockey student-athletes competed against one another in a regulation contest and became the first individuals to test the new turf at Aggie Field Hockey Facility.

NEW SEASON, NEW LOOK, NEW HEAD COACH ...
In addition to a brand new home, UC Davis field hockey also enters the 2014 season with a brand new coaching staff as well.

A former member of the U.S. Women's National Field Hockey team with more than 100 caps to her credit, including matches played at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, new field hockey head coach Tiffany Huisman is eager to utilize her playing background to help her program continue to grow.

Huisman graduated cum laude from Old Dominion in 2003 following a storied career with the Lady Monarchs - one of the top field hockey programs in the country.

Ranked No. 6 all-time with 71 goals and 181 total points, Huisman helped Old Dominion capture four Colonial Athletic Conference championships and a national title in 2000. In addition to receiving CAA Player of the Year recognition in 2002, Huisman also collected two All-America first team and four All-CAA honors before joining Team USA.

Throughout her six-year tenure with the U.S. National Team, Huisman competed at the 2006 World Cup (held in Madrid) in addition to the Olympics.

... A NEW ASSISTANT COACH WITH PLAYING AND COACHING EXPERIENCE...
Joining Huisman as one of her assistants is Kate Murphy. In addition to her daily involvement with the program's backfield, Murphy will also assist her coaching colleagues with recruiting, practice planning, team travel and other administrative tasks.

Murphy arrives to Davis from Boston University, her alma mater, where she most recently assisted 33-year head coach Sally Starr.

While attending Boston University as one of its field hockey student-athletes, Murphy began coaching at various camps in New England region. Throughout the last five years, Murphy's influence shaped the coaching curriculum at field hockey camps organized by Nike, Champion (five years), College of the Holy Cross (two), Deerfield College Connection and Northeast Hockey (one).

A 2012 graduate who earned a degree in hospitality administration, Murphy was three-year fixture in Coach Starr's lineup and one of only four players to earn a starting spot in her final three years.

In her first season as a starter, BU won the '09 America East title-one of two the Terriers captured throughout her four-year tenure as the team also finished the 2011 campaign as regular season co-champions.

Also a four-year member of her league's honor roll, Murphy received her first all-conference award in her junior season when America East named her to its 2010 second team.

Voted team captain by her peers the following year, she ended her college career with first team all-conference, all-conference tournament and all-region honors.

Named MVP by her teammates in 2011, Murphy capped a decorated career by competing in the NCAA's Division I Senior All-Star Game.

... AND ANOTHER ASSISTANT WITH BIG 12 AND EAST COAST CONNECTIONS
Rounding out Coach Huisman's staff is assistant coach Zach Miller. Besides instructing the Aggies' goalkeepers, he will also film, break down, analyze, and organize all practices and games, assist Huisman with all recruiting, travel, fundraising and alumni outreach.

In addition to advancing to the NCAA Tournament in each of Miller's three seasons, the Spartans also captured a 2009 Big Ten regular season and conference championship with help from his influence and efforts.

During the Spartans' off-season, Miller also assisted his colleagues with player evaluation, talent recognition and recruitment of student-athletes. In-season, Miller was responsible for organizing travel arrangements for all players and staff as well as facilitating video exchange between teams.

Miller also assisted in the overall administration and day-to-day operations of MSU's summer field hockey camps; twice, he was named its assistant director.

Before arriving to Davis, Miller served as the co-coordinator for the New York State Club Field Hockey League. Consisting of 15 teams located throughout the state, Miller was the one individual responsible for creating the NYSCFHL's regular season schedule, and aiding in organizing and operating its postseason tournament.

Outside of his league obligations, Miller was a Section VI high school field hockey official and a coach for the Buffalo Hurricanes-an elite club field hockey program based in Western New York.

SISTER ACT
Madison and Erica Cohen are a rare pair of sibling student-athletes that compete for UC Davis in 2014-15. Besides the Cohens, Christina and Cat Guidry (softball), Megan and Kaitlin Leung, Karley and Lexi Troup (swimming and diving) are the only sisters to compete within the same program.

Stephanie (gymnastics) and Summer Stamates (women's soccer), Michael (men's water polo) and Hailey Wright (women's water polo) are additional pairs of siblings that compete for the Aggies, albeit on separate teams.

Ryan and Derek Caro (men's soccer) are the only brothers who compete for the same squad.

For every family mentioned above, the first name listed is the older of the two siblings.

Austin (men's cross country/track & field), Olivia and Rianna Goins (women's cross country/track & field) are the only triplets currently competing at UC Davis.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Starting with the Aggies' season opener against Fairfield on Aug. 31, field hockey will host six home matches at its new facility this season. A weekend of home events will take place when Cal and Central Michigan visit Davis on Sept. 19 and 21 respectively; UC Davis' home slate will conclude with three straight against Stanford, Cal and Pacific.

Construction at Cal will force its field hockey team to play all of its games on the road; UC Davis will host both head-to-head NorPac matchups this season.

PACK YOUR BAGS WISELY
Scattered throughout the season between UC Davis' season opener and its homesteads are three road trips. After playing its inaugural game of 2014 at home, UC Davis will embark on a four-match road trip that will take the Aggies to Missouri State (Sept. 4), Saint Louis (Sept. 6), Indiana (Sept. 7) and Stanford where the team will host a neutral-site contest against Iowa on Sept. 11.

UC Davis is the designated home team for that neutral site matchup against the Hawkeyes.

A quick mid-season three-match road trip - taking place within a four-day timespan - includes stops at Bryant (Sept. 25), UMass-Lowell (Sept. 27) and Northeastern (Sept. 28) before field hockey commences its final homestand of the season.

After Senior Night comes and goes, field hockey will end its season with another season-long four-match swing through Pacific (Oct. 18), Louisville (Oct. 24), Miami (OH) (Oct. 26) and Stanford (Oct. 31) before the Aggies return to Stockton to compete in the NorPac Championship Tournament.

ANYONE, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
Teams on the Aggies' 2014 schedule that received preseason rankings from the Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association's Division I Preseason Poll include Stanford (No. 12), Louisville (No. 15) and Iowa (No. 20).