Box Score Sept. 15, 2016

Box Score

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Junior Kyle Higgins scored his first goal of the year midway through the second half on Thursday to break a two-all tie, while junior Noah Wilson finished with a three-point night, helping lift visiting UC Davis to a 3-2 win over CSU Bakersfield on the road in a non-conference clash.

Closing out a season-long five-match road trip, the Aggies evened their record at 2-2-2 overall on the year, winning for the first time since a 2-0 win over Pacific on Sept. 1 and snapping a scoreless streak of nearly 280 minutes in the process. The three goals scored on Thursday night matched the goal total for UC Davis through the first five matches of 2016.

The Roadrunners, who had won two of the last three meetings between the two programs, fell to 1-5 overall.

After a flurry of first-half goals, it was Higgins' strike in the 71st minute that proved to be the difference as he fired from just outside the box for his third career goal and a, 3-2, Aggie lead. It was Higgins' first goal since he scored at UC Riverside on Oct. 1, 2015.

UC Davis then had to withstand a late run by Bakersfield in the final six minutes as Louis Lapouge had two shots swallowed up by Aggie goalkeeper Armando Quezada, and Julian Zamora missed wide with just over 40 seconds remaining in regulation. Before that point, the Roadrunners had been held to just three shots in the match, two of those finding the back of the net off the foot of Hugo Vinales to tie the game twice in the opening period.

Sophomore Matt Baringer put UC Davis on the board quickly, needing just 4:36 to tally his first score of the season. Wilson sent a cross into the box from the right wing that found the head of Baringer, who put it home at the right post for the 1-0 advantage.

Vinales' first of the night brought Bakersfield level in the 23rd minute before WIlson put the Aggies back in front with his first career goal in the 33rd minute. The Petaluma, Calif., native took advantage of field position following a Roadrunner foul and buried a free kick from the left side to the top left corner for the 2-1 lead.

It didn't take long for Bakersfield to answer as Vinales found the equalizer just four minutes later in the 37th minute, dribbling in unassisted from the right side of the box and slotting it home to make it a 2-2 match just before halftime.

The Aggies out-shot the Roadrunners, 12-6, for the match, including a 7-2 advantage in the first half, while Bakersfield held a 6-2 lead in corners for the night. Baringer led all players with three shots on the night as five of the six UC Davis players with attempts finished with multiple shots on the night.

For the first time in nearly a month, the Aggies will play a match at the Aggie Soccer Field, hosting the University of Portland on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 18) at 3 p.m. The Pilots (4-2-1 overall) are coming off a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Sacramento State on Thursday night, as the Hornets scored with 45 seconds remaining in regulation.