Box Score Sept. 2, 2016 Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio - Kate Young scored in the ninth minute, Courtney Hessler doubled the Aggies' lead 15 minutes later and Kathleen Humphries helped her team pull away from the Bobcats early in the second half to help UC Davis defeat Ohio, 3-0, and pick up its first win of 2016 in Friday's non-conference match at Pruitt Field.
All three players scored their inaugural goal of the year in field hockey's first of a season-long five-match road swing.
UC Davis will head to Columbus, Ohio, the site of its next two matches, with a 1-1 record while Ohio drops to 1-2 with the result.
In addition to notching her first goal as an Aggie, Humphries collected her first career assist when she set up Young's goal. It was the freshman forward who took her team's first corner of the afternoon; Briana Sooy also earned an assist on the play as UC Davis' stopper.
In the 24th minute, Lauren Copeland helped the Aggies double their lead (and earn her first assist of '16) when she threaded a pass through numerous Ohio players to Hessler. On her only shot recorded, Hessler beat Ohio goalkeeper Lina Trucco from the middle of the circle and pushed her team's lead to 2-0 heading into halftime.
Even though the Aggies were outshot in the second half by an 8-3 margin, they were the ones who made the most of their offensive opportunities. In addition to forcing Trucco to make key saves, UC Davis extended its advantage when Humphries found the back of the Bobcats' cage in the 49th minute.
On the opposite half of the turf, the Aggies' defense frustrated the Bobcats throughout the entire contest and shined all day long. On those rare occasions when Ohio was able to test Beth Lee, she stepped up on every occasion.
UC Davis' goalkeeper ended the evening with five saves compared to her counterpart who finished with three.
The Aggies will return to the turf Monday afternoon in a neutral-site matchup against Indiana, action from Ohio State will begin at 10 a.m. (Pacific)/1 p.m. (Eastern). Live stats for the first of back-to-back contests against Big Ten opponents (the Aggies will face Ohio State on Wednesday) are available at UCDavisAggies.com.
