DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis freshman biological sciences major
Kaleb Schirmacher scored his first career goal just 82 seconds into the second half to stake the Aggies to an early lead, but a pair of UC Irvine goals 10 minutes apart later in the period lifted the visiting Anteaters to a, 2-1, Big West Conference victory on Wednesday afternoon at Aggie Soccer Field.
UC Davis is now winless in its last three matches since the start of league play, falling to 7-3-3 overall and 0-2-1 in the Big West with four matches remaining in the regular season.
Irvine, meanwhile, remained perfect in league with its sixth win in its last eight outings, improving to 9-4-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play.
"There's no magic formula," Head Coach
Dwayne Shaffer said. "My guys play well, they play smart, they play hard. Unfortunately, the last three matches, the result hasn't gone our way. Now, we've dug ourselves a hole at this point and we've got a four-game season to fight out of it."
Schirmacher wasted no time in breaking the scoreless deadlock to start the second half, converting a pass from junior sociology major
Adam Mickelson for the 1-0 lead. Mickelson beat his defender to the ball at the end line on the left side and waited a beat before chipping a ball to the back post where Schirmacher was making his run.
The San Clemente, Calif., major timed it perfectly, heading it back across to the left side into the open net for the 1-0 lead.
Schirmacher became the 12th different Aggie to find the back of the net this season, while Mickelson collected his team-high fifth assist on the year and the 12th of his career, giving him sole possession of second place in the program's Division I history — just two back of Dylan Curtis' mark of 14 from 2007-08.
UC Irvine responded with the tying goal in the 52nd minute off the foot of Lawrence Yamaguchi. Darren Hamilton started the sequence with a long ball from near midfield to Jose Ortiz on the far left wing, who headed the ball inside before touching a ball to Yamaguchi, who finished from point blank range to make it, 1-1.
Ten minutes later, it was Ortiz who then gave the Anteaters the lead for good, settling a ball on the left wing, hesitating, then muscling his way through a defender before launching a rocket from the top of the six for the eventual game-winner.
UC Davis, which outshot its opponent, 21-13, for the match — including putting 12 of those attempts on frame, had numerous chances from close-in to tie the match, but could not convert.
A header by junior statistics major
Dylan Wood was turned away by Patenaude and Jose Soto outraced the ball to the right corner of the net before clearing away a shot by
Jacob Rudolph that seemed destined to cross the line.
Patenaude, who finished with 10 saves on the day, denied Mickelson in the 78th minute and stopped sophomore biological sciences major
Jake Haupt on back-to-back attempts in the 83rd and 86th minutes, including a back heel in traffic inside the six that was smothered.
The 21 shots attempts by the Aggies were a season high and the most since they finished with the same number against CSUN on Sept. 30 of last season. The 12 shots on goal were also the most since UC Davis finished with 12 against Sacramento State on Oct. 20, 2012.
Sophomore managerial economics major
Jacob Rudolph finished with a team-high four attempts, putting three of those on frame.
The Aggies return to the road in search of their first Big West win on Saturday (Oct. 13) at 7 p.m., as they take on UC Riverside in Southern California.
DON'T MISS OUT!
The ninth-annual UC Davis Athletics Brewfest takes place as part of the October 13 Homecoming football game against Idaho State... Tickets for the Brewfest plus the Aggies-Bengals game are now on sale at https://bit.ly/2ooveDI... The Brewfest celebrates UC Davis as the No. 1 academic brewing program in North America... The ticket package includes tastings at the UC Davis Brewfest, a commemorative tasting mug, and a ticket to the game.
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, and among the top 10 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.
AGGIE EVO
Launched in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
