RIVERSIDE, Calif. — For the fourth time in its last six Big West Conference Tournament matches, the UC Davis men's soccer team would need penalty kicks to decide its postseason fate.
Just a week after ousting top-seeded regular season champion UC Irvine on penalties in the semifinals, the Aggies would again need a heroic performance to claim its first-ever league tournament crown, but it was not meant to be, falling 4-2 to second-seeded UC Riverside after 110 minutes of scoreless soccer in front of a sellout crowd at the UCR Soccer Stadium on Saturday night.
Although the match will officially go down as a draw, the result marked the second straight season that UC Davis has been topped in penalties in the championship after falling to Cal State Fullerton, 4-3, in last year's title tilt.
The Aggies move to 11-4-5 overall on the season and, with an RPI of 37 entering the championship match, must await the decision of the NCAA Tournament committee as to its postseason fate.
The Highlanders moved to 7-9-3 overall and earned the Big West's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the history of the program. The 48-team field of 24 automatic qualifiers and 24 at-large bids will be revealed at 10 a.m. PT on Monday (Nov. 12) at NCAA.com.
The top 16 teams will receive first-round byes with the opening round beginning on Thursday (Nov. 15) at campus sites across the country.
Both teams made their first attempts from the spot with sophomore biological sciences major
Jake Haupt converting to put the Aggies ahead early. However, UC Davis would blink first, missing wide on its second attempt before having its third shot saved by the feet of goalkeeper Edwyn Gutierrez. Riverside would make its two attempts in the meantime, sending freshman neurobiology, physiology, and behavior
Emmanuel Doherty to the line to keep the season alive.
The El Sobrante, Calif., native would convert to make it, 3-2, but the Highlanders' Daniel Castaneda would end the Aggies' night, recording the fourth make of the night to the right post to send UC Riverside on.
Playing overtime for the sixth time this season, UC Davis had solid chances to end the match in extra time. Sophomore managerial economics major
Nabi Kibunguchy had a header off a long serve by freshman neurobiology, physiology, and behavior major
Robert Mejia, but the chance was smothered by Gutierrez as time expired.
In the second overtime, freshman managerial economics major
Connor Tipton had an early opportunity, but his header off a Mejia serve sailed high, and senior managerial economics major
Roy Boateng found himself unmarked on a bouncing loose ball in the box, but his right-footed volley also went high.
The Aggies' best chance in regulation came in the 52nd minute as Mejia sent a cross that was pushed aside by Gutierrez, only for it to find the feet of junior sociology major
Adam Mickelson, whose follow rang off the right post.
UC Riverside finished with a 15-8 shot advantage, but could not put one past junior global disease biology major
Wallis Lapsley, who stopped all seven shots put on frame by the Highlanders to increase his program Division I single-season record save total to 82.
POSTGAME QUOTES
UC Davis Head Coach Dwayne Shaffer
(Opening Statement): "Extremely disappointed. I thought my team played well. It just didn't go our way tonight. It's disappointing for my student-athletes. Our goal is to win a Big West championship and make the NCAA Tournament, and that was our opportunity right there to do so."
(On whether UC Davis deserves an NCAA at-large bid): "I think our chances should be very strong. The Big West is a great conference and we've had a great season. Thirteen of our 20 games were on the road. I don't know another team in the country that does that. I think the NCAA Selection Committee needs to look at that and understand that going on the road is way more difficult than playing at home. We've gotten the results everywhere we went. I think easily our body of work puts us in the NCAA Tournament. I like our chances. We're easily one of the top 48 teams in the country. Give us a chance to show it."
(On the game): "In the second half, I thought we had the three best chances of the whole game. Unfortunately, those three chances didn't fall for us. I give Tim (Cupello) and his team credit. They're a really good team, but so are we. We had the chances to put one away and make it difficult on them and unfortunately it just didn't go our way. We're deserving to be champions as well. We tied. On the road."
(On the UC Riverside defense): "I saw a much more organized team. He had a solid backline of four. His two holding midfield players did a great job. And then he's got some attacking players that are dangerous. Overall, Tim's team is well deserving of winning the conference championship."
(On penalty kicks): "We practiced them. We visualized being successful. It is painful. I have felt over the last two seasons that we are the best team in the Big West. Unfortunately, we made it to the final and didn't advance in penalty kicks. But I'm proud of my guys."
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.
