April 17, 2018
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DAVIS, Calif. -- While the university's annual Picnic Day event usually serves as an open-door welcome to thousands of visitors, UC Davis women's lacrosse will honor eight graduates-to-be in its Mountain Pacific Sports Federation home finale with Fresno State on Saturday. First draw is 5 p.m.
However, make no mistake – while Picnic Day and Senior Day each bring a festive feel, Saturday's contest carries serious implications for the team. If the Aggies defeat the Bulldogs for the second time in as many weeks, they earn the first-round bye in the three-team MPSF Championship tournament on April 27 and 29.
If Fresno State wins, then the margin of victory will determine the conference seeding. Specifically, an FSU win means all three of the MPSF teams finish with identical 1-1 records. If the Bulldogs win by four goals or fewer, UC Davis wins the overall the goal-differential tiebreaker. If the Aggies lose Saturday's game by five goals or more, Fresno State claims the No. 1 seed.
Of course, to first-year Aggie head coach Suzanne Isidor, the plan is to make the seeding scenario as simple as possible: win the game, and earn the bye into the MPSF final due to a 2-0 record.
"It's exciting that it's all coming down to this game, the last conference game, Senior Day, Picnic Day, all of it," Isidor said. "Both teams want that top seed in the conference tournament, both teams have a chance for it. It will be fun to settle it on the field and control our own destiny. It's what you work for, and it will come down to us performing well on Saturday."
If last week's matchup is any guide, Saturday's contest will be a barnburner fitting of a home finale. UC Davis trailed for most of the contest last Wednesday, facing a 9-6 deficit midway through the second half. However, sophomore
Amanda Outcalt scored two goals and assisted
Kelsey DeJesus on another to highlight a 5-0 run. Junior
Shannon Cross hit the 9-9 equalizer with 12:43 to go, then Outcalt figured on the next two scores to make it 11-9 with 8:33 remaining.
"We came out with the win, but Fresno State knows it could have gone their way. So it will come down to who plays better Saturday. It really shaped up for an exciting final conference game," said Isidor.
Junior goalie
Grace Richards captured her third MPSF Defensive Player of the Week award for her 11-save performance, with five of those stops coming during that second-half run. The biological sciences student also blocked two eight-meter chances down the stretch to help preserve that victory.
Meanwhile, FRESNO STATE (9-7) comes off its third consecutive loss, this time a 15-11 setback to San Diego State on Sunday. Kayla Galet scored three goals against the Aztecs while Sarah Bloise totaled eight points in the two games. Bloise, who will play in front of a hometown crowd on Saturday, had two goals and two assists against UC Davis, one goal with three assists against SDSU.
This Saturday's game will pay tribute to a sizable class of eight seniors (six true seniors plus two redshirt juniors), namely
Rachel Brennan,
Courtney Humphrey,
Erica Ely,
Kelly Chuck,
Shannon Geary and
Carolina Tweedy; plus co-captains
Kelsey DeJesus and
Kate Fellner.
Brennan, Humphrey and Ely have largely battled injury in their final Aggie seasons, with only Humphrey seeing playing time in the Isidor era. Chuck finishes her third year in the program, having transferred from Cal Poly after the 2015 season. Another fourth-year letterwinner, Tweedy saw action in 10 games in 2017, and seven more this year.
Meanwhile, Geary, DeJesus and Fellner have seen significant action this season. Geary enters Saturday with a team-leading 36 draw controls, and ranks fifth in school history with 132 for her career. Fellner, who enjoyed a breakout 2017, ranks second in the MPSF with 19 assists through 12 games. DeJesus was the only freshman to play in all 17 games back in 2015, but like Fellner, truly broke out last season in an All-MPSF season with 21 goals and 35 ground balls. "DJ," as she is better known, continues to contribute on offense (10 goals), ball control (23 GBs) and around the draw circle (28 DCs).
"I consider myself really lucky that I had my first year at UC Davis with such a great group of seniors," said Isidor. "I'm their third coach in four years, so they've had to adjust to different things. They have battled injuries. Yet with everything they've been through, they've been the ultimate leaders, on and off the field. For me, I've had confidence in the seniors that they will lead this team in the direction that I want, and that they were on the same page. And they have been great at buying into what I want, which is another adjustment for them.
"I couldn't have asked for more from this group. The trust that I have in them to make good decisions and be great leaders and great role models – they are definitely leaving their mark on this program. They are leaving it better than when they got here, and that's exciting."
QUICK STICKS:
Junior
Taylor Cuenin needs just two goals to become the 10th player to reach the century mark... UC Davis is 9-1 all-time against Fresno State, with six straight victories in the series... However, the lone win took place during a late-afternoon Picnic Day on April 21, 2012... Furthermore, that score was 12-11 (same as last Wednesday), with UC Davis leading for the first 40 minutes before FSU went on a second-half run to force overtime… Saturday's game will also be the fourth meeting between former Davis High teammates
Kelly Chuck and Sarah Bloise… Chuck graduated from DHS in 2013, Bloise in 2015.
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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. 6-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal, 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.
DON'T MISS OUT!: Season and single-game tickets for all UC Davis spring sports, plus renewals for Aggie football, are now on sale by contacting the
Athletics Ticket Office at (530) 752-AGS1 or by visiting us online at UCDavisAggies.com.
