April 8, 2018

SAN DIEGO - Junior goalkeeper Grace Richards tallied a career-high 13 saves while sophomore Amanda Outcalt and junior Taylor Cuenin netted four goals, helping UC Davis escape a brief 9-8 deficit en route to a 15-9 win in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation women's lacrosse action at Aztec Lacrosse Field Sunday afternoon.

The Aggies improve to 6-5 for the year, and open MPSF play at 1-0. The Aztecs, celebrating their Senior Day festivities, slipped to 8-6 overall and 0-1 in conference.

Richards surpassed her previous high of 12, set during the 2018 season opener against Cal. She also notched two ground balls and a caused turnover. Outcalt and Cuenin each had two of their respective four goals in the run of seven unanswered to finish the game. Freshman Mar Alvear added two more goals, with sophomore Sorana Larson chipping in a goal and assist for two more points.

Seniors Shannon Geary and Kelsey DeJesus each totaled seven draw controls, helping UC Davis dominate that key category by a 19-7 margin. They had five of those pickups in the 7-0 run, which largely kept the ball on the Aggies' attacking end of the field.

UC Davis both started and finished strong, scoring four straight to open the contest, then enjoying the key second-half run during the last 15 minutes of play. Larson netted the game's first goal then assisted Shannon Cross less than a minute later, with Cuenin hitting back-to-back to increase the Aggies' start to 4-0 through seven minutes.

However, SDSU scored five of the next six during a span of six minutes to even the score at 5-5, the first of five ties in the game. The teams were even, 6-6, at the halftime break; then traded goals early in the second to stay at a 7-7 impasse. Outcalt put UC Davis back on top, 8-7, with her tally in the 34th, only to have Harlowe Steele and Jill Haight connect for goals in a span of 20 seconds. This gave SDSU its first lead of the game at 9-8.

Alvear, who entered the game with just two goals, netted back-to-back to ignite the Aggies down the stretch. Outcalt and Cuenin also had two goals apiece during that run, with Maddie Myers planted a goal with 6:11 remaining. Richards came with up a pair of saves amidst the 7-0 finish.

UC Davis returns to action for back-to-back games against Fresno State. The road contest on Wednesday is not a conference game, while the April 21 home finale will count toward the MPSF standings. The three-team league will then convene for the MPSF tournament on April 27 and 29.

UC Davis (6-5, 1-0)	6	9	-	15
San Diego State (8-6, 0-1)	6	3	-	9

GOALS - UC DAVIS: Amanda Outcalt 4, Taylor Cuenin 4, Mar Alvear 2, Sorana Larson 1, Shannon Cross 1, Kelsey DeJesus 1, Anna Hofgard 1, Maddie Myers 1. SDSU: Harlowe Steele 2, Jill Haight 2, Kirstie Greenlaw 2, Morgan Taylor 1, Elizabeth Rourke 1, Natalie Peel 1.

ASSISTS - UC DAVIS: Sorana Larson 1, Kate Fellner 1, Taylor Cuenin 1. SDSU: Jill Haight 1, Taylor Sullivan 1.

GOALIE SAVES - UC DAVIS: Grace Richards 13 (60:00). SDSU: Amanda Stapp 8 (60:00).
 

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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.