DAVIS, Calif. — Not shying away from competition to start the season, the UC Davis women's soccer team took advantage of an opportunity to test itself against the reigning NCAA National Champions for the second consecutive season on Friday afternoon.
After battling USC to a one-goal decision on the road to kick-off the 2017 season, the Aggies welcomed top-ranked Stanford to Aggie Soccer Field for the first time in nearly three decades to begin the 2018 campaign. The Cardinal, which limited opponents to only nine goals scored a year ago, picked up right where they left off, riding a pair of early first-half goals en route to a 5-0 win.
"It's not everyday that you get the number one team in the country to play at UC Davis and I'm proud that we're one of the programs that can do that," Head Coach
Twila Kaufman said. "I'm proud that my program is not defeated and is looking forward to Sunday and I'm really happy for the fan support today."
Continuing a schedule that sees it play seven of its first eight at home, UC Davis (0-1) closes out opening weekend on Sunday afternoon (Aug. 19) at 4 p.m. against Nevada. The Wolf Pack opened with a 1-0 win over Idaho on Friday, scoring on a late penalty kick.
"I think to be this early in the season with the amount of players we had available today, I think we showed pretty well today," Kaufman said. "I think that was a realistic scoreline for where their at and where we're at. I think there's a lot of positives moving forward and we'll get more and more players back."
Four different players accounted for Stanford's goals, as Michelle Xiao opened the scoring a little over nine minutes into the contest, while Tierna Davidson added another in the 19th minute, staking Stanford to a 2-0 lead.
Making adjustments at halftime resulted in better possessions for the Aggies in the second half, but they could not hold back the high-powered Cardinal offense as Alana Cook in the 67th minute and Civana Kuhlmann in the 78th minute added second-half goals before capping the scoring on an own goal with just under three minutes remaining.
"I do think our team was significantly better in the second half," Kaufman said. "I think we made a good tactical move that we'll keep in the back of our heads moving forward."
Three UC Davis players made their official team debuts on the day as freshman
Margot Ridgeway earned a start on the backline and competed all 90 minutes, while sophomore transfer
Bryanna Duckett also started and played two-thirds of the contest. Freshman
Aris Beltran, a newcomer from Oxnard, Calif., came off the bench and played seven minutes.
Stanford (1-0) vs. UC Davis (0-1)
Date: Aug 17, 2018 Attendance: 393
Weather: 99 deg.; 20% humidity; clear, little breeze
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
--------------------------------------
Stanford………….. 2 3 - 5
UC Davis………… 0 0 - 0
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 9:12 STAN Xiao, Michelle (1) (Haley, Madison; Malatskey, Carly) - 1-v-1 shot from top of box to upper right corner
2. 18:42 STAN Davidson, Tierna (1) (Goad, Beattie) - cross from wide left, headed in at right post
3. 66:02 STAN Cook, Alana (1) (Greubel, Abby) - corner, volley to upper left
4. 77:01 STAN Kuhlmann, Civana (1) (unassisted) - misplay by defense, 1v1 shot to left side
5. 87:09 STAN OWN GOAL (unassisted) - lofted ball spins off GK fingertips
Shots: Stanford 20, UC Davis 1
Saves: Stanford 1 (Jahansouz, Alison 1), UC Davis 3 (Smith, Alexis 3)
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.
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.
