DAVIS, Calif. — Senior political science major
Justin Wright and junior statistics major
Dylan Wood scored six minutes apart midway through the first half, and the UC Davis men's soccer team pitched its second straight shutout, blanking visiting Chico State by a 2-0 score on Sunday afternoon at Aggie Soccer Field.
The contest was the final tune-up for the Aggies, who officially opens the regular season on the road with a pair of matches in the state of Nebraska next weekend. UC Davis faces Omaha on Friday (Aug. 24), before taking on Creighton on Sunday (Aug. 26). Both matches are scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m. PT.
Following a 1-0 shutout of NCAA Tournament qualifier Pacific in the team's exhibition opener on Aug. 16, the Aggies haven't surrendered a goal (unofficially) in their last 298 minutes dating back to the 82nd minute of their Big West Tournament semifinal contest against CSUN last year.
The UC Davis defense limited the visiting Wildcats to just five shots on goal on Sunday, getting three saves from junior global disease biology major
Wallis Lapsley and two more from redshirt freshman
Derrek Chan, who was making his unofficial debut in net in relief.
Wright got the Aggies on the board first in the 30th minute, turning a long pass from sophomore biological sciences major
Jake Haupt into a 1-0 advantage with a shot to the left side. In the 36th minute, newcomer Wood made it a two-goal contest, volleying home a throw in from sophomore managerial economics major
Jacob Rudolph at the near post.
Chico State turned up the heat in the second half offensively, out-shooting UC Davis by a 7-4 count after the break, but the Aggies were up to the task. Lapsley recovered in time to punch away an attempt by MIchael Hirsch scrambling back to make the save after being caught off his line during a push early in the half, and Chan turned away a pair of attempts by the Wildcats' Jeremiah Egujie.
Senior managerial economics major
Roy Boateng almost headed home a third goal off an
Adam Mickelson corner in the 73rd minute, only to have it clang off the crossbar, while Chico State's final three shot attempts of the day finished off the mark.
Junior managerial economics major
Marte Formico finished with two of the team's nine shots on the afternoon as eight different players pulled the trigger on attempts. Eguije finished with three of the Wildcats' 10 shots, putting all three on frame.
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.
