DAVIS, Calif. — Sophomore human development major Alicia Sloss scored her second career goal in the 20th minute to bring the UC Davis women's soccer team level midway through the first half, but it was visiting Nevada that would strike late, netting the game-winner with just over four minutes to play en route to a 2-1 victory on Sunday afternoon at Aggie Soccer Field.

The Aggies fell to 0-2 overall on the year despite holding an 11-8 shot advantage and a dominating 15-2 lead in corner kicks on the afternoon, constantly putting the Wolf Pack defense under pressure for all 90 minutes.

"Overall, I think our defense was really solid top to bottom and, from an attack perspective, all you have to do is look at the stat sheet," Head Coach Twila Kaufman said. "We were super dangerous today, but we just couldn't get one in. I think if we put up a performance like this against most opponents, we walk away with a 'W.' "

Nevada improved to 2-0 on the year, getting the game's first goal off the head of Eleanor Small in the 12th minute for the early lead before Payton Lieb, who had the game-winner in her team's season opener against Idaho, finished off the match with her second of the season off a corner from teammate Kylie Minamishin.

Small's goal came off a long pass from teammate Kendall Riley, heading the ball home at the left post for the 1-0 lead, but it was short-lived as Sloss came through with the tying score just eight minutes later. The Torrance, Calif., native drove down the left side and powered her way into the box where she beat the Nevada keeper with a finish to the left side to tie the match at one-all.

It was the first goal for Sloss since collecting the game-winner against Cal State Fullerton on Oct. 6, 2016, and the first by an Aggie since Mahlah Catline's game-tying goal on the road against the Titans on Oct. 5 of last season — ending a scoreless run of 522:30.

Out of the halftime break, UC Davis continued to pour it on, collecting nine corners in the second half while the defense did not break. Senior goalkeeper Alexis Smith turned away a pair of attempts by Minamishian and she got some help from sophomore Bryanna Duckett, who came up with the stop of the day by clearing a ball off the line on a shot by the Wolf Pack's Hannah Souza in the 86th minute.

That led to a corner by Minamishin — only the second of the day by Nevada — whose ball found the head of Lieb at the six, and the freshman did not miss from point-blank range to put the Wolf Pack in front for good.

Playing a man up after Lieb drew her second yellow of the match with 1:25 to play, the Aggies' had one last attempt by junior biomedical engineering major Hailey Rittershofer seconds later, but that would be all UC Davis would be able to muster.

Sophomore communication major Nicole Carson led the Aggies with three shot attempts — two in the second half — as eight different players finished with attempts on the day.

UC Davis wraps up a run of three consecutive matches at home to start the year on Friday (Aug. 24) against Cal Baptist at 4 p.m., before making the short jaunt across the Causeway to take on Sacramento State on Sunday (Aug. 26) at 1 p.m.

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.