DAVIS, Calif. — Junior biomedical engineering major Hailey Rittershofer opened the scoring early in the first half and sophomore human development major Alicia Sloss sealed the deal with a late second half score on Friday afternoon, helping lift host UC Davis to its first victory of the season, 2-0, over Cal Baptist at Aggie Soccer Field.

Senior materials science and engineering major Alexis Smith made four saves and helped spearhead a defense that limited the Lancers to just four shots on goal for the match as the Aggies improved to 1-2 overall in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Cal Baptist suffered its first loss of the year, falling to 2-1 overall.

The two goals marked the first multi-goal match for UC Davis since a 2-1 win over Cal Poly back on Oct. 5 of last season as the Aggies won for the first time since a 1-0 victory over UC Irvine on Oct. 12, 2017.

For Rittershofer, it was the first of the season and her first since finding the back of the net against Eastern Washington on Aug. 26, 2016, staking UC Davis to the early lead just 13 minutes in. Sophomore teammate Mahlah Catline sent a ball from the right side into the box that tipped off the hands of the goalkeeper and fell to the feet of Rittershofer, who calmly volleyed a ball from the middle of the six through the defense and into the goal for a 1-0 lead.

After holding a 7-5 lead in shots and a 5-0 advantage in corners through the first 45 minutes, the Aggies continued to apply the pressure, out-shooting Cal Baptist by a 10-4 count after the break, eventually scoring their second goal in the 73rd minute.

Sloss, who scored her first goal of the year to tie the match against Nevada last weekend, added her second of the year off a feed from freshman Margot Ridgeway. The New Jersey native went stride-for-stride with Sloss up the middle of the field before dumping it off to Sloss on the left side, who was then off to the races, sprinting nearly 40 yards and going around two defenders before poking a shot to the right post to make it 2-0.

That was more than enough for the UC Davis defense, which posted its first shutout since a scoreless draw against Big West Conference rival CSUN on Oct. 22 last season and extended Smith's school-record career shutout total to 20 with Friday's clean sheet.

Following three straight matches at home to start the season, the Aggies hit the road for the first time in 2018 — albeit a 20-mile jaunt across the Causeway — on Sunday (Aug. 26) to take on Sacramento State. The Aggies and Hornets kick off at 1 p.m. at Hornet Field.

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.