DAVIS, Calif. — Sophomore Mahlah Catline's first goal of the year just before the halftime horn stood as the lone score of the match, and the UC Davis clamped down on a potent New Mexico offense, limiting the Lobos to just four shots on goal in a, 1-0, victory on Friday afternoon at Aggie Soccer Field.

The victory was the third straight for the Aggies, who improved to 3-2 overall on the season thanks to four saves from senior goalkeeper Alexis Smith, who helped her side post its second shutout in the last three matches.

"This is a big win for a lot of reasons," Head Coach Twila Kaufman said. "This group has done incredible things, but to put three wins back-to-back-to-back is a really big deal. It's why we schedule the opponents that we do early on so that we can deal with vicious opponents like we had today in a new light and a new way. New Mexico is a very formidable opponent, I'm just really proud of the team for finding a way to get the 'W'."

New Mexico, which had scored nine goals in wins over Pacific and Idaho State in its last two contests, out-shot UC Davis, 11-8, for the match, but ultimately fell to 2-2 overall on the season.

UC Davis' winning streak is its longest since the Aggies won three straight contests to start Big West Conference play from Sept. 28 to Oct. 12 last season. The three wins this year are just one off the team's total from all of last season, while the six goals scored this season are nearly two-thirds of the way to last year's total.

After leading the team with four goals as a true freshman in 2017, Catline found the back of the net for the first time in 2018 just one match after tallying her first career assist in the win over Cal Baptist on Aug. 24, turning a pass from teammate Olivia Jones into the game-winner.

A short pass from the right side found a waiting Catline at the top of the box, where the international relations major was able to turn her defender and beat the New Mexico goalkeeper to the left side for the 1-0 lead.

"I told Mahlah when she came off the field at halftime that elite goal scorers find a way to score against the run of play," Kaufman said. "She manufactured a great goal and it was a glimpse of what Mahlah can be. It's a huge benefit to have someone who can score goals against the run of play.

"She's maturing as a player and recognizing what her priorities should be. There's about 100 things that she can choose to do on the field because she's that talented, and she's starting to zero in her focus and I have every confidence that she's going to keep heading in that direction."

The score came after Smith was tested on shots by Gwen Maly, Jaelyn Hendren, and Jadyn Edwards, while the defense stuffed the Lobos with a pair of field blocks. Smith had another stop on an attempt by Maly to start the second half and the Aggies almost made it a two-goal game in the 70th minute as a loose ball in the box found the feet of Aliyah Walker, but her shot was cleared off the line by a New Mexico defender.

UC Davis was then able to kill the rest of the clock, allowing only a header by Jessie Nix in the 74th minute that found its was just wide, and a 89th minute attempt by Lexi Baca that sailed high.

"I think our defense is probably the biggest difference between this year and last year when we had a really strong back line, but we were never healthy at the same time," Kaufman said. "This year, we've had seven or eight different people rotate through the back line and we haven't missed a beat."

Smith's shutout was the 21st of her career, extending her own school record, while her four saves put her just one back of Amy Armknecht (1993-96) for third on the all-time list.

Seven different Aggies finished with shots on the day, led by a pair of attempts from Alicia Sloss, while Maly finished with three of the Lobos' 11 attempts to lead all players.

UC Davis returns to the field on Sunday (Sept. 2) at 2 p.m., hosting Mountain West Conference champion San Diego State at Aggie Soccer 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.