OREM, Utah — Freshman neurobiology, physiology, and behavior major Robert Mejia put home a rebound off a shot by teammate Marte Formico just three minutes into the second half, lifting No. 13 UC Davis to a 1-0 road victory over Utah Valley on Tuesday night at Clyde Field.

Now unbeaten in their last 13 matches dating back to last season — including a 7-0-2 mark on the road in that stretch — the Aggies improved to 6-0-2 overall on the 2018 season, posting their fourth shutout of the year.

The win sets up a top-25 battle against local rival and No. 17-ranked Saint Mary's on Saturday (Sept. 22) at 1 p.m. at Aggie Soccer Field. The Gaels head into their match against UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday night (Sept. 19) as one of only three remaining undefeated teams in the nation at 7-0 overall, joining Wake Forest and Rhode Island

The Wolverines, who won the only other meeting with UC Davis back in 2016, fell to 3-4 overall on the season, limited to only four shots on goal despite outshooting the Aggies by a narrow, 12-11, margin for the match.

An evenly matched first half that saw both teams take four shots, take two corner kicks apiece, and commit three fouls each, turned UC Davis' way early in the second half as Mejia capitalized on a loose ball at the top of the box.

Formico, a managerial economics major from Saratoga, Calif., started the sequence by dribbling into the box and going right at a charging Joseph Wheelwright, who came off his line to meet Formico at the top of the 18.

The junior's chip was kicked away by Wheelwright, but bounced right to the feet of a waiting Mejia, who one-timed a left-footed rocket through traffic and settling it into the lower left side of the net for, what turned out to be, the only score of the night.

Mejia, who shares the team lead with four assists on the season, collected his second goal of the year, becoming the fourth Aggie to score multiple goals this season. Formico, meanwhile, posted his first career assist to go with two goals this year.

Junior global disease biology major Wallis Lapsley finished with four saves en route to his eighth career shutout, denying Austin Buxton just three minutes into the contest and corralling a header by Zahir Vazquez in the first half before stopping Buxton again in the 62nd minute and smothering an attempt by Luis Garza, who tried to sneak in a rocket to the left post in the 75th minute.

Lapsley also got some help from the woodwork as a header by Ahmed Longmire off a corner by Zach Maas in the 53rd minute clanged off the crossbar, preserving the 1-0 lead.

UC Davis then dodged another bullet in the 87th minute when Alec Felix looked to have tied the match with a header from the middle of the box, but the score was waved off much to the dismay of the Wolverines, who were whistled offsides on the play.

Seven different Aggies finished with shots on the night — four of those with two attempts apiece — while Blake Frischknecht and Buxton led all players with three shots apiece for Utah Valley.

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. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, 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.