DAVIS, Calif. — A battle between two of the nation's best teams was as advertised as No. 13 UC Davis and No. 17 Saint Mary's went toe-to-toe on Saturday afternoon at Aggie Soccer Field, but it was the undefeated Gaels who emerged victorious, scoring the match's only goal in the 56th minute for a 1-0 win over the Aggies.

The loss ended UC Davis' 13-match unbeaten streak dating back to last season, dropping them to 6-1-2 overall on the year and losing at home for the first time since Oct. 18 of last season.

Saint Mary's, which had been winless (0-3-2) in its last five meeting with the Aggies, is now one of only two undefeated teams in the nation along with Wake Forest, improving to 9-0 on the year thanks to a, 21-9, advantage in shots — putting 10 of those on frame and hitting the post twice.

"I think we just ran into a really good team today," Head Coach Dwayne Shaffer said. "In college soccer, you're 9-0 for a reason. That's a really good Saint Mary's team and they deserved to win the game today."

After setting the program's Division I single-game record with eight saves in the win over Santa Clara on Sept. 15, junior global disease biology major Wallis Lapsley broke his own mark on Saturday against the Gaels with a career-high nine stops on the day, making four in the first and five more in the second half to keep his side close.

The previous record of seven was shared by four other players, most recently accomplished by Armando Quezada against UC Irvine on Oct. 10, 2015.

"Wallis is a great goalkeeper and a great leader and he works his tail off," Shaffer said. "He's put in all the hard work to become such a great goalkeeper. He's long, he's a great shot-stopper, he's a student of the game, and he sees what he can do — and what his teammates can do — better to improve. That is an attribute that is difficult to teach and he just has it."

Freshman biological sciences major Kaleb Schirmacher and sophomore managerial sconomics major Nabi Kibunguchy each finished with two shots apiece to pace the offense.

Following a scoreless first half, the Gaels came up with the game winner off a set piece just 10 minutes into the second period. A free kick from about 30 yards out on the left side of the field by Stephen Dougherty found the head of teammate Sebastian Schacht making a run from the right across the box. Schacht then flicked a header past a leaping Lapsley and into the net for his first of the year and a 1-0 lead.

Saint Mary's nearly had a three goal lead were it not to the post as Jake Rudel was twice denied by the woodwork in the 61st and 82nd minutes, ringing attempts off each side.

The Aggies had the first solid chance of the day with 27 minutes to play in the first as junior sociology major Adam Mickelson went to goal, lost his defender at the top of the box, and curled a shot to the right post that Gaels goalkeeper Remi Prieur punched away with a dive to his left to keep the match scoreless.

Kibunguchy had a header sail just wide off a cross into the box near the end of the first and had another header clip just over the crossbar off a corner by Mickelson in the 66th, while junior managerial economics major Marte Formico forced Prieur into one of his four saves in the 62nd minute, but UC Davis could not find the back of the net.

Anders Engebretsen finished with a match-high seven attempts, putting four on frame, as one of nine Gaels to finish with shots on the day.

UC Davis closes out the non-conference portion of its schedule at home next week, hosting Sacramento State on Saturday (Sept. 29) at 4 p.m. at Aggie Soccer Field in its only match of the week. The Aggies and Hornets will meet in a match that counts toward the Big West standings later in the year, closing out the regular season in Sacramento on Oct. 27.

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.