THIS WEEK…
UC Davis (3-5-2, 0-0) at UC Santa Barbara (7-4, 0-0)
Friday, Sept. 28, 2018 | 7:00 p.m. | Harder Stadium | Santa Barbara, Calif.
RADIO: None
TV: None
FOLLOW: Live Stats | Watch Live

UC Davis (3-5-2, 0-0) at Cal Poly (0-8-3, 0-0)
Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018 | Noon | Mustang Stadium | San Luis Obispo, Calif.
RADIO: None
TV: None
FOLLOW: Live Stats | Watch Live

OPENING WHISTLE: The "second season" for the UC Davis women's soccer team begins this weekend on the road as the Aggies make a trip down the coast for a pair of matches. UC Davis opens its 2018 Big West Conference schedule on Friday (Sept. 28) at 7 p.m. at UC Santa Barbara, before making the short jaunt down the freeway two days later to San Luis Obispo to take on Cal Poly on Sunday (Sept. 30) at Noon.

IN THE POLLS: Neither UC Davis, Cal Poly, nor UC Santa Barbara, are nationally ranked entering this weekend's conference openers… The Gauchos, however, are No. 6 in the west region according to the United Soccer Coaches most recent regional rankings released on Sept. 25, after receiving votes in last week's top 25 poll.

BE A FOLLOWER: Fans can keep up with the latest in UC Davis women's soccer by "liking" them on Facebook (/UCDavisWomensSoccer) and following them on both Twitter (@UCDavisWSOC) and Instagram (@UCDavisWSOC). You can also follow Head Coach Twila Kaufman on Twitter (@twilakaufman) and Instagram (@TwilaKaufman).

ABOUT THE GAUCHOS: UC Santa Barbara enters the week with a 7-4 overall record, but the Gauchos closed out their non-conference schedule with a pair of defeats, falling to Pepperdine (1-0) and No. 6 Santa Clara (2-0) to run its home record to 2-2 overall on the year… The Gauchos' last win was a 2-0 road victory at Utah State on Sept. 16, while they last won at home on Aug. 26 with a 1-0 shutout of Brown… Junior forward Shaelan Murison leads the team offensively with seven goals and 17 points overall on the year, accounting for a third of the team's 22 goals on the year… Junior Hanna DeWeese and freshman Natalie Hill have split time in net this season, with Hill posting a team-best 0.89 goals against average and two shutouts en route to a 4-1 record, while DeWeese has made a team-high 21 saves to go with a 1.26 goals against.

SERIES NOTES: UC Santa Barbara leads the all-time series with UC Davis, 10-7-1, as the Gauchos have won three of the last four meetings following a four-match winning streak by the Aggies from 2010-13… UC Davis' last win in the series came in 2016, when the Aggies posted a 2-1 victory over UCSB on the road… Four of UC Davis' seven wins in the series have come in Santa Barbara, posting a 4-3 mark on the road, including wins in three of its last four trips down the coast… Each of the last six meetings between the two teams have been decided by a single goal.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS: Cal Poly enters the opening week of Big West Conference play with an 0-8-3 overall record, having lost four straight matches following a 1-1 draw a Seattle on Sept. 9… Three of the Mustangs' last four opponents have been nationally ranked, falling to No. 1 Stanford (3-0), No. 16 Washington State (4-1), and No. 6 Santa Clara (5-1), before a 3-2 double overtime loss to Cal Baptist on Sunday (Sept. 23)… Five of the team's 11 matches have ended in overtime… Junior forward Jessica Johnson and senior midfielder Sydney Knauer have each scored twice to lead the offense, which has scored 10 goals this season… Junior goalkeeper Sophia Brown has played all but 45 minutes in net, posting a 2.64 goals against average and 63 saves.

SERIES NOTES: Cal Poly leads the all-time series with UC Davis, 9-5-2, according to records dating back to 1992, but the Aggies are unbeaten in their last four meetings (3-0-1) with the Mustangs following a 2-1 win at Aggie Soccer Field last year… Two of those four meetings have ended in double overtime: a 1-0 win at home in 2015 and a scoreless draw in San Luis Obispo in 2016… UC Davis is 2-5-1 against Cal Poly on the road… Five of the last seven meetings have been decided by a single goal, save for a 2-0 UC Davis win in 2014 and the scoreless draw two years ago.

AGGIE TWITTER NOTES…
• Entering its 12th season as a member of the Big West Conference, UC Davis is 4-3-4 all-time in league openers dating back to 2007
• The Aggies are unbeaten in their last seven conference openers, posting a 3-0-4 record in that span
• Opening conference play on the road for the seventh time in program history, UC Davis is just 1-3-2 all time in its previous six road league openers, but is 1-0-2 in its last three
• The Aggies have opened Big West play against UC Santa Barbara only once in the previous 11 seasons, posting a 2-1 victory in overtime on the road back in 2012
• Excluding the four draws, the remaining seven conference openers have been decided by a single goal, with no team scoring more than two goals in a match
• UC Davis finished 3-3-2 in Big West play last season to finish in a tie for fifth — tied for the second-highest finish in the league in the program's history (t3rd in 2011)
• Senior materials science and engineering major Alexis Smith needs only 266 more minutes in net (roughly the equivalent of three regulation matches) over the team's final eight scheduled regular season contests to surpass Kelly Parker (1997-00) and her career record of 6,092 minutes played
• Smith tied a season high with seven stops at Saint Mary's on Sept. 22, moving her to within four of Taylor Jern (2011-14) — who had a program Division I record 242 career saves — for second on the school's all-time list

WHERE THEY RANK… BIG WEST (as of Sept. 24)
• Mahlah Catline: shots per game (t9th)
• Smith: goals against average (8th); save percentage (9th); saves (6th), saves per game (8th); shutouts (t3rd); shutouts per game (5th)

RECYCLED NOTES
ABOUT THE AGS: UC Davis returns 17 letter winners and nine starters off of last season's squad that finished 4-12-2 overall, but finished 3-3-2 in the rugged Big West Conference to finish just out of a spot in the league tournament… Sophomore forward Mahlah Catline leads the returners on offense after scoring a team-high four goals in her Division I debut… Junior communication major Mckenna Moriarty (two goals) and junior managerial economics major Olivia Jones (one goal) also scored last season… Now in her fourth year as a starter in net, senior goalkeeper Alexis Smith (materials science and engineering) returns after earning All-Big West second team honors as a junior, ending the year with a 1.20 goals against average, 84 saves, and three shutouts.

UC DAVIS EARNS HIGHEST PRESEASON PICK: The Aggies were picked to finish fifth in the Big West Conference — including receiving one first-place vote — according to a vote of the league's head coaches released prior to the start of the 2018 campaign. It is the highest preseason prediction in the program's Division I history as UC Davis had never been picked to finish higher than seventh prior to this year. The Aggies finished with 42 points overall along with their one first-place vote to place just behind CSUN, which was fourth with 48 points. Defending regular season champion UC Irvine, which received three first-place votes, was picked to repeat with 70 points overall, shading second-place Long Beach State (two first-place votes, 68 points) and defending tournament champion Cal State Fullerton (three first-place votes, 65 points).

SMITH EARNS PRESEASON HONORS: Senior materials science and engineering major Alexis Smith was one of 11 players named to the Big West preseason all-conference team — only the third Aggie to earn the honor along with Mary Beth Mazurek (2012) and Ashley Edwards (2013). A stalwart in net for UC Davis during her previous three seasons, Smith is a three-time All-Big West honoree who begins her final season in an Aggie uniform as the program's career record holder in shutouts (19), while standing tied for fourth in career saves (205) alongside Kelly Parker, and third in minutes played (5,087).

DON'T MISS OUT!
The ninth-annual UC Davis Athletics Brewfest takes place as part of the October 13 Homecoming football game against Idaho State... Tickets for the Brewfest plus the Aggies-Bengals game are now on sale by clicking here... The Brewfest celebrates UC Davis as the No. 1 academic brewing program in North America... The ticket package includes unlimited tastings at the UC Davis Brewfest, a commemorative tasting mug, and a ticket to the game.

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.