FARMVILLE, Va. — After taking a commanding 3-0 lead over the Explorers with just over 30 minutes remaining in the second half, La Salle staged a late comeback to force overtime with UC Davis. But the Aggies were up to their old tricks again, scoring the go ahead goal off the stick of freshman midfielder Eline van den Bosch with just seven seconds remaining on the clock, as UC Davis handed La Salle its first loss of the season, 4-3, during Saturday afternoon's neutral-site game at Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field in Farmville, Va.
Junior forward Tatiana Arias logged a career-high three point performance against the Explorers, helping the Aggies to a 2-0 lead with her first assist of the season and later scoring her second career goal in the opening minutes of the second half. Freshman forward Siena Dwyer notched her first career goal as an Aggie, redirecting the long shot by Arias to give UC Davis a 2-0 lead in the 30th minute of play. Junior goalkeeper Chelsea Bigelow ended the day with seven total saves, including one in overtime.
The Aggies improve to an even 3-3 mark on the year and will face Davidson in their next match on Sunday (Sept. 9) at 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET at Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field. The Explorers fell to 3-1 on the season and will take on Longwood in their next scheduled game on Sunday (Sept. 9)
The Aggies were first to get on the board on Saturday afternoon, taking a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute off a fast break goal by junior forward Lauren Gengarella—her second of the season.
Less than nine minutes later, UC Davis jumped out to a 2-0 advantage off a redirect goal from freshman Siena Dwyer—her first career goal as an Aggie—on the long shot by Arias, a lead that held steady through halftime.
The Aggies' momentum continued over into the second half, with Arias finding the back of the cage off a pass by freshman back Isabella Porco to make it 3-0 in favor of UC Davis, marking a career-best three-point performance by Arias.
La Salle then answered back with its first goal of the afternoon in the 53rd minute, scoring on a rebound off the save by Bigelow.
But the Explorers would have more to say, as they erased the Aggies' two-goal cushion with a pair of late goals in the 66th and 69th minutes to force overtime.
With the game on the line, the Aggies never wavered and found their stride in the overtime period, taking six shots and forcing two saves by the La Salle goalkeeper, Emma Provost.
Down to two minutes remaining in the first 10-minute overtime period, the Aggies drew a penalty corner, but a save by Provost kept the Explorers alive.
Then with less than 10 seconds on the clock, freshman Eline van den Bosch gave the Aggies what they were looking for, dribbling into the circle and scoring on a backhand shot over the head of Provost with just seven seconds to spare.
Saturday's win marks the second last-second win by the Aggies this season after Lauren Gengarella lifted UC Davis to a 3-2 win over Providence (Aug. 26) with just five seconds left on the clock.
UC Davis will wrap up its stay in Virginia tomorrow (Sept. 9) at 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET against the Davidson Wildcats before continuing on to Vermont for games four and five of their eight-game road trip.
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 animal science 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.
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