Davis, Calif. - When all was said and done, after months of practices and plane rides, UC Davis' season rested at the end of junior Madison Theodore's stick.
Theodore didn't let the Aggies (8-8, 1-2) down, coming through twice on Wednesday afternoon against Cal (7-10, 1-3), once in the first period and again on the Aggies' final shootout attempt, to send UC Davis to a 2-1 win.
"She's one of the strongest hockey players," Head Coach Britt Broady said. "For her to be the one with both goals today, I think that's really special. It's one of those perfect storms of here's a kid whose been working so hard on this and then she gets the reward of the goals."
The win keeps the Aggies' postseason hopes alive and sets up a showdown with No. 17 Stanford on Friday in Palo Alto. The Aggies are now tied with Cal in the standings and multiple tie breaker scenarios will be at play.
UC Davis will advance to the postseason with a win over Stanford on Friday. The Aggies can also advance with a loss by one while scoring at least two goals. However, if the Aggies' lose 2-1, the playoff spot would be decided by a coin flip by the conference commissioner.
UC Davis were the aggressors early on Wednesday with Theodore taking three shots in the period and scoring all alone in the center of the circle for a 1-0 lead at the 10:35 mark.
After a scoreless second period that saw the Aggies' defense stand tall as Cal were awarded three penalty corners within a 2:05 span, the third period nearly belonged to the Bears.
Cal outshot the Aggies 6-0 in the frame, finally getting on the board with a flip shot by Megan Rodgers over a diving Chelsea Bigelow to even the score at the 13:25 mark of the period.
Heading into the first 'golden goal' overtime period, UC Davis nearly ended the afternoon with three minutes to go as a streaking Lauren Gengarella caught up to a ball up the middle of the field but wasn't able to get a shot off before the play was broken up.
The Aggies' threatened again inside the final minute of the second overtime with Nicola Prebble and Audrey Matthew recording shots on goal only for Cal goalkeeper Cato Knipping, who entered after an injury to starter Natalie Dalton, to save both.
The Bears' Katrina Carter opened shootout proceedings with a make and another make by Rodgers made it 2-0 Cal through three shots. Following misses by both teams, Prebble made it 2-1, the Bears' Femke Delissen missed, and Sara Janetzky evened the makes at two apiece.
After Bigelow spoiled Cal's fifth shootout attempt, Theodore stepped into the circle with the Aggies playoff hopes riding on her shoulders. The junior capped her career-best offensive day by sending the Aggies streaming onto the field in celebration knowing they would live to fight another day.
"I had to put the ball in the back of the net because my team worked so hard for 80 minutes to get us to that point," Theodore said.
On a crisp Fall day in Davis, the Aggies equaled the most wins in a single season at eight and are assured of finishing with the best win-loss percentage of any team in program history. UC Davis' win percentage has increased each of the last three seasons under Broady.
"Every single year we've gotten better and better and earned those wins," Theodore said of team's progression in her three years. "Leading up to today, all of that really mattered and we got the result today."
Friday's 6 p.m. matchup in Palo Alto will be live streamed by PAC-12 Plus.
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 15 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.
MARYA WELCH INITIATIVE
Named after the former physical education instructor, coach and Dean of Women who founded women's sports on the campus 25 years before the passage of Title IX, the Marya Welch Initiative for Women's Athletics provides comprehensive support for UC Davis' 16 women's athletics programs. Through the support of the Marya Welch Initiative and its group members, student-athletes are provided the best possible opportunity to succeed inside the classroom, and in competition, through special project gifts and by increasing visibility and participation at women's events throughout the year. All gifts to the Marya Welch Initiative are matched 1:1, doubling the impact on our women's programs. Visit https://give.ucdavis.edu/ATHG/324041 for more information.
