Palo Alto, Calif. - UC Davis didn't leave with the playoff berth they hoped to but instead with a program-best win-loss percentage as the Aggies fell 5-0 to No. 17 Stanford in the final game of the 2019 season Friday night. 

"The journey of a season for any team is usually tumultuous," Head Coach Britt Broady said afterwards. "There are highs and lows based upon not only wins and losses, but injuries, class schedules, midterms, travel and team camaraderie. The 2019 season for this team was different. Our trajectory of growth, performance, and team cohesion was positive from the first day. That doesn't often happen in team sport. It has been truly special and I am so proud of these student-athletes for forging ahead when challenges occur."

Needing a win or a one goal loss while scoring at least two of their own to advance, the Aggies came in with momentum and playoff aspirations after downing Cal in shootout on Wednesday. 

The Aggies fell behind 1-0 in the first though and Stanford went on to score twice in the second and third periods. 

UC Davis came to play on Friday with three players in Madison Theodore, Sara Janetzky, and Nicola Prebble recording multiple shots and one shot on goal each. 

Similarly to the first meeting between these two teams on Oct. 20, the Aggies kept pace with Stanford in the shot department, even creating opportunities of their own while taking five corners to the Cardinal's three. 

In the third period just 2:34 in, Tatiana Arias gave the Aggies a shot with a backhand look that Stanford keeper Hannah Santos saved. At the 9:16 mark of the third, UC Davis got creative on a corner, with Sara Janetzky passing to Lauren Gengarella for the shot but again Gengarella's shot was saved by Santos. 

In her final game as an Aggie, Chelsea Bigelow finished with four saves to bring her school record total to 378. Bigelow also finishes with the lowest Goals Against Average (1.5) in a single season in school history and the best career GAA (2.58) in school history. 

"This team sticks together and keeps perspective of what's important to achieve our goals," Broady said. "They invest in each other and do their very best to fulfill their roles."

UC Davis' 8-9 record marks another year of steady improvement over the last three season as the Aggies have raised their season win total in each. Their 2019 record is also the best win-loss percentage of any team previous, with the 2019 Aggies supplanting a 7-10 record in 2010. 

"I am so sad that the journey has ended much more abruptly and early than we'd like," Broady finished. "We are a good hockey team comprised of exceptional young women. I am so proud of them."

UC Davis will graduate five senior starters in the spring but retain 19 players from this season's squad for 2020. 

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.