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Game 19 – Big West Tournament Championship
 
No. 16 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (12-3-4)
at
No. 24 UC Davis Aggies (12-4-2)

Friday, Nov. 15 – 2 p.m.
Aggie Soccer Field (1,000) – Davis, Calif.  

Tickets
Video
Live Stats
 
 
DAVIS, Calif. – What began in late August for UC Davis will conclude Friday afternoon at Aggie Soccer Field when it faces UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Tournament's championship match. The winner will capture a Tournament title and earn the league's automatic NCAA Tournament bid in the process — the goal each Aggie possessed when everyone reported for summer workouts. 
 
Making this matchup even more intriguing is this rare combination of records: UC Davis is undefeated at home in 2019, UCSB has not lost a match on the road this season.
 
Soccer fans can guarantee their spot at Aggie Soccer Field on Friday by purchasing tickets online, calling (530) 752-2471 or visiting the Athletics Box Office at UC Davis Health Stadium between 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. UC Davis students receive free admission with a valid ID.
 
Will Wyman will provide play-by-play commentary for this game's video stream; live stats are also available at UCDavisLiveStats.com.
 
 
UC DAVIS DOMINATES ALL-BIG WEST HONOR ROLL
Ten members from UC Davis men's soccer earned All-Big West honors, as voted by the conference's head coaches, when league officials announced its 2019 All-Big West honor roll.
 
For the second time in the last three years, and the third time in his career, head coach Dwayne Shaffer was named Big West Coach of the Year. Shaffer earned this award in 2007 and 2017.
 
Senior Wallis Lapsley also earned one of the league's major awards and became the second Aggie in program history named Goalkeeper of the Year. He and Omar Zeenni, who was selected in 2013, comprise this exclusive list.
 
Senior forward Adam Mickelson, junior defender Nabi Kibunguchy and Lapsley each earned First Team recognition; senior midfielder Marte Formico, junior defender Jake Haupt and sophomore midfielder Andy Velasquez earned spots on the Second Team; senior forward Kristian Heptner and sophomore defender Max Glasser earned Honorable Mention; Max Arfsten was named to the All-Freshman Team.
 
This is the second time in as many seasons that the conference bestowed an All-Big West award to Lapsley. After earning All-Big West Second Team status in each of the last two seasons, Mickelson was selected to the First Team for the first time in his career on Tuesday. As is the case with Mickelson, Kibunguchy collected his third all-conference honor; he was named to the First Team and All-Freshman Team in 2017.
 
Haupt and Formico received all-conference recognition for the first time in their respective careers; named to the All-Freshman Team last year, Velasquez has now earned All-Big West status in each of his seasons at UC Davis.
 
Heptner is now a two-time All-Big West selection; this is the first all-conference award for Glasser and Arfsten.
 
DÉJÀ VU, BUT IN A GOOD WAY
For the third straight season, UC Davis advanced to the championship match of the Big West Tournament. This is the latest accomplishment for a program that has enjoyed nothing but success the last three seasons.

After hosting the Tournament's title game in 2017, the Aggies traveled to UC Riverside for last season's championship match.
 
ALL THEY DO IS WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN
No Big West team collected more overall victories throughout that timespan than the Aggies and their 34. The second-highest total belongs to Cal State Fullerton (29), the team UC Davis knocked out of the Tournament last weekend with its 2-0 win. UC Santa Barbara, the Aggies' upcoming opponent, holds the third-highest total (28).
 
SCOUTING UC SANTA BARBARA
As was the case with the Aggies, UCSB earned a berth in Friday's championship match, by defeating CSUN in its semifinal match last Saturday by a 2-0 score. The Gauchos are familiar with Aggie Soccer Field since they last visited campus on October 23, a game that ended in a 1-1 tie.
 
Friday's championship game is familiar territory for the Aggies, who are making their third straight appearance. For the Gauchos, they will compete for a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.
 
Whichever team controls Friday's game, and plays to its strengths, will most likely hoist the championship trophy once the final horn sounds. That may sound simple, but look at the numbers and you will see why this week's matchup will surely become one of the most intense played between UC Davis and UCSB in series history.
 
Compared to the Aggies, who feature goals scored by 14 different players — outside of Kristian Heptner's five and Adam Mickelson's four, the rest have two or fewer — UCSB has nine goal scorers, and four that have earned the bulk of attention from opponents this year.
 
Led by freshman forward Finn Ballard McBride and his nine, senior forward Will Baynham (7), senior midfielder Thibault Candia (6) and junior forward Rodney Michael (5) comprise the Gauchos' quartet of primary goal scorers.
 
No Big West team scored more goals this season than UCSB, and its 37.
 
No Big West team allowed fewer goals to their opponents this season than UC Davis, and its 12.
 
Let the battle begin… and it will at Aggie Soccer Field at 2 p.m.
 
Series Record: UC Santa Barbara leads 18-8-4
Last UC Santa Barbara Win: 10/17/18 — 1-0 at UC Santa Barbara
Last UC Davis Win: 10/21/17 — 5-0, at UC Santa Barbara
Last Five UC Davis Results: T (2OT), L, W, W, W
 
UC DAVIS EARNS THIRD BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP IN PROGRAM HISTORY
By defeating Sacramento State in front of a packed Aggie Soccer Field, UC Davis won its third Big West championship in program history. Men's soccer's first two titles were earned in 2012 and 2017 when it captured a North Division crown.
 
UNITED SOCCER COACHES' TOP 25 INCLUDES UC DAVIS
UC Davis earned a No. 24 national ranking when the United Soccer Coaches unveiled its Top 25 Poll on Nov. 12. The Aggies received votes in five polls this season; the organization's Nov. 5 listing marked the first time they cracked the top 25 since they received votes the other four occasions.
 
UC Davis' last top 25 ranking, before this season, took place during the week of Oct. 12, 2018, when it was the 16th-ranked team in the country.
 
JAKE HAUPT EARNS FIRST CAREER BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD
Junior defender Jake Haupt's first goal of the season propelled UC Davis to a regular season championship, which led to his first career Big West Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week accolade.
 
Haupt received a long throw-in from teammate Robert Mejia and punched in the game-winning shot in the 85th minute of last Saturday's regular season finale against Causeway rival Sacramento State. The 1-0 victory gave UC Davis 16 points and sole possession of first place in the Big West standings, marking their third title overall.
 
Haupt, who also scored a goal during his freshman season, became the 13th different Aggie to score this year.
 
The defender also played a key role in helping the Aggies record their seventh shutout of the year, as only three of Sacramento State's 10 shots were on frame.
 
AGGIES RANK HIGH WITH THEIR RPI
UC Davis earned a spot among the top teams in the nation all season long with its RPI, and that trend continued when the NCAA released its latest RPI listing on Nov. 10. Entering the Big West Tournament, the Aggies are ranked No. 22.
 
Other RPI rankings for Big West teams includes UC Santa Barbara (16), Cal State Fullerton (39), UC Irvine (44), CSUN (64), Sacramento State (86), UC Riverside (88) and Cal Poly (98).
 
The rating percentage index, commonly known as the RPI, is a quantity used to rank sports teams based upon a team's wins and losses and its strength of schedule. This is a factor the NCAA uses when determining at-large teams to complete the field for its annual College Cup.
 
MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW!
UC Davis men's soccer alumni should circle April 17, 2020, on their calendars because that is when Wildhorse Golf Club will host the program's Alumni Golf Tournament.
 
Parents, players, coaches, friends and supporters of the program are also invited to participate in this annual event.
 
Last year, student-athletes who competed under Will Lotter, Simon Davies and Dwayne Shaffer packed the golf course to reconnect and support the program. By popular demand, this year's event is taking place at a larger facility to make this event as convenient — Wildhorse Golf Club is located in Davis — and enjoyable as possible.
 
Four sponsorship levels are available for this year's tournament by clicking here, contacting Charles Warne at (530) 601-1242 or warne_charles@yahoo.com.
 
MOVIN' ON UP
That is what UC Davis senior goalkeeper Wallis Lapsley is experiencing within the league's records book, thanks to last Saturday's Big West Tournament semifinal victory versus Cal State Fullerton
 
The school's Division I record holder in wins – he earned the 34th of his career against the Titans — a total that ties him for fifth on the Big West's career wins list.
 
Lapsley also registered his 20th career shutout last weekend — a total is the highest among active Big West goalkeepers and is a UC Davis all-time program record. That clean sheet was the eighth of the year, which matches last season's total and doubles as the program's all-time single-season shutout record.
 
NABI KIBUNGUCHY EARNS TOP 100 HONORS FROM TOP DRAWER SOCCER
Junior midfielder/defender Nabi Kibunguchy was named one of the top 100 players in the nation, by Top Drawer Soccer when the outlet released its midseason list on Oct. 21.
 
The No. 55 individual ranking is the latest honor for the Elk Grove native, who opened the season by earning Preseason All-Big West accolades for the second year in a row.
 
Kibunguchy is the anchor of the Aggies' backline, a unit that has only allowed a league-low 10 goals to opponents throughout the team's first 14 games. Entering its Oct. 23 home matchup versus UC Santa Barbara, the Aggies 0.80 goals against average is the 25th-lowest in the nation, with the managerial economics major playing a key role since he is matched up against opponents' top scorers each game.
 
Kibunguchy showcased his defensive prowess in a recent game against CSUN, and limited the league's top two scorers to a combined two shots.
 
The third-year Aggie is known for making clutch plays on a consistent basis, but that is not limited to the defensive third of the field. In UC Davis' rivalry road game at Sacramento State (10/5), the team's final designated non-conference clash since both compete in the Big West Conference, it was Kibunguchy that tied the score at 1-1, thanks to a clutch header in the 86th minute, that eventually led to a 2-1 overtime victory.
 
KIBUNGUCHY EARNS BIG WEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
UC Davis earned consecutive shutout victories and extended its win streak to five games — this is the longest streak since 2008 and the longest current streak for any Big West team — thanks to a backline anchored by Big West Defensive Player of the Week Nabi Kibunguchy, as announced by league officials on Oct. 14.
 
In Sunday's game vs. CSUN, he matched up against Johnny Rodriguez and Daniel Trejo, the league's top two scorers, and limited each to one shot. In the Aggies' Big West opener at Cal Poly, it was he who drew the Mustangs' top scorer as a defensive assignment; thanks to Kibunguchy and his teammates' defensive effort, last week's opponents only mustered one combined shot on goal.
 
Monday's selection marked the second time in the Elk Grove native's career that he earned Defensive Player of the Week accolades.
 
THAT SOUND YOU HEAR ARE STREAKS SNAPPING
When UC Davis visited Saint Mary's Stadium to face the #6 Gaels on Sept. 26, it competed against a team that held a 31-game overall unbeaten streak — the ninth-longest all-time in NCAA Division I history.
 
Thanks to four goals after halftime — the Aggies' offensive outburst started with Whalen Shinn's goal in the 51st minute, continued with Kristian Heptner's brace when he scored in 70th and 81st minutes, and Andy Velasquez' game-winner in the 76th minute — UC Davis snapped SMC's overall streak, and its 26-game unbeaten streak at home with a 4-2 victory.
 
In defeating then-No. 6 Saint Mary's by a 4-2 score, the result matched the highest-ranked opponent the Aggies defeated in the program's Division I history (No. 6 UCLA, Sept. 4, 2011).
 
TRUE STUDENT-ATHLETES
As ambassadors for the No. 5-ranked public school in the nation, UC Davis student-athletes take great pride in succeeding in the classroom, on the field and in the community. Majors for this year's roster include:
 
Biological Sciences: Max Glasser, Kaleb Schirmacher
Biomedical Engineering: Kristian Heptner
Chemical Engineering: Wumi Aladetimi, Grant Fidler
Civil Engineering: Jacob Rudolph
Design: Kameron Carey
Environmental Science & Management: Whalen Shinn
Global Disease Biology: Wallis Lapsley
Human Development: Sean Cooper
Managerial Economics: Jye Citizen, Marte Formico, Nabi Kibunguchy, Connor Tipton
Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior: Emmanuel Doherty, Jake Haupt
Political Science: Luke Hazel
Sociology: Adam Mickelson
Sociology – Organizational Studies: Luke Giusto
Statistics: Dylan Wood
Undeclared: Max Arfsten, Sean Bilter, Derrek Chan, Ryan Dieter, Turner Humphrey, Charles Janssen, Robert Mejia, Andy Velasquez, Tim Weidinger
 
THE GREAT WALL OF DAVIS
That is what the Aggies' defense should be called, and rightfully so, for the way it frustrated opponents all season long. Entering Friday's Big West Tournament championship, UC Davis allowed a league-low 12 goals throughout the regular season.
 
The total is six fewer than Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara's total of 18.
 
QUICK KICKS – POSTSEASON EDITION

• UC Davis is seeking its first Big West Tournament title after reaching the finals on three occasions: 2012, 2017 and 2018
• The Aggies are 6-6-4 overall in the Big West Tournament, 3-1-1 in the First Round, 3-4-1 in the Semifinal Round and 0-1-2 in the league's championship game; UC Santa Barbara is 6-8-2 overall (respective round records are 0-1-1, 5-3-1 and 1-4-0)
• UC Davis is 0-2-0 in the Big West Tournament against the Gauchos
• The Aggies lost to UCSB in the semifinal round in 2011 (2-1) and 2015 (1-0)
• Both of those games took place in Santa Barbara
• Men's soccer was the first team to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament when UC Davis joined the Big West Conference before the start of the 2007-08 season
• The Aggies competed in the First Round of the 2007 College Cup and the Second Round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament
• UC Davis has not lost a game at home this year, and posted its first undefeated home record since 2008 when that squad finished 8-0-3 at Aggie Soccer Field
• UC Davis won a North Division crown in 2012 and 2017
• Wallis Lapsley's 20 career shutouts are a new all-time program record
• UC Davis' mid-season five-game win streak (Sept. 21-Oct. 12) is the longest since the 2008 when it won six straight before opening league play
• That season also featured a program-record 11-game unbeaten streak, which included the team's final six non-conference matches and the first five Big West games
• Lapsley earned his eighth shutout of the season when the Aggies defeated Cal State Fullerton last Saturday
• That total matches his single-season career high from last season and doubles as a Division I-era single-season record
• Lapsley holds the Division I-era record for the most career shutouts with 20
• UC Davis received votes in the United Soccer Coaches National Poll, released on Sept. 10, Oct.15, 22 and 29, and was ranked No. 24 in its Nov. 5 listing
• No Big West active player has more career assists than senior forward Adam Mickelson and his 18
• Those 18 assists are a new D-I era record, and the second-highest total in program history, trailing only Matt DeJong (1997-00) and his 26
• Mickelson will enter this week's games ranked No. 8 in the league with five assists
• Lapsley leads all Big West goalkeepers with his 0.65 GAA, and .818 save percentage
• He is also ranked No. 2 with eight shutouts this season
• Senior forward Kristian Heptner scored five goals throughout his first nine games played this season
• Following his brace at No. 6 Saint Mary's, which helped the Aggies snap the Gaels' overall and home unbeaten streaks, his free kick in overtime, at Sacramento State, was the game-winning shot
• That game-winner was Heptner's first since the 2016 season, and the fourth of his career
• Heptner's second game-winning goal took place two matches later when he scored the only goal of the game vs. CSUN (10/13)
• Men's soccer's originally scheduled eight-game road trip is the longest in program history, and the most consecutive road games since the team played five in a row early in the 2016 season
• That streak of consecutive road matches was cut to seven when severe thunderstorms forced game officials to cancel the Aggies' Sept. 29 game at Oregon State
• The previous record for the most consecutive road games was five, which took place in 2010 and 2016
• UC Davis played more road games on that month-long swing than Cal State Fullerton (6) for the ENTIRE season, and matches Cal Poly's total for the year (7)
• CSUN, UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara each have eight road games on their 2019 schedules
• By posting back-to-back shutouts against CSU Bakersfield and No. 25 Air Force, on Sept. 6 and Sept. 8 respectively, senior goalkeeper Wallis Lapsley earned Big West Defensive Player of the Week for the third time in his career, as announced on Sept. 9 by league officials
• Thanks to victories collected against CSU Bakersfield and Air Force, UC Davis won this year's Copa de Causeway — a yearly tournament that features the Aggies, Sacramento State, and two visiting teams
• Earning all-tournament honors were four Aggies: senior goalkeeper Wallis Lapsley, senior midfielder Marte Formico, junior midfielder/defender Nabi Kibunguchy and sophomore defender Max Glasser
• Talk about making a memorable first impression: In his first home game an Aggie, redshirt freshman forward Wumi Aladetimi scored his first collegiate goal, a game-winner, against CSU Bakersfield
• Results earned during the opening week of the 2019 season, combined with the team's last five results of the '18 campaign, meant that UC Davis entered its home opener on a seven-game unbeaten streak — one that extended to nine matches before San Diego ended that run on Sept. 13
• By opening the 2019 season with a 2-0 win at Wisconsin, the Aggies now sport a 2-0 head-to-head record against the Badgers
• As one of a handful of teams that received votes, Wisconsin opened the season among the teams featured in the United Soccer Coaches' inaugural national poll of the season
• The Aggies 2015 result against Wisconsin, which took place at Aggie Soccer Field, marked the team's last win versus a Power Five opponent
• UC Davis also opened 2018 with a win in its season opener (at Omaha) following by a scoreless tie two days later (at Creighton)
• In his 13th season as the Aggies' head coach, Dwayne Shaffer's tenure is the second-longest in the Big West, trailing only Terry Davila (CSUN) and Tim Vom Steeg — two coaches that spent the last 21 and 20 years at their respective schools

 
WHERE UC DAVIS RANKS
As of Nov. 10, the Aggies hold the following top-50 NCAA rankings:

Team
Penalty Kicks: 1st, 1.000
Save Percentage: 6th, .824
Shots Per Game: 22nd, 14.89
Shutout Percentage: 24th, .444
Team Goals Against Average: 11th, .0.68
Won-Loss-Tied Percentage: 25th, .722
 
Individuals
Game-Winning Goals: Kristian Heptner – 43rd, 3
Goals Against Average: Wallis Lapsley – 12th, 0.63
Penalty Kicks: Dylan Wood, Kristian Heptner – 1st, 1.000
Save Percentage: Wallis Lapsley – 7th, .823
Shutouts: Wallis Lapsley – 10th, 8
 
UC DAVIS VS. THE BIG WEST
Entering this week's Big West Tournament championship, UC Davis holds the following league rankings:

Team
Shots: 3rd, 268
Points: T-5th, 68
Goals: 5th, 25
Goals Per Game: 4th, 1.39
Assists: 7th, 18
Assists Per Game: 7th, 1.00
Goals Allowed: 1st, 12
Goals Against Average: 1st, 0.64
Saves: 6th, 56
Shutouts: 2nd, 8
Fouls: 5th, 230
Corners: 4th, 88
Offsides: 1st, 44
 
Individuals
Shots: Adam Mickelson – 4th, 50; Kristian Heptner – T-9^th, 38
Shots Per Game: Kristian Heptner – 4th, 2.92; Adam Mickelson – 5th, 2.78
Points Per Game: Kristian Heptner – 10th, 0.85
Goals: Kristian Heptner – T-10th, 5
Goals Per Game: Kristian Heptner – 6th, 0.38
Assists: Adam Mickelson – T-10th, 5
Assists Per Game: Adam Mickelson – 10th, 0.28
Game-Winning Goals: Kristian Heptner – T-3rd, 3
Goals Against Average: Wallis Lapsley — 1st, 0.65
Save Percentage: Wallis Lapsley – 1st, .818
Saves: Wallis Lapsley – 5th, 54
Saves Per Game: Wallis Lapsley — 7th, 3.00
Shutouts: Wallis Lapsley — 2nd, 8
Shutouts Per Game: Wallis Lapsley — 2nd, 0.44

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS
This season, UC Davis holds the following records when broken down by the following categories:
 
12-4-2 overall
5-1-1 Big West record

6-0-1 at home
6-4-1 on the road
0-0 in neutral site matches

3-1-1 against ranked opponents/opponents receiving votes

7-4-1 in shutouts

6-3 in games decided by one goal
6-1 in games decided by two goals
0-0 in games decided by three or more goals

1-0 in overtime
1-0-2 in double overtime

9-0-1 when UC Davis scores first
3-4 when opponents score first

4-0 leading at halftime
2-2 trailing at halftime
6-2-2 tied at halftime

10-3-2 when the Aggies outshoot opponents
1-1 when opponents outshoot the Aggies
1-0 equal number of shots

3-2-1 when the Aggies record more saves
6-2-1 when opponents record more saves
3-0 equal number of saves

7-1-1 when the Aggies take more corner kicks
3-2-1 when opponents take more corner kicks
2-1 equal number of corner kicks

9-1-1 when the Aggies commit more fouls
3-3-1 when opponents commit more fouls
0-0 equal number of fouls committed
 
 
 
AGGIE EVO
Established during the 2017-18 academic year, 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.
 
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, 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.