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Game 18 – Big West Tournament Semifinal
 
Cal State Fullerton Titans (12-6-1)
at
UC Davis Aggies (11-4-2)

Saturday, Nov. 9 – 2 p.m.
Aggie Soccer Field (1,000) – Davis, Calif.  

Tickets
Video
Live Stats
 
 
DAVIS, Calif. – As the Big West Tournament's No. 1 seed, UC Davis did not compete during Wednesday's opening round of the Big West Tournament and watched Cal State Fullerton, the Tournament's No. 5 seed, and No. 4 Cal Poly battle for the right to face the Big West regular season champions. And with a 2-0 victory versus the Mustangs, the Titans earned a spot in the semifinal round and will travel to Davis for Saturday's 2 p.m.playoff clash.
 
This is the second time in the last three games that UC Davis, a team ranked No. 24 in the United Soccer Coaches national poll, and Cal State Fullerton will face one another. On Oct. 26, in the Aggies' final road game of the season, Adam Mickelson scored the game-winning goal to lift his team to a 2-1 double-OT victory at Titan Stadium.
 
With that result, combined with last weekend's Big West title-clinching victory, UC Davis ended the regular season with a four-match unbeaten streak — block of action that included three wins.
 
Soccer fans should purchase their tickets ASAP to secure a seat for this weekend's playoff match. Links for an online video steam, featuring Will Wyman's play-by-play commentary, and live stats are available at UCDavisAggies.com.
 
 
SCOUTING CAL STATE FULLERTON
If results from recent years offer any indication of what is in store this Saturday at Aggie Soccer Field, expect another exciting matchup between the Aggies and Titans.
 
Of the last five head-to-head contests, UC Davis won three and posted a tie in the other two. However, those two draws took place during the 2016 and 2017 Big West Tournament and needed penalty kicks to determine a winner. And on both occasions, it was the Titans who won on PKs.
 
Saturday's semifinal is a rematch of the 2017 Big West Tournament championship game, which also took place at Aggie Soccer Field and ended with a scoreless draw through double OT. The 2016 matchup took place in Fullerton and needed PKs since neither team was able to break a 1-1 tie through 110 minutes of action.
 
This weekend marks the fourth time the Titans and Aggies faced one another in the league's playoffs; in 2014, CSF topped UC Davis, 2-1, in a First Round showdown that also took place at Aggie Soccer Field.
 
This semifinal will feature two teams with a distinct style of play: Even though Cal State Fullerton scored four more goals than UC Davis this season — it recorded 27 versus the Aggies' 23, but played in two more games by comparison — the Titans allowed 11 more goals to their opponents compared to UC Davis' league-low 12.
 
The winner of Saturday's semifinal will face either No. 2 UC Santa Barbara or No. 6 CSUN.
 
Series Record: UC Davis leads 11-9-5
Last Cal State Fullerton Win: 10/3/15 — 1-0 at Cal State Fullerton
Last UC Davis Win: 10/5/19 — 2-1 (OT) at Sacramento State
Last Five Results: W (2OT), W, T (2OT; L on PKs, 4-3), W, T (2OT; L on PKs, 5-3)
  
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. 5. The Aggies received votes in four polls this season, but this week's listing marked the first time they cracked the top 25.
 
UC Davis' last top 25 ranking 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. 3. Entering the Big West Tournament, the Aggies are ranked No. 25.
 
Other RPI rankings for Big West teams includes UC Santa Barbara (24), UC Irvine (37), Cal State Fullerton (40), CSUN (68), Sacramento State (83), UC Riverside (90) and Cal Poly (94).
 
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 Senior Day victory versus Sacramento State.
 
The school's Division I record holder in wins – he earned the 33rd of his career against the Hornets — sits in sole possession of the No. 7 spot on the Big West career wins list.
 
Lapsley also registered his 19th career shutout in this season's home Causeway Cup matchup. That total is the highest among active Big West goalkeepers and is a new UC Davis all-time program 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 Saturday's regular season finale, 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 5-6-4 overall in the Big West Tournament, 3-1-1 in the First Round, 2-4-1 in the Semifinal Round and 0-1-2 in the league's championship game; Cal State Fullerton is 7-4-4 overall (respective round records are 1-0-2, 5-2-0 and 1-2-2)
• Men's soccer is 1-0-2 in the Big West Tournament against the Titans
• It fell to CSF, in PKs, in 2017 (championship game, Titans win 4-3 on PKs), in 2016 (First Round, 5-3 on PKs)
• The Aggies defeated the Titans, 2-0, in a 2012 semifinal that took place at Aggie Soccer Field
• 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 19 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
• Senior goalkeeper Wallis Lapsley earned his seventh shutout of the season when the Aggies defeated Sacramento State last Saturday
• Lapsley holds the Division I-era record for the most career shutouts with 19
• UC Davis received votes in the United Soccer Coaches National Poll, released on Sept. 10, Oct.15, 22 and 29
• 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. 6 in the league with six assists
• Lapsley leads all league netminders with 33 career wins and is No. 2 with 200 career saves
• Lapsley's 19 career shutouts is also the highest total among all active BWC goalkeepers
• Lapsley leads all Big West goalkeepers with his 0.69 GAA, and .812 save percentage
• He is also ranked No. 2 with seven shutouts this season
• Senior forward Kristian Heptner is playing outstanding soccer by scoring 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
• No Big West team won more overall games throughout the last two seasons (2017 and '18) than UC Davis
• The Aggies advanced to the championship game of the Big West Tournament in each of the last two years

 
WHERE UC DAVIS RANKS
As of Nov. 5, the Aggies hold the following top-50 NCAA rankings:

Team
Penalty Kicks: 1st, 1.000
Save Percentage: 10th, .818
Shots Per Game: 34th, 14.29
Team Goals Against Average: 14th, .721
Won-Loss-Tied Percentage: 28th, .706
 
Individuals
Game-Winning Goals: Kristian Heptner – 37th, 3
Goals Against Average: Wallis Lapsley – 14th, .668
Penalty Kicks: Dylan Wood, Kristian Heptner – 1st, 1.000
Save Percentage: Wallis Lapsley – 10th, .817
Shutouts: Wallis Lapsley – 17th, 7
 
UC DAVIS VS. THE BIG WEST
Entering this week's Big West Tournament semifinal, UC Davis holds the following league rankings:

Team
Shots: 3rd, 243
Points: 6th, 61
Goals: T-5th, 23
Goals Per Game: 5th, 1.35
Assists: T-7th, 15
Assists Per Game: 7th, 0.88
Goals Allowed: 1st, 12
Goals Against Average: 1st, 0.68
Saves: 6th, 54
Shutouts: 2nd, 7
Fouls: 5th, 222
Corners: 4th, 84
Offsides: 1st, 43
 
Individuals
Shots: Adam Mickelson – 7th, 44
Shots Per Game: Kristian Heptner – 4th, 2.83; Adam Mickelson – 8th, 2.59
Points Per Game: Kristian Heptner – 10th, 0.83
Goals: Kristian Heptner – 10th, 5
Goals Per Game: Kristian Heptner – 5th, 0.42
Assists: Adam Mickelson – T-8th, 5
Assists Per Game: Adam Mickelson – T-9th, 0.29
Game-Winning Goals: Kristian Heptner – T-3rd, 3
Goals Against Average: Wallis Lapsley — 1st, 0.69
Save Percentage: Wallis Lapsley – 1st, .812
Saves: Wallis Lapsley – 5th, 52
Saves Per Game: Wallis Lapsley — 7th, 3.06
Shutouts: Wallis Lapsley — 2nd, 7
Shutouts Per Game: Wallis Lapsley — 2nd, 0.41

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS
This season, UC Davis holds the following records when broken down by the following categories:
 
11-4-2 overall
5-1-1 vs. Big West teams

5-0-1 at home
6-4-1 on the road
0-0 in neutral site matches

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

6-4-1 in shutouts

6-3 in games decided by one goal
5-1 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

8-0-1 when UC Davis scores first
3-4 when opponents score first

3-0 leading at halftime
2-2 trailing at halftime
6-2-2 tied at halftime

9-3-2 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
5-2-1 when opponents record more saves
3-0 equal number of saves

6-1-1 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
2-3-1 when opponents commit more fouls
0-0 equal number of fouls committed
 
AGGIES SEEK THIRD-STRAIGHT TRIP TO BIG WEST TOURNAMENT'S TITLE GAME
UC Davis soccer is one of the top teams in the Big West Conference, as evident by the amount of success the program enjoyed in recent seasons. Entering the 2019 season, no league team won more games throughout the last two seasons than the Aggies and their 22.
 
In each of the last two years, men's soccer advanced to the championship game of the conference's year-end tournament.
 
 
 
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.