DAVIS, Calif. -- For UC Davis women's lacrosse, its 16-12 Picnic Day win sits more than a week removed in the rearview window. The Aggies had a bye from competition last weekend, meaning they converged for a team watch party – literally, for the players; virtually, for the coaching staff – to see who they would face in Sunday's Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship game.
Indeed, the UC Davis coaches and players tuned into the stream as San Diego State and Fresno State squared off last Saturday, with numerous text messages exchanged between the various watch sites. Sure, the winner of that game had no bearing on the MPSF tournament schedule: UC Davis' win over SDSU had already locked up the No. 1 seed, meaning the Aztecs and the Bulldogs would face each other in Friday night's semifinal no matter what. However, the SDSU-Fresno meeting gave UC Davis another chance to see both of its possible opponents – and to raise the anticipation level of Sunday's championship game.
Who: San Diego State vs. Fresno State (MPSF Semifinal)
When: Friday, April 26 • 5 p.m.
Where: Aggie Stadium (Davis, Calif.)
Live Stats: http://statb.us/b/247505
Live Video: MPSF TV (http://mpsports.org/watch/?Live=34)
Who: UC Davis vs. Friday winner (MPSF Final)
When: Sunday, April 28 • 1 p.m.
Where: Aggie Stadium (Davis, Calif.)
Live Stats: http://statb.us/b/247507
Live Video: MPSF TV (http://mpsports.org/watch/?Live=35)
To no one's surprise, the remaining MPSF game provided a wild ride. The Bulldogs charged to a 6-1 start, then led by a 10-4 margin after 20 minutes, before the Aztecs scored 12 goals across a 30-minute span to take the 16-15 victory. The MPSF battle also featured two ties midway through the second half, and a late Fresno comeback run that was ultimately thwarted.
Of course, this game flow had shades of the Aggies' previous matchups with each. Back on April 6, UC Davis fell into (oh yes) a 6-1 hole against Fresno State before rallying back with (wait for it) 12 goals en route to a 19-10 win. Then a week later, the Aggies and Aztecs battled two three ties, with UC Davis having to stifle an SDSU comeback during the final stretch.
All in all, the April 20 contest and the Aggies' two conference games remind UC Davis head coach Suzanne Isidor just how closely matched the three teams are, and how hotly contested that MPSF trophy remains. "I really think anything can happen, which makes our conference tournament super-exciting," said Isidor. "There are people who ask about there being only three teams and yet we still have a conference tournament. But we still have a lot on the line: all three of us want to win that championship, and it's not even just winning a championship, it's winning a championship against great competition. It says a lot about our conference and it means a lot to our student-athletes."
On top of this, both Isidor and most of her Aggie players have first-hand experience on how much that title means. After all, UC Davis held the No. 1 seed in last year's tournament in San Diego, only to fall to the host Aztecs in an 11-10 overtime thriller. And while Isidor states that she is not looking for redemption per se, she is quite pleased that her team's regular-season wins have positioned the Aggies in the title contest once again. "Last year was a learning experience. None of us had been in a championship game," she said. "We're just excited to have another opportunity to play for a championship, no matter which team we play."
Entering the weekend, UC Davis has the conference's points and assists leader in junior attacker Amanda Outcalt (31 goals, 36 assists). Senior attacker Taylor Cuenin paces the league in goals (47), although SDSU has the next two in line (Harlowe Steele with 44, Taylor Sullivan with 35). Cuenin also leads the conference in caused turnovers – a feat made more impressive given that a preseason injury moved her from midfielder to attacker this season.
Overall, the Aggies get offensive contributions from various sources. Besides Cuenin and Outcalt, Sorana Larson (28), Maddie Myers (21), Shannon Cross (20) and Mar Alvear (20) averaged better than a goal per game this year. On the opposite end of the field, the defensive corps of Natalie Garces, Addie Dearden, Anna Belenis and Ally Deremer each started all 16 games. Senior goalkeeper Grace Richards enjoyed two of her best career games early on, but when she went down with injury, sophomore Taylor Mathieson responded with 90 saves down the stretch.
One area in which the Aggies have dominated throughout the 2019 season is the draw. With the triple threat of Kate Graham (77), Alvear (67) and Myers (65) forming a trifecta atop the MPSF draw control leaderboard, UC Davis has set a school record with 254. Its average of 15.88 per game ranks 11th nationally, while its 58.7 percentage is 14th among the country's 120 Division I teams.
Most importantly, the Aggies look forward to getting back on the field and into competition mode. Between having the last weekend off and the semifinal bye on Friday, UC Davis will have gone 15 days from its Picnic Day victory to its Sunday title game.
"Two weeks is a long time, and our excitement level and our focus is high," said Isidor. "We had a great week of practice last week and we're looking for another productive week. We're grateful for the opportunity to play."
Live stats will be available via StatBroadcast, with video available on a subscription basis at MPSF TV. Links are above.
QUICK STICKS:
REWRITING THE BOOKS: With a career-high 47 goals this year, senior Taylor Cuenin will need exactly a hat trick to become the fourth player in school history to record multiple 50-goal seasons... She also sits one goal behind Elizabeth Landry (2012-15) for second on the UC Davis career list, and one point behind Gina Hoffmire (2008-11) for sixth on that leaderboard... Cuenin, who already ranks second in career caused turnovers, enters the weekend with a .498 shooting percentage (150-for-301), giving her a chance to become just the 10th player in school history to shoot .500 or better for a career.
Amanda Outcalt's 36 assists puts her firmly in second on the school season list behind Elizabeth Datino's 2012 benchmark of 47... With 63 for her career, she trails No. 5 Leslie Kado (2001-04) by three with both Sunday's game and her entire senior year to go... The school's draw controls leaderboard received an overhaul in 2019: Landry still holds the Aggie record with 90, but Kate Graham's 77, Mar Alvear's 67 and Maddie Myers' 65 are now second, fourth and fifth, respectively... The team's 254 DCs as a team surpasses the 2012 record of 252... Fun fact: the Aggies won an NCAA statistical championship in this very category, leading the country with 16.00 DCs per game in 2011.
FAMILIAR FACES: The MPSF tournament reunites several former high school teammates now competing on rival teams... The most notable matchup is SDSU's Katy Sharretts and UC Davis' Grace Richards, both 2015 grads of John Carroll School in Bel Air, Maryland... Sharretts was a goalie and Richards an attacker for the Patriots... Richards' move to goalkeeper partway through her collegiate career meant last year's MPSF title game featured goalies from the same high school team... UC Davis' Anna Belenis and Fresno State's Sarah Bloise both hail from Davis Senior High, although Bloise has not played in 2019... Another Aggie defender, Natalie Garces, played midfield along with Fresno State's Kayle Kaesbauer for San Diego's Westview HS... UC Davis middie Kate Graham is two years ahead of SDSU's Sam Horan at Marin Catholic but both were Wildcat teammates in lacrosse and basketball... One honorable mention: Aztec Amanda Stapp and Aggie Ashley Lotoszynski are fellow alums of Amador Valley High in Pleasanton... Of course, Loto starred as an infielder for the Dons' softball powerhouse while Stapp stuck to lacrosse (meaning the term "ground ball" carried two different definitions), yet the two are now reserve goalies for their respective LAX teams.
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 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 plant and animal programs.
AGGIE EVO: Established 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.
