No. 9 UC Davis at No. 8 UC Irvine
Big West Conference Game
Sunday, April 7, 2019
Noon
Anteater Aquatics Center // Irvine, Calif.
Live Stats (FOSH)
LONG BEACH, Calif. — After a tied first half, and a two-goal deficit in the third, freshman standout Noelle Wijnbelt netted a career-high five goals to lead No. 9 UC Davis in a 10-7 victory over No. 12 Long Beach State on Friday night.
Wijnbelt made her mark early in the game, scoring at 7:40 in the first off an assist from Big West Athlete of the Week Emily Byrne, who drew eight of the team's 14 exclusions in the game. The Beach would respond with a goal from Orsi Hertzka to tie the game at one apiece, before Wijnbelt netted a second backhanded goal for a 2-1 Aggie lead. LBSU would tie the game at two, and take its first lead of the game with a late goal at the end of the first period.
To start the second, McKenna Hauss put in a quick goal to score in her second consecutive game, leading into a back-and-forth scoring drive between the teams. Contributing goals to close out the half were Annie Kutt and Devin Holcomb, leading to a 5-5 halftime score.
Jumping to their biggest — and last — lead of the game, Long Beach State scored two consecutive goals to go up 7-5 with 4:32 remaining in the third quarter, before the Aggies raised their level on both defense and offense. Wijnbelt completed her hat trick on the first of two penalties to bring the Aggies within one at 2:39 in the third, giving Julia Hartmann the opportunity to net the tying goal, which was just her ninth this season.
In the second consecutive game, Wijnbelt would score what turned out to be the game-winning goal, as she found the cage to start the fourth off an assist from Kutt, to give the Aggies the 8-7 lead. Wijnbelt made her second penalty shot of the night, before Marcela Portales sealed the deal with the goal for 10-7 with three minutes left in regulation.
Junior goalkeeper Caitlin Golding locked down the cage, recording seven saves and holding the Beach scoreless in the fourth quarter, while the team added five field blocks throughout the game.
Also competing tonight, No. 8 UC Irvine upset No. 4 Hawaii 7-6, opening the door for the regular season Big West title, as Hawaii falls to 2-1, and UC Irvine improves to 2-1, tying with UC Davis at 2-1, and UC Santa Barbara having the opportunity to improve to a 2-1 Big West record if they can defeat CSUN (0-3) in Saturday's lone conference matchup.
The Aggies continue their road trip, traveling to face No. 8 UC Irvine, in what will be a pivotal game for seeding heading into the Big West Tournament at the end of the month. The game is set to begin at noon at the Anteater Aquatics Center.
| No. 9 UC DAVIS |
2 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
10 |
| No. 12 LONG BEACH STATE |
3 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
7 |
GOALS: UC DAVIS: Noelle Wijnbelt 5, Devin Holcomb 1, Annie Kutt 1, McKenna Hauss 1, Marcela Portales 1, Julia Hartmann 1. LBSU: Marilia Eleni Mimidi 2, Orsi Hertzka 2, Olivia Grimm 2, Annabel Harman 1.
GOALIE SAVES: UC DAVIS: Caitlin Golding 7. LBSU: Eirini Patras 5.
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.
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.
