DAVIS, Calif. — Senior
Grant Fidler broke a scoreless deadlock with his fourth goal of the year just 90 seconds into the second half and senior
Andy Velasquez netted the game-winner from the penalty spot in the 78th minute, helping lift UC Davis to a 2-1 Big West Conference victory over visiting UC Riverside on Wednesday afternoon at Aggie Soccer Field.
The Aggies evened their record at 6-6 overall and moved to 2-1 in conference play with the win — their sixth in the last seven matches — while the Highlanders fell to 6-5 overall and 1-2 in league matches.
An evenly played first half saw each team finish with six shots, but neither team could dent the back of the net until Fidler did so at the 46:27 mark, banging home a pass from
Ryan Dieter for the 1-0 lead.
The match remained that way until the 60th minute when a UC Riverside player was tripped by the UC Davis goalkeeper, drawing a penalty kick for the Highlanders. Jonick Pineda stepped to the ball and finished to the bottom left side of the net to even the match at one goal apiece.
Velasquez then put the Aggies ahead for good in the 78th minute after teammate
Zachary Batchelder was taken down on the left-hand side of the box, drawing another penalty attempt that Velasquez did not waste, punching in the winner to the top left of the goal for the final 2-1 advantage.
UC Davis narrowly out-shot UC Riverside, 16-14, with five of those shot attempts off the feet of Velasquez and four more each from
Robert Mejia and
Maximilian Arfsten. Goalkeeper
Derrek Chan finished with four saves en route to the win.
The Aggies return to the road to close out the week, traveling to Orange County to take on Cal State Fullerton on Saturday (Oct. 9) at 7 p.m.
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Centrally located between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, over 700 student-athletes across 25 teams enjoy an unrivaled undergraduate experience at the fifth-ranked public school in the country.
Ranked annually in the nation's top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility, UC Davis and its innovative Aggie EVO System helps student-athletes develop passions, connect with a comprehensive network of alums and industry leaders, gain real-world experience and thrive as a young professional following a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school.
