DAVIS, Calif. — Junior
Emily Aikema's goal with 4:10 remaining in regulation broke at six-all tie to give UC Davis the lead for good, and
Noelle Wijnbelt added a 5-meter goal 40 seconds later to all but ice the match, giving the No. 11 Aggies an 8-6 victory over No. 16 Long Beach State in a non-conference affair between the two Big West Conference rivals on Sunday afternoon at the Schaal Aquatics Center.
Coming off a thrilling triumph in sudden victory 48 hours earlier, Sunday's win pushed UC Davis to 8-4 overall on the year as the Aggies fought back from numerous one-goal deficits in the first half en route to the victory. The Beach fell to 0-4 overall with the loss, led by a pair of goals from Elena Kotanchyan.
Tied at four entering the final quarter, UC Davis began to pull away only to be quickly reeled back in.
Grace Pelkey's second goal of the contest just 26 seconds into the period broke a four-all tie and the Aggies took a two-goal lead on
Ryan Sund's goal a minute later.
Long Beach State answered with back-to-back scores from Kotanchyan and Mariah Walker to knot the match back up at six before the Aggies rallied once again behind Aikema and Wijnbelt's scores for the team's third consecutive victory
Defensively, freshman
Nellie McAdams finished with nine saves on the day while Aikema and
Julia Hartmann added three steals apiece.
UC Davis found an answer for nearly every Long Beach State goal in the first as Kotanchyan opened the scoring midway through the first quarter only to have Aikema net the equalizer just 40 seconds later. Jamie Oberman put The Beach back up one with 3:18 to go in the first, answered by Pelkey's first goal of the day just 49 seconds into the second quarter.
Anne de Kleer and Hartmann then traded goals — the latter coming with only 39 seconds remaining in the half — before Long Beach State took the lead into the lockerroom at the break when Gabriella Matafora-Adams scored with 14 seconds remaining in the half.
Aikema's second score of the day at the 6:34 mark of the third quarter was the only goal of the period, tying the match at 4-4 and sparking a run of three straight that ended with Pelkey and Sund's goals to start the fourth.
UC Davis finished with a 34-25 advantage in shots, led by six apiece from Aikema and Hartmann, and five more from Pelkey.
The Aggies continue a run of six-straight matches at home on Friday (April 2) with a doubleheader against UC San Diego. The first half of the twinbill, which counts in the Big West standings, begins at 1 p.m., with a non-conference battle between the two beginning at 4 p.m.
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Over 700 student-athletes across 25 intercollegiate athletics teams, following the addition of equestrian and women's beach volleyball in 2018, represent the fifth-ranked public school in the nation.
Centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and the Napa Valley, UC Davis is known nationwide as a leader in Title IX gender equity and leadership, ranks annually in the top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility and offers an unrivaled student-athlete experience that features the ideal combination of elite academics, Division I athletics and personal growth.
UC Davis is uncommonly committed to preparing student-athletes for life after graduation with Aggie EVO — an innovative student-athlete outcomes program that helps young women and men develop passions, gain real-world experience, and enjoy a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school. Through Aggie EVO, Intercollegiate Athletics provides unmatched resources and a vast network of working professionals to ensure post-graduation success for its student-athletes.
