DAVIS, Calif. — Senior
Maddie Myers finished with four goals, while senior
Sorana Larson and junior
Natalie Wilson added a pair of goals apiece, leading UC Davis to a gutsy 12-10 victory over visiting California on Friday evening at UC Davis Health Stadium.
The Aggies won their second straight game overall, their third in their last four, and their second against the Golden Bears this season, improving to 7-3 overall on the year. UC Davis has now won the last three consecutive meetings with its Bay Area rival and six of the last nine head-to-head contests.
California fell to 2-8 overall, led by Amanda Morse's hat trick on three shots, while seven other players finished with goals.
Myers' sixth hat trick of the year came on a match-high nine shot attempts, adding four ground balls and five draw controls, while converting on both of her free position shots. Senior
Kate Graham shared match-high honors with six draw controls and caused three turnovers, while senior goalkeeper
Taylor Mathieson stopped nine shots between the pipes in the win.
The two teams traded goals in a hotly contested first 11 minutes, with the Aggies taking a brief 3-2 advantage on Myers' first of the day only to have Cal answer on a goal by Morse to tie the match at three apiece.
UC Davis then found a groove as Myers' second of the evening sparked a 3-0 run for the Aggies as Larson scored 22 seconds later and Myers added another from the eight-meter mark for a 6-3 advantage and the team was off to the races.
The Golden Bears pulled one back off the stick of Quinnlyn Mason, but
Alex Agnew and Larson posted back-to-back scores for an 8-4 lead as UC Davis threatened to pull away, but Cal scored twice in the final minute to close the gap to 8-6 at the break.
Kendall Seifert opened the second half scoring off a feed from Agnew to jumpstart another 3-0 burst for the Aggies, with Myers and Wilson bending the net for an 11-6 advantage, but the Golden Bears would not go away quietly, scoring four of the final five goals around a score by
Anna Hofgard to cap the scoring.
The Golden Bears held a slim, 32-31, advantage in the shot column, but the Aggies put 21 of their 32 attempts on frame.
UC Davis' scheduled Sunday match against No. 16 Stanford has been postponed due to COVID-19 issues and contact tracing within the Cardinal program. The Aggies are scheduled to next return to the field on April 11 against MPSF rival San Diego State in the league opener.
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.
