DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis senior
Sorana Larson scored twice and sophomore
Alex Agnew added another during a 3-0 run midway through the second half, shrinking a five-goal deficit down to just two with 11 minutes to play in the contest, but visiting Colorado's defense stiffened, turning away the Aggies' comeback attempt and holding on for a 16-13 victory on Friday afternoon at UC Davis Health Stadium.
The loss snapped UC Davis' brief two-game winning streak, falling to 7-4 overall in the first meeting between the two programs since both were members of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in 2017. The Buffaloes improved to 6-5 with the win.
First-half runs of 4-0 and 5-0 by Colorado negated a quick 3-0 start by the Aggies out of the gate, erasing a 4-2 UC Davis lead and helping stake the visitors to an 11-6 advantage after 30 minutes of play.
Myers scored the final goal before the first-half horn and the momentum carried over into the second half where the Aggies made a game of it, not allowing the Buffaloes to roam too far away. Agnew netted her first of the day just 55 seconds into the second period as the two teams traded goals over the first 12 minutes of the period, with Colorado holding a 15-10 advantage with 18:02 to play.
That's when UC Davis found a groove as Larson bent the net twice at the 17:40 and 13:18 marks, followed by Agnew's second of the day with 11:13 remaining to make it 15-13 — the closest the Aggies had been since the 8:48 mark of the first half.
However, that would be as close as UC Davis would get as the Buffaloes forced the Aggies into four turnovers and goalkeeper Julia Lisella made a pair of stops on the doorstep the rest of way to deny the host side its comeback. Colorado added the final goal of the match with 4:31 to play to cap the scoring.
Myers was joined by Larson with four goals on the day, notching their seventh and eighth hat tricks of the season, respectively.
Natalie Wilson,
Mia Lawrence, and
Anna Hofgard, joined Agnew in the scoring column for UC Davis, which out-shot the Buffaloes, 14-11, in the second half, putting 11 of those attempts on frame, after Colorado held a 25-10 advantage in shots in the opening 30 minutes.
Senior
Ally Deremer finished with a match-high 10 draw controls, the most since teammate
Kate Graham had 11 against Radford on March 16, 2019, while Wilson added four ground balls.
UC Davis returns to action on Sunday (April 11) at Noon with its Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opener against San Diego State at Noon. The Aztecs are coming off a 14-13 overtime victory over USC on Friday afternoon.
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.
