DAVIS, Calif. — The UC Davis offense peppered the Gonzaga goal to the tune of 20 shots on the evening, but it was a late Bulldogs goal with 5:56 remaining in regulation on Thursday that lifted the visitors to a 1-0 victory over the Aggies in the team's home opener.
Senior
Robert Mejia led the way with six of those shot attempts, while teammate
Andy Velasquez added four more — including one that rang off the woodwork in the first half that could have broken a scoreless draw midway through the first half. Nine different UC Davis players finished with at least one shot attempt on the day — four of those with multiple attempts.
The Aggies out-shot the Bulldogs by a 13-7 count in the opening half, but both keepers were up to the task as Gonzaga's Johan Garibay stopped four shots and
Derrek Chan made three saves — including coming off his line to smother back-to-back attempts at the top of 18 near the end of the opening half and preserve the shutout.
With time ticking away, Mejia put one on frame with a right-foot rocket in the 78th minute that was punched away by Garibay, and had another whistle just high four minutes later.
That sent Gonzaga on the counter attack as a long ball found the feet of Logan Dorsey, who eluded a defender, cut inside the box, and beat the Aggies' keeper to the lower left side in the 85th minute for the 1-0 lead.
Maximilian Arfsten and
Turner Humphrey each had attempts go just shy of the goal in the final five as the final horn sounded.
For the third time in their first four matches to start the year, the Aggies will hit the road on Sunday (Sept. 5), heading to the Bay Area to take on San Jose State at 3 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.
