LA JOLLA, Calif. — Sophomore
Maximilian Arfsten struck again for the UC Davis men's soccer team, scoring his seventh goal of the season in the 29th minute, and the defense made it stand up, lifting the Aggies to their fifth consecutive victory with a 1-0 shutout of league newcomer UC San Diego in the Big West Conference opener for both teams on Wednesday night at the Triton Soccer Stadium.
UC Davis improved to 5-5 overall on the year and 1-0 in conference play with the victory, winning for the second time this season on the road and posting the program's longest winning streak since winning five straight from Sept. 21-Oct. 12, 2019.
The Aggies have shutout four of their five opponents during their winning streak, outscoring the opposition by a 12-1 count during that span.
Arfsten's goal came off a feed from teammate
Max Glasser at the 28:26 mark of the first half, slotting home his team-best seventh goal of the year for the 1-0 lead. Glasser's helper was his third assist of the season, tying him with Arfsten,
Grant Fidler, and
Robert Mejia, for the team lead as the quartet has accounted for all but one of the team's assists this year.
Leading the team with 17 total points, Arfsten has now scored a goal in four of the team's last five contests, while all 17 of his points have coincided with UC Davis' winning streak. With eight regular season matches remaining, Arfsten's 17 points are the most by an Aggie since Noah Wilson finished the 2016 campaign with the same number on seven goals and three assists, while another point will match Lucas Mohageg's 18 points (seven goals, four assists) in 2015.
UC Davis' defense took it from there, not allowing a Triton shot for the rest of the first half and surrendering only three UC San Diego shots on goal for the match. Goalkeeper
Derrek Chan stopped all three shots put his way, recording his third shutout of the season.
Arfsten led the Aggies with five of the team's 14 shot attempts, while Mejia added four more. UC Davis held a narrow, 14-13, advantage in the shot column, putting six of their own attempts on goal.
The Aggies put their winning streak on the line at home on Saturday (Oct. 2) at 1 p.m., hosting UC Santa Barbara in a battle of Big West preseason favorites at Aggie Soccer Field.
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.
