Davis, Calif. — UC Davis women's soccer suffered their first Big West loss of the season Sunday afternoon, losing the contest to the visiting UC San Diego Tritons by a score of 3-1.
Prior to kickoff, the Aggies held their Senior Day Ceremony to celebrate the careers and accomplishments of
Leslie Fregoso,
Molly Branigan,
Lindsey Porter, and
Risa Yamada. As each member was honored for their on the field accolades, each player was accompanied by a special group of supporters.
With this joyous occasion setting the stage early, UC Davis seemed to grab control of all of the momentum with a few very early close scoring opportunities, most notably
Sammie Ruelas' attempt just two minutes into the action which just came off the top of the woodwork.
With the Tritons on their heels for the first few minutes, the Aggies ability to dictate the action with forward efforts would be a key reason for their eventual breakthrough.
In the 19th minute, after the ball was bouncing around the box going back and forth between possessions, it would find its way to
Sam Tristan who eventually beat the keeper with a right-footed finish that was beautifully placed in the upper left corner.
The Aggies continued forward with another near goal coming off the foot of
Emma Vane in the 37th minute, just like Ruelas' attempt, coming right off the top of the woodwork.
Just when it seemed like the momentum was in favor of UC Davis' offensive attack, the Tritons were able to get on the board with an own goal in the 42nd minute.
Squeezing the energy out of the sideline and crowd momentarily, the Aggies entered the half tied at 1-1.
To begin the second half, UC Davis maintained their commitment to putting pressure on the Triton defensive backline, registering three shots within the first 10 minutes of the period. To her credit, Tritons goalkeeper Keara Fitzgerald played an excellent game, picking up two saves on these early shots, while having seven total on the day.
With counter-attack on the Tritons mind, Kristin Jones' squad took advantage and was able to take a 2-1 lead in the 57th minute after a Raquel Kalpakoff goal.
Changing the tide of momentum, UC San Diego walled up the rest of the game, relying on their backline and goalkeeping to do whatever it took to limit any and every Aggie offensive run.
With the Aggies forced to bring their defenders into the fold on offense, the Tritons were able to sneak away one more goal in the 89th minute to cap off the comeback and take a 3-1 victory.
UP NEXT
The Aggies will return back to Aggie Soccer Field Sunday, October 8 at 1:00 p.m. PT as UC Davis hosts their Alumni Recognition Game, along with Adopt-a-Pet Day.
