DAVIS, Calif. – UC Davis will the host the first game of the Soccer Stadium Series this week when UC Santa Barbara makes its way up north for a Wednesday night contest inside UC Davis Health Stadium. The Aggies will wrap up the weekend with a matchup at UC Irvine on Saturday night.
 
Oct. 4 vs. UC Santa Barbara | 7 p.m. Kickoff (Davis, Calif. / UC Davis Health Stadium)
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Fans can also enjoy one of the few "Aggie Swag Days" at the match, where the UC Davis Fan Shop will feature a 20% discount on all athletic apparel. The bookstore merchandise will be available to purchase in the venue.

Oct. 7 at UC Irvine | 6 p.m. Kickoff (Irvine, Calif. / Anteater Stadium)
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AGGIES SPLIT OPENING WEEKEND
Declan Horio's first collegiate goal was all UC Davis needed to earn all three points in its Big West Conference opener, taking down hosts Cal Poly 1-0 on Wednesday night. It was a tight matchup that didn't feature many scoring opportunities over the 90 minutes, with just 10 shots total between the two teams. The Aggies tallied just one shot on target, an effort that proved to be the winning goal.

UC Davis had more possession and considerably more scoring chances on Saturday night at Cal State Fullerton, but the hosts would take the points as they held on for the 1-0 victory.

The Aggies fired 18 shots on the night but were unable to be clinical with their chances, placing just four attempts on target over the 90 minutes. The league leaders broke the deadlock with a penalty kick in the first half and managed to hold strong defensively to keep a clean sheet and grab the points. This was UC Davis' first defeat away from home.
 
SERIES NOTES
The Gauchos hold quite the advantage in the all-time series, leading 22-9-3 and come into Wednesday's contest on a two-game winning streak. UC Davis' last win came in 2019, a 2-0 victory in Northern California.
 
It has always been a tight matchup against Saturday's opponents UC Irvine with UC Davis having a narrow 11-10-4 edge in the all-time series. Last season, the Aggies grabbed a 1-0 victory in Davis when Zack Lillington scored a late winner to secure all three points for his team.
 
ABOUT THE GAUCHOS
UC Santa Barbara has scored the second-most goals in the Big West, but it comes at a trade off as it has conceded a conference-high 24 goals this season. This has culminated in a 5-5-1 overall record and the Gauchos are still searching for their first conference win, coming into Wednesday's match at 0-1-1 in Big West play.

Philipp Nemo leads the team with four goals despite only playing in seven of the team's 11 matches this season. Lucas Gonzalez has also impressed in limited action, notching a team-high four assists to go along with his two goals despite only playing eight games this year.
 
ABOUT THE ANTEATERS
UC Irvine has struggled to find the back of the net with just eight goals in its first 10 games, however, the Anteaters have been strong defensively, allowing just 10 goals which is joint second-best in the conference alongside UC Davis.

Jake Means is the only Anteater to net multiple goals this season, tallying two on the year.
 
FIRST START, FIRST GOAL, FIRST WEEKLY AWARD
Ian Ngonethong enjoyed a game to remember on Sunday afternoon, scoring his first collegiate goal in his first career start to earn Big West Conference Freshman of the Week recognition.
 
The winger from Honolulu, Hawai'i was lively on the attack in UC Davis' 3-0 win over San Jose State and netted the first goal of his career in the 10th minute of the contest. Ngonethong made a well-timed run on the back post and finished his chance to double the Aggies' advantage, helping his team cruise to their its home win of the year.
 
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Charles Janssen was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week following his incredible goalkeeping display during the opening weekend. Against Ohio State, he was likely the man of the match after his sparkling display between the posts. His six saves were vital in the effort to maintain the lead, flashing a couple tremendous saves in the closing minutes to keep the hosts at bay. The redshirt junior also unbelievably provided an assist for the game-winning goal, launching a beautiful goal kick to spark an attack.
 
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Tickets for UC Davis home games are now on sale. Click HERE or call the UC Davis Ticket Office at 530-752-2471 for more information.