Irvine, Calif. — A
Sam Tristan goal in the 62nd minute lifted UC Davis women's soccer to a 1-0 win on the road Thursday night against UC Irvine, to claim the team's third straight victory, and secure the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Big West Championship.
Winners of five of their last six games, the red-hot Aggies have gotten into form at the perfect time of the year, and with the win, elevate their record to a Division I era best, 10-6-2. The 0.611 win percentage this regular season breaks the longstanding 2011 season, the year in which UC Davis made their first ever Big West postseason appearance.
The Aggies with their surge up to the Big West No. 2 seed, have also just achieved this feat for the second-time in school history, giving head coach
Tracy Hamm two consecutive seasons of record-breaking success.
On the pitch in Irvine tonight, the Aggies were tactically dominant. With the game statistical report separating each team by just one in several categories, it was the Aggies counter-attack on multiple occasions tonight that stood out.
Registering nine shots with four on goal, the Aggies were slowly building up their attack on the Anteaters in the second half of play. This planned out counter-attack almost resulted in the first UC Davis goal during the 60th minute. With
Emma Vane controlling possession in the middle of the field, she was able to whip a pass out wide to
Leslie Fregoso who had a clean run up the field on left side of the pitch, ultimately having her shot saved by UC Irvine's goalkeeper. The success from this initial run paved the way for the eventual game-winning goal from Tristan who headed in her sixth goal of the season, tied for the most among all Aggies with Fregoso being the other member with six.
These minutes during the middle portion of the second half proved to be the most vital, as
Caeley Goldstein prior to the Aggie goal, recorded two key saves while the Aggie defense shutdown another two UC Irvine corner kick attempts, denying the Anteaters any sort of flow on offense. Goldstein totaled four saves tonight while the backline led by recently named Defensive Player of the Week
Bella Mayo, earned their eighth shutout of the season after limiting the Anteaters to just four shots on goal.
As the clock continued to expire, it started to become more and more likely that the Aggies had positioned themselves to obtain that sought-after first round bye. As results throughout the conference started to unfold a big loss at the top of the standings played a big role in UC Davis securing the No. 2 seed.
UP NEXT
The Big West Championship will begin on Oct. 29 with the three, four, five, and six seeds, taking action. After the initial round, the Aggies will situate who their matchup will be, and the Championship will shift to Titan Stadium, with Cal State Fullerton set to host the semifinals and finals on Nov. 2 and Nov. 5.
Start times for the semifinals at Titan Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The final is slated for kickoff on Nov. 5 at 1 p.m.
The Big West champion once again earns automatic entry into the 2023 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship. The 64-team field for that event will be unveiled live on NCAA.com on Monday, Nov. 6, with a TBD start time.
