IRVINE, Calif. – UC Davis' exciting run finally came to an end in the Big West Conference Championship as hosts UC Irvine prevailed in penalty kicks to send the Aggies home in heartbreak.
It came down to the last penalty kick in Irvine, but it would be the No. 2 seed Anteaters to earn the automatic bid the NCAA Tournament. UC Davis concludes the season with an overall record of 9-7-4, reaching the conference tournament championship for the fifth time in program history.
It was neck-and-neck in a tightly contested final as the Aggies held a narrow 16-15 advantage in the shots column. Chances were hard to come by as UC Davis mustered just one shot on target while the hosts fired just five on frame.
An early chance came to
Ethan Hoard just three minutes into the contest when he rose up to get a head on
Ryan Dieter's corner kick, but he would see his effort denied by a diving save. Just a few minutes later,
Cason Goodman's headed attempt from
Andrew Dutra's cross drifted just wide of the post as UC Davis nearly found its breakthrough.
Charles Janssen started to shine when his excellent reaction save in the 13
th minute kept the game scoreless when UC Irvine created a scoring chance against the run of play.
The two teams would be level at the break, however, the hosts would start to grow into the game in the second half when their high pressing kept the Aggies trapped within their own third. In the 51
st minute, Janssen would be forced into an impressive stop, diving to punch Christian Gomez's shot from close range.
Neither team could seem to find a clear pathway to goal in the remaining minutes of the half and the game would remain scoreless after 90 minutes played.
Less than a minute after the kickoff of the first extra time period, Dieter tried his luck from long range and his knuckling strike would skim the top of the net, just inches from giving UC Davis the goal it wanted in extra time.
It would become quite cagey in the dying minutes, and despite a few half chances from either side, penalties would decide the Big West championship.
After each side missed an early penalty, the two teams would trade successful spot kicks until the final penalty kick was saved by UCI's Luke Pruter, punching his team's ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
Social Media
Stay in the loop with everything related to UC Davis men's soccer by following the Aggies on all of their social media platforms.
Instagram |
X |
Facebook
