Fullerton, Calif. — UC Davis women's soccer had their historic season come to a close Thursday night, as the Aggies fell to the No. 3 seed Cal Poly Mustangs 2-1 in the Big West Championship Semifinals.
Cal Poly first got on the board in the 28th minute when Emily Nedom found the back of the net, capitalizing on a ball that got lost in a sea of bodies in the penalty area. Assisting on the play for the Mustangs was Siena Urzua, and Sophia Moness.
The Mustangs controlled the possession well early on and threatened with four shots prior to getting their early 1-0 advantage. Taking some time to settle in, the Aggies relied on their strong suit in the middle half of the first period: the counter-attack. After not recording a shot within the first 20 minutes of action,
Sammie Ruelas and
Leslie Fregoso each had attempts built in connection with their counter that threatened Cal Poly's keeper, Mackenzie Samuel, but ultimately to no avail.
The Mustangs' goal was quickly canceled out by UC Davis, who found the equalizer in the 30th minute.
Bella Mayo, an All-Big West Second Team selection, scored her first career goal from a long-range free-kick, giving the Aggies a boost of confidence and momentum.
The game was locked at 1-1, with neither side dominating the possession or creating clear chances. The deadlock continued after the halftime break, until the 81st minute when Cal Poly broke the Aggies' resistance, scoring from a crucial penalty kick to take a 2-1 lead with less than 10 minutes left.
UC Davis searched for a late leveller and had more shots than the Mustangs (13-10), but their defense stood firm. The Aggies came close in the 88th minute when
Emma Vane unleashed a shot towards the top right corner, but Samuel in the Mustangs' goal pulled off a stunning save to preserve the lead.
The record-setting season saw UC Davis earn a total of five All-Big West honors and one All-Freshman award. Fregoso became the first Aggie to ever capture an individual Big West end-of-year award, securing the Midfielder of the Year after scoring a team-high six goals, and dishing out a team-high five assists. Fregoso concludes her career as the most decorated Aggie in program history. Joining her on the pitch with Big West end-of-season honors was
Risa Yamada,
Bella Mayo,
Sam Tristan, and
Elise Picard.
Tracy Hamm was honored with Coach of the Year, after guiding UC Davis to a second-straight season as the No. 2 seed in the Big West. Hamm's Aggies were one of only two Big West teams this season to reach double-digit win totals in the regular season. Hamm became just the second Aggie coach ever to earn a Coach of the Year honor, and was the first to ever win it as part of the Big West. The Aggies ended their historic season with a 10-7-2 record, making it to the Big West Championship Semifinals for the second year in a row, a first for the program.
