DAVIS, Calif. – UC Davis was the dominant team but the goals never came as St. Mary's used a first-half goal to earn the 1-0 victory on Sunday afternoon at Aggie Soccer Field.
The Aggies' winless streak extends to five games following the defeat, falling to 2-3-2 on the season.
With 19 shots to the Gaels' four, UC Davis created majority of the scoring chances but were unable to truly unlock a stout St. Mary's defense. Many of the opportunities came from outside the penalty area as the hosts mustered just four shots on target over 90 minutes. One well-timed pass was all the visitors needed to find the winning goal, holding on to the one-goal lead for nearly an hour in their win.
UC Davis immediately put the Gaels under pressure in the 3
rd minute when
Ethan Hoard and
Kenny Livernois fired back-to-back shots on goal but both efforts were hit straight at the keeper and the game would remain scoreless.
In the 19
th minute,
Zack Lillington found some space on the left side of the box but his curled attempt would stray just wide of the post.
Against the run of play, Justin Sosa won the ball in midfield before unleashing a fantastic line-splitting pass to Fynn Allmon who took his touch around the keeper before tapping into an open net to give St. Mary's the lead just past the half-hour mark.
Hoard nearly headed home the equalizer from a corner in the dying minutes of the half but the chance would go begging and UC Davis would trail at the break.
The second half was much of the same as the Aggies would create many chances without a clear sight of goal. The final ball was lacking for the home side and head coach
Dwayne Shaffer attempted to inject some life into the team with an eight-man substitution with 15 minutes left to play.
St. Mary's was up to the task defensively, however, preserving the clean sheet and the 1-0 scoreline to hand the Aggies their third defeat of the 2023 campaign.
Goals
33' – St. Mary's (Allmon)
Up Next
The Ags wrap up nonconference action on Sept. 24 against San Jose State. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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