DAVIS, Calif. – UC Davis' home opener was filled with twists and turns in dramatic contest at Aggies Soccer Field, but Seattle completed the improbable comeback despite going down a man in the second half, stealing the 3-2 victory in the dying minutes.
Two penalty kicks made up the Aggies' goal tally on Sunday afternoon with
Cason Goodman and
Zack Lillington each converting from the spot in the second half. Seattle nicked the opener before UC Davis flipped the script around the hour mark, but the 10-men Redhawks scored twice in the last 20 minutes for the thrilling win.
The visitors would find the opening goal in the 20
th minute via a long ball played in behind the UC Davis defense. The Aggies backline appealed for an offside as it appeared James Morris drifted beyond the furthest defender, but the offside flag would stay down, and the Redhawks' forward tucked his shot into the bottom corner to give his team an early lead that they would take into halftime.
The hosts were on the front foot to start the second 45 minutes, dominating possession and creating a multitude of scoring chances in the attacking third. In the 55
th minute,
Declan Horio showed some individual brilliance to dribble past a defender before he was tripped up in the penalty area, winning a spot kick for his team. C. Goodman took his penalty well, leveling the contest at 1-1.
Less than 10 minutes later, Lillington unlocked the Seattle defense with a terrific line-splitting ball that sent
Ethan Hoard through on goal. The striker nearly skipped away before an outstretched leg from the goalkeeper brought him down in the box, earning another penalty for UC Davis. In a stunning turn of events, the Seattle goalkeeper was shown red for denying a goal-scoring opportunity, reducing the Redhawks to 10-men for the last 25 minutes.
This time it was Lillington who stepped up to take the penalty and he took it with conviction, thumping his shot into the back of the net to put the Ags out in front.
A mistake at the back would result in an own goal in the 74
th minute, allowing Seattle to find the equalize. The visitors took this momentum and countered effectively down the stretch. They eventually finding the winning goal when Morris slipped past the UC Davis defense yet again, bagging the winner and his second goal of the game to send the Aggies home in heartbreak.
The Aggies suffer their first defeat of the year, falling to 2-1 overall.
Goals
20' – Seattle: Morris
56' – UC Davis: C. Goodman (PEN)
64' – UC Davis: Lillington (PEN)
74' – Seattle: Hsu (OG)
87' – Seattle: Morris
Up Next
The Ags head to Loyola Marymount on Sept. 6 looking to get back to their winning ways. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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