Score: UC Davis 2, Cal Poly 0
Location: San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Records: UC Davis 12-4-2 (5-2-2), Cal Poly 5-10-3 (3-5-1)
The short story: UC Davis women's soccer clinched their berth in the Big West Women's Soccer Championship after defeating Cal Poly 2-0 on Sunday at Mustang Memorial Field in San Luis Obispo. With the victory, UC Davis set a single-season Division I era program win record with 12, which is also currently tied for 15th most in the nation.
PITCH SIDE
- UC Davis continued their historic 2024 season, recording their 12th win of the year behind goals from Genavieve Fontes and Abella Hunter
- Fontes, with her goal, became just the second Aggie during the Division I era to record 10 or more goals in a single season
- Assisting Fontes was Jayde Holley, who also made history by tying the Division I era single-season assist record of eight, set by former Aggie great Leslie Fregoso
- Abella Hunter delivered another highlight-reel goal, sealing the win with her fourth goal of the season
- With her goal, Hunter has now scored in four of her last eight games, leading UC Davis in that department during this span since Sept. 26.
- Defensively, UC Davis recorded their seventh shutout of the season with Caeley Goldstein recording seven saves
- After recording a career-high 12 saves against UC San Diego two weeks ago, Goldstein has continued to pace the Big West, leading all goalkeepers during conference play with 48 saves
- Along with Goldstein and Holley, Taylor Dever, Bella Mayo, and Ashleigh Garcia played the entire 90 minutes, contributing to the clean sheet
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UC Davis began the scoring in the 20th minute with Fontes finding the back of the net after a downfield ball was played through by Holley
- It was UC Davis' first shot of the game, and the Aggies had to wait momentarily for post-goal celebrations due to video review
- After the referees came together, the goal was confirmed, giving the Aggies a 1-0 lead
- Even with Fontes' goal, it was the Aggie defense that stood tall early, with Goldstein recording four saves in the half and the backline stifling three separate corner kick attempts
- The Aggies' offense was opportunistic, as seen by their early goal
- Despite being outshot 13-3 in the first half, they maintained a one-goal lead at halftime
- It didn't take long for UC Davis to extend their lead in the second half, as Hunter buried a spectacular goal in the 56th minute
- Dribbling through the middle of the field and finding space, Hunter delivered another goal from outside the box to raise her season total to four, which also has her now tied for second within the Big West in conference play games
- Much like the first half, the defense shined bright, facing double-digit shot attempts from the opposition
- Despite a late rally from the Mustangs, the Aggies retained their shutout for the 2-0 win and three points in the Big West standings
- The win clinched the Aggies' third consecutive Big West Championship appearance
NEXT UP: UC Davis will round out their regular season by taking on CSUN at home on Thursday, Oct. 31, at 3 p.m. PT.
