DAVIS, Calif. —
Gianna Nocetti poured in four goals to lead the Aggies (7-14, 0-2 Big West) past No. 12 Indiana, 9-7, on Thursday evening at Schaal Aquatics Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Tess Fundter found Bridget Miller to give the Aggies an early lead. Nocetti scored her first of the day off a feed from Maddie Sumner to jump ahead 2-0 in the first three minutes of action.
Indiana responded shortly after, but Chelsea Johnson found the back of the net to maintain the Aggies' two goal advantage.
Now fully settled into the game, both offenses found their groove, with three goals scored in the final two minutes of the first quarter. Kelly Hungerford got on the board to help keep the Aggies in front, 4-3, with eight minutes played.
Nocetti finished off a power play chance, and Grace Pelkey followed that with a score of her own, giving the Aggies a 6-3 lead, their biggest of the game. Indiana battled back, scoring twice before the end of the half.
UC Davis goalkeeper Nellie McAdams logged three of her eight saves in the third quarter, a period that proved largely defensive. McAdams turned in a highlight play with under two minutes to play in the quarter, turning away a shot from an unmarked Hoosier attacker at two meters.
Indiana eventually broke the ice, drawing and converting a five-meter penalty shot with under 50 seconds on the clock. Nocetti polished off a hat trick on the ensuing possession to lead the Aggies into the final quarter ahead 7-6.
The Hoosiers came level with a score early in the fourth quarter. After several minutes of stalemate, Nocetti surprised the Indiana defense with a rocket into the top corner to put the Aggies ahead for good. Two strong defensive possessions later, Pelkey scored the dagger off an assist from Sam Yoo, sealing the game at 9-7.
UP NEXT
After a nearly two week break, the Aggies will take to the road for their next three games, beginning with Cal State Monterey Bay on Mar. 27 at 2:00 p.m. Soon after, Big West league play resumes as UC Davis heads to Southern California to match up against Long Beach State on Apr. 5 and UC Irvine on Apr. 7.
