DAVIS, Calif. — With consecutive years of historic seasons in the rearview mirror, the UC Davis women's soccer program looks to expand on its latest run of success, aiming to capture a Big West Championship after placing second in the conference for two straight seasons.
 
The coaching trio of 2023 Big West Coach of the Year Tracy Joyner, Chris King, and the newly promoted Janae Braun are all set to return for their second season together at UC Davis.
 
The Aggies will be led by recently named Preseason All-Big West selection Sam Tristan up front, with a plethora of returning experience that includes five more former All-Big West selections.
 
"I am excited about the foundation we have created over the past few years," Joyner said. "We have so much returning depth and talent coming back from our returners, and we have a lot of strong new talent. Most importantly, we have great leaders and have done a lot of work in the offseason to prepare for this year."
 
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EXPERIENCED CREW
Highlighted by a decorated crew of five returning All-Big West members, the Aggies in 2024 will rely on an experienced group to lead the way in Joyner's sixth season at the helm.
 
"I think the most important thing really is our experience," Joyner emphasized. "With 10 seniors and seven juniors, experience matters when it comes to winning championships. We definitely have a lot of experience and just a general understanding of how we do things and how we want to play."
 
Joyner noted, "Training camp has felt different this year. There is just a different type of confidence in this team due to a deeper level of understanding."
 
STAR-STUDDED BACKLINE
In the backline, UC Davis will welcome back former All-Big West First Team selection Jayde Holley. Prior to missing all of 2023, Holley was a key contributor to an Aggie defense in 2022 that recorded five shutouts and a 0.94 goals-against average, while also tallying three assists. With Holley, the Aggie backline will also feature a trio of defenders with plenty of game experience, including Bella Mayo, who was recognized on the All-Big West Second Team a season ago, All-Big West Freshman recognition Elise Picard, and Taylor Dever, who has recently made the switch to center back.
 
"We feel good about the leadership in our backline," said Joyner. "Whenever you can bring back your goalkeeper and two All-Big West starters, it makes you feel better about your team, and we feel really confident in this group."
 
"For Taylor, we saw the commitment early in the offseason from her and were impressed with how she handled the games during the spring. We are really excited for her to step into this role, playing side-by-side with Bella. She really has come into this year with something to prove, and it's shown by how she has stepped up into accepting this role," Joyner added.
 
MIDFIELD MADNESS
In the midfield, the Aggies will again rely on veteran leaders to provide impact. The engineer of it all is Emma Vane, who, like Holley, was an All-Big West First Team selection in 2022.
Along with Vane, Genavieve Fontes and Ashleigh Garcia round out the expected crew of midfielders for UC Davis.
 
"Ashleigh came on really strong at the end of last season, and going into her sophomore year, we feel like she's taken the right steps from the end of last season and done the right things throughout the offseason to prove she can make an impact," Joyner noted.
 
ON THE ATTACK
Seeing Leslie Fregoso no longer in an Aggie uniform will take some getting used to, but the attacking efforts of Tristan, Canavan, Vane, and Kylie Garcia will look to fill the void left by the most decorated Aggie in Division I history.
 
While Fregoso was a midfielder during her time at UC Davis, she provided a lot of the goal scoring for the past three seasons, leading the Aggies in the department dating back to 2019, with the other most recent leading goal scorer being current assistant Janae Braun. This season, Tristan, Vane, Canavan, and Garcia will all look to bring an attacking mindset to the Aggies.
 
With the trio of goal-scoring threats, Joyner is pleased with the versatility and believes they can provide a lot of pressure on opposing team backlines.
 
"Emma, Sam, and Sarah are going to have big years for us. They came in really committed and really fit," Joyner said.
 
"Kylie is someone we think is going to surprise some people. She's done really well in the last nine months of prep and should make an impact for us."
 
Along with the expected starters mentioned, the Aggies should see steady contributions throughout the year from Chandler Connors, Devyn Simmons, and newcomer Ava Coverdale.
 
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
With a total of nine newcomers for 2024, the Aggies got an influx of talent across the field positionally. While the experienced leaders will likely see the major minutes, Abella Hunter, Sydney Bushman, and Ava Coverdale will have a chance to make an impact right away.
 
Bushman and Hunter will look to slot into the midfield when possible, while Coverdale gives the Aggies a threat near the goal, standing as the tallest Aggie on the team at 5 feet, 10 inches.
 
The Aggies have had a member on the Big West All-Freshman team every year since the conference introduced the team in 2014 and will look to continue that trend in 2024.
 
PRESEASON HONORS
Sam Tristan was named to the 2024 Big West Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Team.
 
A Fresno, Calif., native, Tristan paced UC Davis' attack last year, earning a Big West Honorable Mention selection in her first season with the Aggies. She played and started in all 19 matches, finishing tied for first among Aggie teammates with six goals, ranking second with four assists, and accumulating 16 points to help lead the second-placed Aggies. Notably, Tristan recorded goals in five games during 2023, including a brace in her Aggie debut with a pair of goals against Idaho State on Aug. 17.
 
PRESEASON POLL
The Aggies were picked to finish fifth in the Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll for the third consecutive season. In each of the past two years, the Aggies have far outperformed those predictions, finishing second in the Big West for two straight seasons.
 
NON-CONFERENCE MATCHUPS
Highlights in 2024 include hosting Santa Clara, fresh off their 10th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and welcoming LSU from the SEC on Sunday, Sept. 15.
 
Other non-conference matchups at Aggie Soccer Field include LMU (Aug. 18), Santa Clara (Sept. 1), and Utah Valley (Sept. 12). The Aggies will also travel to San Jose State (Aug. 22), Pacific (Aug. 25), Eastern Washington (Sept. 5), and New Mexico State (Sept. 8).
 
UNITED SOCCER COACHES
Both the UC Davis men's and women's soccer programs have earned College Team Academic Awards from the United Soccer Coaches.
 
UC Davis was one of 107 schools across all NCAA divisions to have both their men's and women's teams recognized for the 2023-24 season.
 
To qualify, a team's grade point average must be 3.0 or higher throughout the 2023-24 academic year, recognizing exemplary classroom performance.
 
A total of 419 soccer teams (175 men, 244 women) were honored this past season.
 
JANAE BRAUN PROMOTED TO FULL-TIME ASSISTANT COACH
Tracy Joyner announced the addition of Janae Braun (formerly Janae Gonzalez) to her coaching staff as a full-time assistant coach ahead of the 2024 season.
 
Braun graduated from UC Davis in 2019 and in 2023 she first returned to Davis as a volunteer assistant.
 
"Janae is the perfect addition to our staff," Joyner said. "I'm excited to see a former Aggie step into this role and own it. She's a remarkable person—ambitious, kind, competitive, smart, collaborative, and a team player. She has had success as an ECNL-level club coach and will no doubt bring that knowledge and passion to our team here."
 
Braun made an immediate impact in her first season on staff, playing an integral part in UC Davis finishing second in the Big West for a second consecutive season. In one of the most historic seasons in program history, Braun played a key role in the development of UC Davis' five All-Big West selections, including Leslie Fregoso, who became UC Davis' first-ever player to receive a Big West end-of-year honor.
 
In Braun's first year on staff, the Aggies also ranked first in the Big West in goal differential, achieving this for the first time in program history.
 
"I am so proud to be an alumna of this program and could not be more honored for the opportunity to return as part of the staff," Braun said. "It is exciting to work with elite athletes every day and provide support as they work to accomplish their goals. It is so motivating to work with a head coach who leads with passion and empathy. I can't wait for the fall season to be here."