Score: UC Davis 2, Cal State Fullerton 1
Location: Davis, Calif.
Records: UC Davis 8-3 (1-1), Cal State Fullerton 2-7-2 (0-1-1)
The short story: UC Davis responded with two unanswered goals Thursday night at Aggie Soccer Field in their conference home opener to defeat the Cal State Fullerton Titans 2-1, improving to 8-3 overall and 1-1 in Big West play.
PITCH SIDE
- Goals for the Aggies were scored by Genavieve Fontes and Abella Hunter
- Fontes now leads the Aggies and the Big West with eight goals on the season
- Hunter's second-half goal marked her first career goal in an Aggie uniform and served as the game-winner
- Assists for the Aggies were recorded by Sarah Canavan and Sammie Ruelas
- Ruelas is now tied for the team and conference lead in assists, alongside teammate Jayde Holley, with five
- Scoring for the Titans was Kaylee Noble
- After conceding the early goal, goalkeeper Goldstein led the Aggie backline with six saves
- The rest of the Aggie backline, consisting of Bella Mayo, Taylor Dever, Holley, and Ruelas, played all 90 minutes
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UC Davis fell behind early when Noble gave Cal State Fullerton a 1-0 lead in the 7th minute, capitalizing on their aggressive start and a pair of corner kicks
- The Aggies equalized in the 22nd minute as Fontes found the back of the net after a near goal from Canavan was rebounded off a Titan save
- The score remained 1-1 entering halftime
- UC Davis maintained control after the break, with Hunter scoring in the 68th minute off a throw-in initiated by Ruelas to give the Aggies a 2-1 lead
- Tempers flared in the final minutes, with Cal State Fullerton reduced to 10 players after three separate yellow cards were issued in the 82nd minute
- Despite the tension, the Aggies denied a final attempt from the Titans in the 89th minute, securing their first Big West victory of 2024
NEXT UP: UC Davis will continue the home-stand when the Aggies host Cal State Bakersfield this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. PT.
