Score: UC Davis 3, UC Riverside 2
Location: Aggie Soccer Field (Davis, Calif.)
Records: UC Davis 2-7-5, 2-2-2 | UC Riverside 3-7-4, 1-4-1
THE SHORT STORY: UC Davis exploded for three goals in the opening 25 minutes and held off a second-half push from UC Riverside to secure a 3-2 win on Senior Night. With the win, UC Davis climbed into sixth place in the Big West standings with eight points.
PITCH SIDE
- Nami Banks delivered the best performance of his young Aggie career, scoring his first two collegiate goals in the 5th and 23rd minutes to give UC Davis early control
- Zack Lillington delivered what proved to be the game-winner with his second goal of the season in the 25th minute, assisted by Andrew Dutra
- Cason Goodman and Zachary Neuls each added assists, combining with Banks and Lillington to drive all three scoring sequences
- Goalkeeper Noah Schwengeler totaled five saves, including three in the second half to preserve the lead
- The Aggies jumped out to a 3-0 first-half advantage and withstood a strong UC Riverside attack that produced 20 total shots
- UC Davis finished with 13 total shots and six corner kicks, all while maintaining composure during extended defensive stretches late in the match
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UC Davis opened the scoring in the 5th minute as Goodman connected with Banks, who slotted a finish from distance for a 1-0 lead
- Banks doubled the advantage in the 23rd minute, capitalizing on a setup from Neuls to make it 2-0
- Just two minutes later, Lillington buried a shot from close range off a feed from Dutra to extend the margin to 3-0
- UC Riverside responded in the second half when Adrian Diaz scored in the 56th minute, assisted by Kevin Meza
- The Highlanders closed the gap again in the 60th minute with Wyatt Ponting converting from Eric Martinez to make it 3-2
- Schwengeler came up clutch in the final stretch, making key saves in the 67th and 87th minutes to secure the result
UP NEXT
UC Davis travels to UC Irvine on Wednesday, Oct. 22, for a pivotal Big West matchup against an Anteater team that was ranked as high as No. 20 nationally this season.
