Score: UC Davis 1, Fresno State 1
Location: Davis, Calif. (Aggie Soccer Field)
Records: UC Davis 0-0-1, Fresno State 0-0-1
THE SHORT STORY: In front of a capacity crowd for the program's first-ever home night match, UC Davis women's soccer battled to a 1-1 draw with Fresno State on Thursday at Aggie Soccer Field, marking the debut of head coach
Kat Mertz.
Sydney Bushman's second-half strike gave the Aggies the lead in the 48th minute, but the Bulldogs answered in the 84th to level the season opener.
"I'm really proud of our players," Mertz said. "We had so many getting their first college minutes and we created plenty of chances. We just need to manage those moments after scoring and find a way to get that second goal. But as far as getting new faces on the field, the work rate was there. We created a lot of chances, and we've just got to find a way to capitalize and score more than one. It was fun to see both goalkeepers get minutes, I thought they both did well, and it's a healthy competition."
PITCH SIDE
- First home night match in UC Davis women's soccer history drew an announced crowd of 707
- Bushman's 48th-minute goal was the first of her career, assisted by newcomer Kiley Fehrenbacher
- Goalkeeper Cat Pieper made one first-half save before Shayna Ross stopped three in the second
- Fresno State held a 14–13 edge in shots, while the Aggies put six on frame compared to the Bulldogs who had five on frame
- Genavieve Fontes led UC Davis with three shot attempts while Hayden Crotty-Romero for Fresno State led the game with six shots
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After a scoreless first half, UC Davis broke through in the 48th minute
- Off a corner, Fehrenbacher's shot attempt found Bushman on the rebound, who finished from close range to make it 1-0
- Fresno State pushed late and equalized in the 84th when Alexis Campbell scored from Ciara Wilson's feed
- The Aggies had a late chance in the 88th minute, but Sarah Canavan's shot was saved by FSU goalkeeper Shivani Battaglia
UP NEXT: UC Davis travels to Pacific on Sunday for a 7 p.m. kickoff in Stockton.
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