DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis (5-8-2, 3-3-0 MW) picked up strong contributions from all phases of the team in a 1-0 win over UNLV (3-8-3, 1-4-1 MW) in a Mountain West match Thursday on Kicks Against Cancer Night at Aggie Soccer Field. Kaya Herndon stayed red hot with the lone goal of the match in just the fourth minute on an assist from Lakelee Perkins and then the Aggies' defense took over. Cat Pieper needed only one save to record the solo shutout but it was a beauty that preserved the victory on a breakaway point-blank range shot by the Rebels' Sierah McCallum.
"Tonight was a great game," head coach Kat Mertz said. ""I'm super proud of our response from last weekend to right now to come out here and get a shutout against a great team that has proven to score a lot of goals. Cat Pieper was a big piece of that puzzle n goal but collectively our team, what a response to get a goal in the first four minutes and then to lock in and close out the game, which we've been working on. I'm proud of our Ags tonight.".
Mertz's references were to a 2-1 loss at New Mexico last Sunday in a match the Aggies led 1-0 until allowing two goals in the final 10 minutes.
"It was a challenging game with a lot of services, but we managed it really well," Pieper added.
UC Davis held a 14-10 advantage in shots, including a 9-1 margin in shots on goal. The Aggies turned away 10 UNLV corner kicks with none of them reaching Pieper.
"It is important for us to take one game at a time as we get closer to the end of the season," Mertz said.
UC Davis returns to Aggie Soccer Field to conclude its current two-match homestand against Hawai'i (7-4-1, 4-1 MW), The match will begin at 1 p.m. and streamed live on MW+. The match will serve as the Adopt-A-Pet Day and an opportunity to recognize Mental Health Awareness.
Single-game tickets for all UC Davis home matches including the upcoming tilt against Hawai'i and Senior Day against UTEP on Nov. 1 (1 p.m.) are $10 for youth (3-13 years old) and $13 for general admission. Flexbooks - packs of 10 tickets redeemable in any combination - are $85. Discounted group tickets are available for groups of 10 or more. For additional information or to purchase tickets, visit ucdavisaggies.evenue.net, contact the Aggie Ticket Office at (530) 752-2471 or email aggietickets@ucdavis.edu.
Event parking will be honored in Lot 25 and the Pavilion Parking Structure for all home matches. The cost of parking for weekday home matches is $5.50, while weekends are free but both require parking permits.
MATCH NOTES
- UC Davis has won three of its last four matches overall, as well as three in a row and four of its last five at home. On the season, the Aggies are 4-2-1 in seven home matches.
- UC Davis has scored at least one goal in each of its last six matches and a total of 10 goals during those matches after being blanked in its previous three. The Aggies' six-game scoring streak is its longest since UC Davis scored in nine straight matches spanning the final six contests of 2024 and the first three of 2025.
- D Kiley Fehrenbacher, F Lakelee Perkins, D Courtney Wagner and D Sydnie Fong were among the starters against UNLV and are the only four players on the roster to have started each of the Aggies' first 15 matches.
- D Kiley Fehrenbacher extended her consecutive matches started streak to 34, including all UC Davis matches possible in the last two seasons with 19 in 2025 and the first 15 in 2026.
ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS
UC Davis Athletics represents one of the nation's premier public universities on the NCAA Division I stage, with more than 650 student-athletes competing across 25 sports, including 16 programs in the Mountain West Conference. Located in California's quintessential college town, UC Davis combines championship-level athletics with the academic excellence of the nation's No. 8 public research university and is home to the nation's No. 1 programs in agriculture, veterinary medicine and sustainability. With a growing national media presence, bold investments in facilities and the student-athlete experience, and a tradition of developing champions in competition, in the classroom and beyond, the Aggies are elevating UC Davis on a national stage.
For more information, visit ucdavisaggies.com/.
