DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis (3-7-2, 1-2-0 MW) made history Friday night when the Aggies won their first Mountain West match while playing their first-ever conference game at home as a member of the league with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Wyoming (8-3-0, 1-1-0 MW) at Aggie Soccer Field. Jaycee DeFazio scored the game-winner in the 86th minute on an assist from Kaya Herndon.
"It was super exciting, obviously because it was a game winner," DeFazio said about her team-leading second game-winning goal of the 2026 campaign. "We had worked so many times on that same exact thing at practice so to see it happen in the game was so exciting. Everything we've been working for paid off."
DeFazio's game winner set off an electric celebration both on the field and in the stands.
"It was amazing," DeFazio said. "I saw everybody coming at me and I didn't know what to do."
"We got our first win in the Mountain West in our first-ever match against Wyoming," head coach Kat Mertz added. "It was a wild game. It was crazy. I'm incredibly proud of my players, and their fight, their resiliency and how they performed for 90 minutes."
The Aggies came out on fire Friday by scoring the first two goals of the match in under 12 minutes to take a 2-0 lead against a Cowgirls' team that entered the contest with a six-match win streak that was tied for the third-longest active win streak in college soccer.
Herndon struck first in the fifth minute by scoring the second goal of her career on Lakelee Perkins' first career assist. Courtney Wagner followed by converting a penalty kick in the 12th minute for her first career goal after teammate Ashley Brewer was fouled in the box by Wyoming goalkeeper Haley Bartel.
The Cowgirls got one goal back in the 20th minute when Alyssa Glover put the ball into the back of the net on an assist from Kiley Ballek.
The score would remain 2-1 in favor of the Aggies until the 83rd minute when Wyoming's Maddie Burr headed in a rebounded free kick from Glover to tie the contest at 2-2.
The Cowgirls would outshoot the Aggies, 6-1, the rest of the way but DeFazio's game-winner was the only one to find the back of the net.
"After we got those two early goals, I looked at my staff and said 'we've got a long 80 minutes to go,'" Mertz said. "They're a good team. They are really good at what they do. They've got some threatening players. We knew they wouldn't stop. For us to get ahead 2-0, have it get tied up, and then come back and get that game-winning goal … I'm super proud."
Wyoming held final advantages in shots (17-6), shots on goal (9-3) and corner kicks (10-2). The match featured a total of 31 fouls with 16 called on Wyoming and 15 going against UC Davis. The Cowgirls had three yellow cards (Izzy Schroder 72:36, Isabel Vasco 81:18, Kiley Ballek 89:03), while UC Davis picked up one (Kaya Herndon 81:18).
Goalkeeper Cat Peiper recorded six saves that were one short of her career high after coming into the match in the second minute after starter Piper Wilkison left with an injury following a collision in the box with teammate Kiley Fehrenbacher.
UC Davis continues its current two-match homestand by hosting Grand Canyon (4-2-4, 0-0-1 MWC) on Wednesday, Oct. 7 in its next match on Pride Day and Jr. Aggie Day. The 6 p.m. PT start will be streamed live on MW+.
Single-game tickets for all UC Davis home games 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 for weekday games is $5.50, while weekends are free but both require parking permits. There is construction work in the area and fans should follow posted signage around the Pavilion Parking Structure, Lot 25 and Aggie Soccer Field to enter the venue.
MATCH NOTES
- UC Davis' three goals were its most in a match since the Aggies scored three vs. Cal State Northridge on Oct. 31, 2024.
- UC Davis has scored five goals in its last three matches after being blanked in the previous three.
- D Kiley Fehrenbacher, F Lakelee Perkins, D Courtney Wagner and D Sydnie Fong were among the starters and are the only four players on the roster to start all of the Aggies' first 12 matches.
- D Kiley Fehrenbacher extended her consecutive matches started streak to 31, including all matches possible in the last two seasons with 19 in 2025 and the first 12 in 2026.
- D Livi Lewis returned to the starting lineup after missing the last eight matches with an injury.
- M Karla Sandoval made her first start of the 2026 season and sixth of her career.
- UC Davis snapped a five-match winless streak with its first victory since a 1-0 win over Pacific on Sept. 6, 2026.
