DAVIS, Calif. — Declan Horio and Tristan Wouters scored first-half goals, and Mekhai Wilson made seven saves as UC Davis held off UNLV for a 2-1 victory Wednesday night at Aggie Soccer Field, securing the program's first Mountain West home win.
The Aggies improved to 2-10-4 overall and 2-5-1 in conference play. UNLV fell to 8-5-3 and 4-3-1.
Horio gave UC Davis an early lift, finding the net off an assist from Wouters in the ninth minute. His first goal of the season put the Aggies ahead at 8:05, and Wilson made three first-half saves to keep the Rebels off the board.
UC Davis then got an immediate contribution from its bench to double the advantage. Ronaldo Melgoza and Isaac Chacing entered at 39:03, and both collected assists on Wouters' goal just 59 seconds later. Wouters' third goal of the season sent the Aggies into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
Making his first start of the season, Wilson helped UC Davis weather UNLV's push after the break. He denied Maxim Scordo and Nick Legendre less than a minute apart in the 53rd minute, then stopped Thomas Gulbrandsen in the 59th to preserve the two-goal cushion.
The Rebels broke through in the 76th minute when Joaquin Eisenberg scored off an assist from Legendre, setting up a tense final stretch.
Wilson answered with another save on Scordo in the 82nd minute, and the Aggies defended two late corner kicks to close out the victory. UC Davis withstood seven second-half corners and finished the night with goals on both of its shots on target.
Wouters led the Aggies with a goal and an assist, while Nami Banks and Chacing each recorded two shots. Wilson finished with four saves after halftime and seven overall.
The victory moved UC Davis to seven conference points, four behind the final tournament position with two regular-season matches remaining as the top four teams advance to the Mountain West tournament.
UP NEXT
UC Davis travels to Grand Canyon on Sunday, Nov. 1, for a 6 p.m. PT kickoff in Phoenix before returning to Aggie Soccer Field to host San José State in the regular-season finale Friday, Nov. 6, at 6 p.m.
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 #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.
