SAN JOSE, Calif. — Sydney Bushman's header off an Ava Peterson free kick from just past the offensive side of midfield found the back of the net at the 89:01 mark to give UC Davis (5-9-3, 3-4-1 MW) a 1-1 tie with San Jose State (2-11-3, 1-7-1 MW) in a Mountain West match Wednesday at the Spartan Soccer Complex.
"With just a minute left in the game, I knew we needed a goal, and I knew Ava would serve it," Bushman said. "I told myself to get in the box and make a play. I'm happy we were able to get a point, but we are focused on the next two games and finishing out conference strong."
"It was a really nice goal by Sydney and service from Ava," head coach Kat Mertz added. "I'm happy to get a point on the road."
San Jose State scored the only other goal of the match in the 42nd minute when Indigo Sims was fouled just above the penalty box and Sophia Daily's ensuing free kick hit the bottom of the crossbar before dropping down and into the goal.
UC Davis had several other chances to score with the best arguably coming in the 14th minute when Karla Sandoval drew a foul just above the penalty box and Kaya Herndon followed with a free kick that struck the crossbar. Payton Henry rebounded Herndon's miss with a follow-up header that was saved by San Jose State goalkeeper Paige Fry, who also made a save on Ashley Brewer's shot in the 16th minute, a diving save of a Lakelee Perkins header in the 23rd, and a Henry shot in the 45th.
In the second half, Herndon came close to scoring again in the 50th minute by driving through a stumbling Spartan defense for an open shot before missing high and to the right of the goal. Ashley Brewer and Chloe Keating also got shots off in the 61st minute, while Herndon would take a second free kick shot in the 71st, but it was from a little further out than the first and Frye made an easy save. Peterson also had a free kick in the 87th minute that was saved by Fry.
Fry finished with seven saves, while Cal Pieper had only one but it was a spectacular one in the 78th minute on Abigail Petermen's shot off a corner kick that kept the Aggies within a single goal.
The Aggies finally got the equalizer they were seeking at 88:59 when Peterson delivered a beauty of a ball on her free kick to Bushman, who headed it push it past Fry to level the match.
UC Davis had eight shots on goal compared to two for San Jose State, while also holding a slim 12-9 margin on shots overall. San Jose State posted an 8-5 advantage in corner kicks.
UC Davis returns to Aggie Soccer Field for Senior Day to conclude its regular-season home schedule against UTEP on Sunday. The match will begin at 1 p.m. and be streamed live on MW+.
"I'm looking forward to celebrating our seniors," Mertz said..
Single-game tickets for Senior Day on Sunday against UTEP 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 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 Sunday's final regular-season home match against UTEP. Parking for weekend home matches is free but requires parking permits.
MATCH NOTES
- UC Davis won for the first time on the road since a 2-0 victory at Fresno State in the season-opener on August 12.
- UC Davis was playing for the first time in 10 days with their most recent previous match Oct. 18 against Hawaii.
- D Kiley Fehrenbacher, F Lakelee Perkins, D Courtney Wagner and D Sydnie Fong were among the starters against San Jose State and are the only four players on the roster to have started each of the Aggies' first 17 matches.
- D Kiley Fehrenbacher extended her consecutive matches started streak to 36, including all UC Davis matches possible in the last two seasons with 19 in 2025 and the first 17 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.
