DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis men's soccer opens its 2026 campaign with two ticketed exhibitions at Aggie Soccer Field, hosting Cal on Thursday at 7 p.m. and Chico State on Sunday at 5 p.m.
Sunday's exhibition begins a soccer doubleheader in Davis with the UC Davis women's soccer team hosting Sacramento State at 8 p.m. in its regular-season home opener.
Due to construction in Lot 25, fans are encouraged to use the Pavilion Parking Structure for all home matches through Sept. 11. Event parking permits will be honored in the structure. Fans should follow posted signage around the parking structure and Aggie Soccer Field to enter the venue. Event parking permits are available online.
The exhibitions offer the first look at the 2026 UC Davis roster. Head coach Dwayne Shaffer enters his 30th season at UC Davis with 269 career NCAA victories, a total that ranks 17th among active Division I men's soccer head coaches, as the Aggies begin their first season as a Mountain West Conference member.
Three Aggies earned spots on the inaugural Mountain West Men's Soccer Watch List. Sophomore defenders Nami Banks and Josh Gault each appeared in all 19 matches as freshmen. They combined for 31 starts and 3,020 minutes in 2025. Banks scored twice and earned Big West All-Freshman Team recognition, while Gault logged 1,449 minutes and played all 110 minutes of the Aggies' conference tournament quarterfinal.
Junior midfielder Rafael Matiello completes the UC Davis watch-list trio. Matiello scored three goals in 16 appearances during the Aggies' 2024 Big West championship season before missing the 2025 campaign.
The returning group also includes Gabe Haggerty, who recorded a goal and an assist in 12 appearances last fall, and Ben Elkins, who scored once in 16 matches. Declan Horio added an assist across 12 appearances, while Cole Powell, Caelan Kellett and Gabe Sanchez each played in at least 12 matches. Mekhai Wilson, Talin Morgan and Cole McLemore form the goalkeeper group.
College transfers Jake Hobbs and Isaac Chacing lead the newcomers. Hobbs made 15 appearances with 13 starts at center back for George Washington in 2025, while Chacing recorded seven goals and four assists at Cosumnes River College. The first-year group also includes Gunner Parker, Tallyn Lord, Demetrius Egorerua, Nicco Garzino, Diego Orosco, Luke Castagnola, Kasra Ghoddousi, Nico Collins, Victor Ogieriakhi, Michael Bulloch and Ronaldo Melgoza.
UC Davis closed its final Big West season with a 4-3-2 conference record and reached the Big West Tournament semifinal. The Aggies averaged 15.3 shots per match, which ranked 21st nationally, and went 3-0-1 at home in conference play. UC Davis was picked third in the Mountain West's inaugural preseason coaches' poll.
Cal finished 8-8-2 and reached the ACC Championship semifinal in 2025. The Bears return defender D'Andre Pickett and forwards Cesar Cordova and Malcolm Zalayet, their second-leading scorer last season.
Chico State went 5-7-4 in 2025 under head coach Felipe Restrepo, a former UC Davis player and assistant coach who enters his 19th season leading the Wildcats. Restrepo played four seasons for the Aggies and later spent seven years on Shaffer's staff.
The Aggies open the regular season Aug. 20 at Sacramento State and host Cal Poly in their home opener Aug. 23. UC Davis begins its first Mountain West schedule Sept. 26 at San Jose State. The complete 2026 schedule is available online.
MATCH INFORMATION
ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS
UC Davis, ranked No. 2 among public universities by the Wall Street Journal in the value of a college degree, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked top in the United States in agriculture and forestry as well as No. 1 in veterinary medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. More than 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026-27.
For more information, visit ucdavisaggies.com.
