MORAGA, Calif. — UC Davis (1-1-0) continues its 2026 campaign with a nonconference match at Saint Mary's (1-0-1) this Thursday, August 20. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ and live stats will be available via Stat Broadcast. Tickets for the UC Davis-Saint Mary's matchup can be purchased online or on gameday at Saint Mary's Stadium.

UC Davis opened the 2026 season on August 12 with a 2-0 victory at Fresno State before falling 1-0 four days later to Sacramento State in its home opener. 

"We thought we executed the game plan well against Sacramento State," head coach Kat Mertz said. "We moved the ball nicely, controlled the tempo, and created some dangerous opportunities. Unfortunately, we came away on the wrong side of the result on a penalty kick, but there were a lot of positives to build on. Our players are hungry to get back on the field, and we're looking forward to the challenge of facing a very good Saint Mary's side on Thursday."

Saint Mary's played Long Beach State to a 0-0 tie on the road in its season opener in the Southland on August 12 before returning home August 16 to defeat Fresno State, 4-0.

UC DAVIS AT SAINT MARY'S - AUGUST 20, 2026

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• Live Stream (ESPN+): Keely Roy, Play By Play; Ryan Barnett, Analyst
• Live Stats
• Tickets

NOTES
UC DAVIS-SAINT MARY'S SERIES

• Saint Mary's leads the all-time series, 12-2-1. The Gaels have won the last two meetings (2023, '25) since the most recent Aggies' win, a 2-1 road victory on Sept. 16, 2021, which was also the last time the teams met in Moraga.
• The Aggies have a 1-5-1 road record all-time at Saint Mary's but the 1-1 tie in 2016 makes the Aggies 1-1-1 in their last three trips to Moraga.
• The first games ever played between the teams was in Davis on Oct. 9, 1990, while their first meeting in Moraga was on Sept. 7, 1991. Saint Mary's won both games, 1-0.
• Saint Mary's won the first eight games in the series before the Aggies broke through with a 1-0 double overtime win at home on Sept. 26, 2015.
• In their most recent meeting at Aggie Soccer Field on Sept. 4, 2025, UC Davis appeared to score the equalizer just before the horn sounded in a 1-0 home loss but the officials ruled the apparent goal came after the final horn.

2026 SEASON

• ON THE ROAD: UC Davis is 1-0 on the road this season and will be playing their second of 10 scheduled regular-season road contests on Thursday at Saint Mary's. The Aggies have won their last two matches on the road dating back to a 1-0 victory at UC Riverside in their final road game last season on Oct. 30, 2025.
• HEAD COACH KAT MERTZ: Mertz is in her second season at the helm of the Aggies' in 2026 and 20th campaign as a head coach with previous stops at UNLV (2005-09), St. Louis (2012), Oregon (2013-19) and MSU Denver (2020-24) before taking over at UC Davis in 2025. She has also been an assistant coach at Virginia (1999), UCLA (2000-04) and Texas (2010-11). In addition, Mertz has held various roles with the U.S. Women's National Team and Olympic Development Program.
• ROSTER MAKEUP: The 28-player roster is a nearly equal mix of returnees (15) and newcomers (13), including six first-year transfers in F Ashley Brewer (Cal Poly), F Jaycee DeFazio (Cal Poly), D Sydney Fong (San Diego/Nevada), GK Dina Frenkel (Purdue), D Stella Villalta (Santa Clara) and GK Piper Wilkison (Butler).
• STARTERS: UC Davis has had 12 players make starts over the first two games including 10 that have started both contests in GK Dina Frenkel, F Lakelee Perkins, D Livi Lewis, M Payton Henry, F Jaycee DeFazio, M Savannah Cordero, D Stella Villalta, D Kiley Fehrenbacher, D Courtney Wagner and D Sydnie Fong. F Ashley Brewer was also a starter for the opener at Fresno State, while F Lisette Gregoris picked up a start against Sacramento State. Brewer and Gregoris both played off the bench in the game they did not start.
• 90 MINUTES: Frenkel, Lewis and Fehrenbacher each played 90 minutes in both games, while Payton Henry did not come out of the opener at Fresno State.
• OFF THE BENCH: Six others have played off the bench in both games (D Summer Humphreys, M Sydney Bushman, F McKayla Farrell, F Chloe Keating, F Presley Henry, F Lisette Gregoris and M Karla Sandoval, while M Kaya Herndon made her collegiate and UC Davis debuts off the bench against Sacramento State.
• FRESHMEN QUARTET: Four true freshmen have played - M Payton Henry, F Presley Henry, M Kaya Herndon, F Chloe Keating. The freshman quartet was on the field together in the second half of Sunday's game against Sacramento State. 
• CAPTAINS: The team captains are M Savannah Cordero, M Ashleigh Garcia and D Livi Lewis.
• MOUNTAIN WEST: UC Davis is playing as a member of the Mountain West for the first season after most recently being part of the Big West in 2025.
• PRESEASON WATCH LIST: Three Aggies - F Ashley Brewer, M Savannah Cordero and D Courtney Wagner - were named to the preseason Mountain West Women's Soccer Watch list.
• MOUNTAIN WEST POLL: UC Davis was selected to finish eighth in the Mountain West in the league's preseason poll.
• ASSISTANT COACHES RETURN: Aggie assistant coaches Emilee Tominovich and Abbie Faingold are back for a second season.
• CLARKE BACK AT SAINT MARY'S: Thursday's game at Saint Mary's marks the return to Saint Mary's of assistant coach Travis Clarke, who served as the Gaels' head coach for six campaigns (2014-19). Clarke, who is in his first campaign at UC Davis, has 14 seasons of experience as a collegiate head coach. Prior to his Saint Mary's tenure, he was at the helm at Hawai'i-Hilo (2006-08) and Cal State San Bernardino (2009-13).

POSITION GROUPS
FORWARDS (7)
The Aggies have started Jaycee DeFazio and Lakelee Perkins in both games, while Ashley Brewer (at Fresno State) and Lisette Gregoris (Sacramento State) also each have a start and have seen action in both games. McKayla Farrell, Chloe Keating and Presley Henry have also each played in both contests off the bench. DeFazio has the lone goal by the position group with the game-winner against Fresno State, while Brewer was credited with an assist on DeFazio's goal.

• Ashley Brewer (R-So., San Luis Obispo, Calif. / San Luis Obispo HS / Cal Poly)
• Jaycee DeFazio (R-So., El Dorado Hills, Calif. / St. Francis HS / Cal Poly)
• McKayla Farrell (R-Jr., Chino Hills, Calif. / Western Christian HS)
• Lisette Gregoris (R-Jr., Patterson, Calif. / Patterson HS / Arizona State)
• Presley Henry (Fr., Canyon Lake, Calif. / Murrieta Valley HS)
• Chloe Keating (Fr., Oakland, Calif. / Bishop O'Dowd HS)
• Lakelee Perkins (R-So., Rocklin, Calif. / Whitney HS)

MIDFIELDERS (10)
Payton Henry, Savannah Cordero and Stella Villalta have started each of the first two games, while Sydney Bushman and Karla Sandoval have played off the bench in each contest, and Kaya Herndon made her UC Davis and collegiate debuts against Sacramento State. Henry's assist on the Aggies' second goal against Fresno State accounts for the lone point from the group, while Bushman and Cordero are tied for second on the team with two shot attempts each. Bushman's two shots on goal tie her for the team' lead and one of Cordero's banged off the right post in the 84th minute against Sacramento State to just miss tying the contest.

• Sydney Bushman (Jr., Manhattan Beach, Calif. / Mira Costa HS)
• Savannah Cordero (Sr., Tracy, Calif. / Tracy HS)
• Bella Fernandez (Fr., Napa, Calif. / Justin Siena HS)
• Charlotte Henness (R-Sr., Henderson, Nev. / Nevada State HS)
• Payton Henry (Fr., Canyon Lake, Calif. / Murrieta Valley HS)
• Kaya Herndon (Fr., Torrance, Calif. / Torrance HS)
• Ashleigh Garcia (R-Sr., Tracy, Calif. / Tracy HS)
• Karia Sandoval (R-Sr., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. / Los Osos HS / Loyola Marymount)
• Viet-Thy Tran (Sr., Santa Clara, Calif. / Wilcox HS)
• Stella Villalta (R-So., Woodside, Calif. / The American International School in England / Santa Clara)

DEFENDERS (8)
Kiley Fehrenbacher, Sydnie Fong, Livi Lewis and Courtney Wagner have each started both contests. Fehrenbacher has one of the team's two goals after converting after a scramble on a corner kick, while Wagner has a team-high four shots and a team-high-tying two shots on goal. In addition, Summer Humphrey has played off the bench in both contests. 

• Kiley Fehrenbacher (R-So., San Diego, Calif. / Point Loma HS / Oregon)
• Sydnie Fong (R-Sr., Novato, Calif. / San Marin HS / San Diego / Nevada)
• Loralei Heldreth (Fr., Barstow, Calif. / Excelsior Charter)
• Summer Humphreys (R-Jr., Carlsbad, Calif. / La Costa Canyon HS)
• Livi Lewis (R-Sr., Carlsbad, Calif. / Carlsbad HS)
• Samantha Murdin (Fr., Lafayette, Calif. / Acalanes HS)
• Ava Peterson (So., Las Vegas, Nev. / Palo Verde HS)
• Courtney Wagner (R-Jr., Rocklin, Calif. / Whitney HS)

GOALKEEPERS (3)
Transfer Dina Frenkel has played all 180 minutes in goal over the first two matches and allowed only a penalty kick goal against Sacramento State. Frenkel was credited with a shutout at Fresno State, has an 0.50 goals against average and seven saves. She spent her first two collegiate seasons at Purdue in 2024 and 2025 but did not see any game action.

• Dina Frenkel (R-Fr., San Francisco, Calif. / St. Ignatius Prep / Purdue)
• Cat Pieper (R-Sr., Random Lake, Wis. / Random Lake HS)
• Piper Wllkison (R-So., Newport Beach, Calif. / Mater Dei HS / Butler)

GAME RECAPS
GAME 2 - SACRAMENTO STATE 1, AT UC DAVIS 0 - AUGUST 12, 2026

• UC Davis took Causeway rival Sacramento State down to the wire before falling, 1-0, in its home opener. The Aggies had a pair of scoring chances to tie the game while trailing 1-0 in the 84th minute but shots from M Savannah Cordero and F Ashley Brewer were off the right post and just left of the goal. The teams were scoreless into the 74th minute before Sacramento State M Ellie Farber scored the game's only goal when she converted a penalty kick into the lower right section of the net after she was fouled by Aggies D Stella Villalta in the penalty box.

GAME 1 - UC DAVIS 2, AT FRESNO STATE 0 - AUGUST 12, 2026

• Cal extended its unbeaten string in season openers to seven with a 2-0 win at Fresno State. F Jaycee DeFazio and F Ashley Brewer, both first-year transfers from Cal Poly, accounted for Cal's first goal of the match when DeFazio rebounded Brewer's shot off the post and placed it into the back of the net. Brewer was credited with an assist on the play. UC Davis' second goal came on a corner kick when M Payton Henry came out of a pile with the ball and fed D KIley Fehrenbacher for a goal. GK Dina Frenkel played all 90 minutes in goal and recorded a shutout. The August 12 date was the earliest in the calendar year the Aggies have ever opened a campaign and the first day of the 2026 season for collegiate women's soccer across the nation. 

HOME MATCH TICKETS AND PARKING
Single-game tickets for all UC Davis home games including 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 games through Sept. 11. 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.

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. Over 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.