STOCKTON, Calif. — UC Davis erased a three-goal second-half deficit behind a dramatic 14-minute hat trick from
Gabe Sanchez to earn a thrilling 3-3 draw against Pacific on Thursday night at Knoles Field.
The Aggies (0-1-2) trailed 3-0 at halftime before Sanchez erupted for three unanswered goals between the 66th and 80th minutes, giving UC Davis its second consecutive second-half comeback draw.
Pacific (1-1-1) controlled the opening half, striking three times in a 10-minute span. Josephat Yangyuoru opened the scoring at 4:56 before Carlos Maldonado doubled the Tigers' lead at 7:28. Yangyuoru completed his brace at 12:38 off an assist from Edwin Moreno-Andrade, sending Pacific into the break with a 3-0 advantage.
UC Davis made key halftime adjustments, bringing Sanchez,
Luke Castagnola, and
Nico Collins off the bench to start the second half. The moves paid immediate dividends as the Aggies dominated the final 45 minutes, outshooting the Tigers 8-3 in the second frame.
Sanchez ignited the rally at 65:10, finishing low right off an assist from Collins for his first goal of the season. Just over 11 minutes later,
Jake Hobbs found Sanchez for his second tally at 76:24 to bring the Aggies within one.
Sanchez completed his extraordinary hat trick at 79:59, placing a shot into the low left corner off a feed from Castagnola to level the match at 3-3. The three goals came in a span of just 14 minutes and 49 seconds.
Physical play escalated in the second half, with Pacific picking up yellow cards from Erick Luna Ramirez (57:43), Joseph Odipo (65:35), and James Andrew (85:49), while UC Davis received a team caution in the 51st minute.
Sanchez led the Aggies with five shots, putting three on target for all three UC Davis goals.
Tristan Wouters added three shot attempts, while Castagnola and
Rafael Matiello each took two shots. UC Davis held an 8-3 advantage in corner kicks for the match, including a 4-2 edge in the second half.
Talin Morgan went the full 90 minutes in goal for UC Davis, while Alejandro Caracheo Luna recorded two saves for Pacific.
UC Davis continues its road trip on Sunday, Aug. 30, when the Aggies travel to face No. 1 Stanford at 7 p.m.
GAME NOTES
- Gabe Sanchez recorded his first career hat trick, scoring all three goals in a span of 14:49.
- Sanchez scored his three goals on three consecutive shots on target.
- Nico Collins, Jake Hobbs, and Luke Castagnola each registered their first assists of the season.
- The Aggies erased a three-goal deficit to earn back-to-back second-half comeback draws.
- UC Davis outshot Pacific 8-3 and held a 4-2 corner kick advantage in the second half.
