March 1, 2001
DAVIS, Calif. -
Sophomore defender Kelly Albin scored on a free-position shot for UC Davis with 34 seconds remaining in overtime to lead the Aggies past California Thursday afternoon for a 6-5 Western Women's Lacrosse League victory at Aggie Field. Freshman attacker Emily Edwards put together a three-goal hat trick performance to lead the Bears in scoring.
"We underestimated them," said California head coach Jill Malko. "We started off really flat. We let them get into the game and gain some confidence against us early. Bottom line, Davis beat us."
UC Davis (1-1 overall, 1-1 in the WWLL) opened up the afternoon's scoring 1:31 minutes into the first half, but sophomore attacker Britni Must was able to even things up for California (0-2 overall, 0-2 in the WWLL) 1:10 minutes later. The Bears and the Aggies continued to trade offensive efforts through the half, eventually heading into halftime 3-3 despite the Aggies ability to keep California back on its heels for most of the half's final 20 minutes.
"I'm really pleased," said UC Davis head coach Brendan Blakeley. "This was a total team effort. Everyone contributed. Anytime we win a league game, it's big for us."
Edwards scored twice more for the Bears in the second half to keep California in a tied contest, with her third goal coming with 2:45 remaining in regulation, giving the Bears some hope of taking the match in the closing minutes. But that would not be, as junior defender Becca Deal stripped an advancing Edwards near the restraining line moments later, forcing a steal that would send the two teams into an extra period of play.
"We were tentative and not reacting to the ball," said Malko. "We just didn't have that competitive juice flowing. We were too slow to react."
Following Albin's go-ahead penalty shot for UC Davis in the final minute of overtime, California attacked again, one last time, one last effort. Senior defender Carrie Scribner came across the restraining line to mount the Bears final offensive effort, taking a shot with four seconds remaining on the clock. Unfortunately, junior goalkeeper Jill Herschleb was in position to knock the ball down. UC Davis grabbed the rebound and cleared the ball to close the game.
California returns to action Monday, March 5th, when it hosts Davidson College at 4:00 p.m. inside Memorial Stadium.
GOALS: Cal - Edwards 3, Kado 1, Must 1, UC Davis - Roberts 3, Kado 2, Albin 1. ASSISTS: Cal - Wheatley 1, UC Davis - Albin 2, Hanson 1, Fitzpatrick 1. SAVES: Cal - Coelho 10, UC Davis - Herschleb 9. SHOTS: Cal 19, UC Davis 22.
