SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With a possible berth in the Big West Conference Tournament on the line, the Sacramento State men's soccer team hosts rival UC Davis in the regular season finale for both programs. Kick-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 2) at Hornet Soccer Field while the Sacramento State senior class will be honored as part of "Senior Day" festivities prior to kick-off at approximately 2:45 p.m.

MATCH #18
WHAT: UC Davis (7-5-5, 3-3-2 Big West) at Sacramento State (6-9-2, 3-5 Big West)
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024
TIME: 3 p.m.
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
STADIUM: Hornet Soccer Field
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetStats.com
TICKETS: HornetSports.com

GAME NOTES
Sacramento State | UC Davis

BIG WEST BIG PICTURE
• Despite two losses last week, the Hornets have an outside chance at claiming one of six berths in this year's Big West Tournament, but need a win over the Aggies and a little help to get in
• A win over UC Davis would give Sacramento State 12 points, which would put the Hornets level with or just behind Cal State Fullerton for the No. 6 spot
• However, Sacramento State also needs either a loss or a tie by BOTH UC San Diego (7 p.m. vs. UC Irvine) and UC Riverside (7 p.m. vs. UC Santa Barbara) to lay claim to the final berth
• Should the Hornets finish in a tie with the Titans at 12 points, Fullerton would be the higher seed by virtue of its win last week in Orange County

IN THE RANKINGS
• Neither Sacramento State, nor UC Davis, are ranked nationally this week, but the Aggies come in ranked No. 8 in the United Soccer Coaches' Far West Region • Big West schools make up six of the top eight spots in the regional poll: No. 1 UC Santa Barbara, No. 4 Cal State Fullerton, No. 5 UC Irvine, No. 6 Cal Poly, No. 7 Cal State Bakersfield, and the Aggies

SCOUTING UC DAVIS
• The Aggies enter the season finale with a 7-5-5 overall record and a 3-3-2 mark in Big West play for 11 points -- which currently gives them the final league tournament spot
• UC Davis is unbeaten in its last three outings (2-0-1), drawing at UC Riverside (1-1) while defeating Cal State Bakersfield (1-0) and UC San Diego (2-0) at home 
• The Aggies are 5-2-1 at home this season, but only 2-3-4 away from Aggie Soccer Field
• UC Davis is winless in its last six matches on the road (0-2-4) dating back to a 2-0 win at Saint Mary's on Sept. 12
• That run includes high-scoring draws at San Diego State (3-3), at San Jose State (2-2), and at CSUN (2-2)
• Junior forward Cason Goodman leads the team with seven goals and 16 points overall, while three teammates share the team lead with four assists apiece
• Junior goalkeeper Noah Schwengeler has started 14 matches in net, posting a 1.22 goals against average and 37 saves (.712 save percentage) to go along with three shutouts on the year

SERIES NOTABLES
• UC Davis leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 22-13-2
• The Hornets snapped a run of eight consecutive losses in the series -- and four of those on the road -- with the Aggies thanks to a 1-0 victory last season
• UC Davis has won the last five consecutive meetings in Sacramento, posting a 10-7-1 record in the series on the Hornets' home turf
• Sacramento State's last win at home against the Aggies came in a 1-0 victory on Oct. 24, 2015
• Each of the last seven meetings between the two programs have been decided by a single goal, with three shutouts in that span
• Following last year's 1-0 victory, a win on Saturday would give the Hornets back-to-back wins in the series for the first time since 2010 (W, 2-1) and 2011 (W, 3-2 in 2OT)
• Sacramento State's most successful run in the series came in 2014-15 when the Hornets were unbeaten in four straight head-to-head meetings (2-0-2)
• Since the two programs have been rivals in the Big West (since 2012), UC Davis leads the series, 10-5-2

WELCOME HOME
• Wins over CSUN and UC Santa Barbara two weeks ago kept the Hornets unbeaten at home in their last five matches (4-0-1) dating back to a season-opening loss to Utah Valley on Aug. 22
• It is the longest unbeaten run at home since Sacramento State defeated UC San Diego and Cal State Fullerton to close out 2021, then opened 2022 with a win over San Jose State, a draw with Pacific, and wins over Loyola Marymount and Gonzaga (5-0-1 combined)
• Overall, the seven home matches in 2024 are the fewest for the Hornets since the 2018 squad played the same number

WE MUST PROTECT THIS NEST
• The Sacramento State men's and women's soccer teams have thrived at home this year, posting a combined 8-1-5 record and going unbeaten in the last 12 (7-0-5)
• The Hornet women finished 2024 unbeaten at home, going 4-0-4 in their eight home dates
• At home on the men's side, Sacramento State has outscored opponents 13-6 while holding a 13-4 advantage on the women's side
• With one regular season home match remaining for the men, the Hornets' four home wins are the most since the 2022 team finished 4-4-1 at home
• Those four wins are the most since the 2016 squad finished 6-3-1 at home

BIG DADZIE
• Freshman Jonathan Dadzie came through with his first career goal off a corner by teammate Leonardo Martinez to break up the shutout bid by Cal State Fullerton last Wednesday
• Dadzie became the sixth Hornet to tally their first collegiate goal this year, joining teammates Sean Battistessa, Fernando Venegas, Stacy Holmes, Ethan Kelly, and Hiroshi Yang
• That group has accounted for 11 of the team's 24 scores (45.8%) this year

CLASS IS IN SESSOMS
• With his goal in the 35th minute at UC Irvine last week that tied the match at 1-1, sophomore Donovan Sessoms etched his name in the Sacramento State record books
• Sessoms' 10 goals this year are tied with former Hornets Max Alvarez (2009) and Jamel Mitchell (1996) for ninth on the school's single-season list
• They are the most since Chris Bettencourt finished with 11 in 2010, which rank eighth on the aforementioned single-season chart
• Sessoms' 20 points are now the most since Alvarez finished with 23 in 2009 -- a total that stands 10th on the school's single-season list
• The sophomore stands third in the Big West in goals scored entering the week and is one of only three players in the league to reach double-digits along with UC Santa Barbara's Alexis Ledoux (14) and Cal State Bakersfield's Connor Mautino (11)
• Sessoms also ranks fourth in the league in points and third in points per game (1.18), standing as the only player to rank among the top 10 without the help of an assist

WINNER WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER
• Thanks to his game-winners against CSUN and UCSB, Sessoms has the winning score in five of the team's six victories entering Saturday's season finale
• That total ranks second on the school's single-season list, standing behind only Chris Bettencourt, who had six in 2010
• Nationally, the five game-winners are also tied for the NCAA lead, joined by six other players, while his 10 goals are tied for No. 13 in the nation overall

MISTER BIG SHOT
• Just a week after collecting a career-high eight shots in a win over UC Santa Barbara, Sessoms gave it his best shot against UC Irvine, accounting for seven of the Hornets' 16 attempts -- putting four of those on goal
• The eight overall attempts against the Gauchos were the most since Edwin Luna had eight against San Francisco on Sept. 12, 2013
• Meanwhile, the six shots on goal against UCSB were the most since Francisco Magana had six en route to his hat trick against Gonzaga on Sept. 11, 2022
• Sessoms' 46 shots and 2.71 shots per game are the most in the Big West entering the week, while his 22 shots on goal make him one of four in the league with 20 or more and stand third in the conference

STOP! HALT! ARRET! ALTO! FERMA!
• One of the nation's top shot stoppers has picked up right where he left off in 2023, as senior goalkeeper Mac Learned's 76 saves and 4.47 saves per match are tops in the Big West, while his .731 save percentage stands second as of Oct. 28
• Entering the week, Learned ranks No. 4 in the NCAA in total saves behind leader Stockton Short of Utah Tech (96) and stands No. 19 in saves per game behind Niagara's Jamie Barry (6.62)
• Last year, he spent six straight weeks atop the NCAA leaderboard in total saves, finishing No. 3 nationally with 88 saves and No. 7 in saves per game (5.50)
• The nine saves in the shutout of San Francisco on Sept. 12 were a season high and the second-highest total of his career, trailing on his 10 stops against the Dons on the road last year
• They also remain tied for the most by a Big West keeper this season, matching UC San Diego's Nolan Premack, who had nine stops against Duke on Aug. 25
• After last week, Learned's 196 career saves moved him past Ryan Kenny (2006-09) for seventh on the school's all-time list
• With four more saves, Learned would become only the seventh Hornet keeper to log 200 saves in a career and the first since James Del Curto finished his career with 241 from 2013-17

MORE ON MAC
• Learned's 13 career wins stand tied for fifth on the all-time list along with Ryan Curtis (2018-19, 2021) and Ryan Kenny (2006-09), and stands three back of Cesar Castillo (2010-13) in fourth with 16
• Learned enters Saturday's regular season finale ranked sixth with 46 career matches played by a Hornet goalkeeper, while his 43 starts are sixth on that list
• With 3,779 minutes played, Learned ranks seventh on the all-time list
• His career-high six wins this season are tied for seventh on the single-season chart, while his 17 appearances and starts are ranked sixth on those respective single-season lists

WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF HATS
• A hat trick is rare... having one in back-to-back matches probably more so... but that's exactly what happened two weeks ago as Sean Battistessa and Donovan Sessoms each accomplished the feat in wins over CSUN and UC Santa Barbara, respectively
• The two are believed to be the eighth and ninth recorded hat tricks in school history
• It was the first time in school history that the Hornets have had a hat trick in back-to-back matches and the second time they have had one in the same season, joining Jamel Mitchell and Martin Sims, who did so against San Diego and UNLV, respectively, in 1994

HELP ME, HELP YOU
• Sophomore defender Zac Giles enters the week ranked tied for fourth in the Big West with five assists -- the most by a Hornet since Tyler Moss had six in 2021
• Senior Axel Ramirez posted his career-high fourth assist against UC Santa Barbara, ranking him second on the team and tied for eighth in the Big West
• It marks the second straight season -- and the fourth time in the last five seasons -- that two Hornets have collected at least four assists in the same year
• As a team, Sacramento State's 27 assists are tied for seventh in a single season since 1990
• In total, 15 of the 25 players who have seen time on the field this season have tallied an assist, including goalkeepers thanks to Lucas Bost's helper at Portland on Sept. 27