DAVIS, Calif. — For the first time since 2017, the Sacramento State women's soccer team left the match-up against their Causeway rival with a victory in hand as senior co-captain Ellie Farber converted a penalty following a foul in the box in the 74th minute and the Hornets handed host UC Davis a stinging 1-0 defeat on Sunday night at Aggie Soccer Field.
Following a 5-2 victory over Pacific in its season opener on Thursday, Sacramento State improved to 2-0 on the season under first-year head coach Tim Strader, kicking off the season with wins in its first two matches for the second straight year.
In the process, the Hornets snapped a seven-match (0-6-1) winless streak against the Aggies, winning for the first time since a 1-0 shutout at Davis on Sept. 11, 2017, and gaining a result for the first time since a 1-1 draw at home in 2022. All told, it is only the sixth win for Sacramento State in the history of the series.
UC Davis, which opened with a 2-0 win at Fresno State, fell to 1-1 overall on the season with the loss.
The decisive moment came midway through the second half as freshman Katie Maxwell was wrestled down in the box by an Aggie defender, prompting a challenge from Strader on the Hornet bench when it went without a whistle. Following a review by the officials, it was ruled that Maxwell had been fouled in the box, awarding Sacramento State a penalty.
Farber then stepped to the spot and slotted home her fifth career goal to the lower right side for the first goal of the match.
It turned out to be the only score of the contest as the Sacramento State defense held strong. UC Davis managed two attempts in the final 10 minutes — both coming in the 84th minute — including a point-blank shot by Savannah Cordero that rang off the right post and another seconds later that went wide to the left.
Sacramento State finished with a 9-8 advantage in shots, including limiting the Aggies to four shots on frame — all of which were turned away by junior goalkeeper
Delaney Timmons, who logged her first clean sheet as a Hornet.
Co-captain
Lexi Schroeder, junior
Jaety Mandaquit, and freshman
Raegan Rossi all finished with a pair of shots to lead the team, while Courtney Wagner had three attempts for UC Davis. As a team, Sacramento State finished with seven of the match's 10 corners.
With the first week of play now behind them, the Hornets remain on the road for their next two contests, traveling to the Bay Area to take on San Francisco on Thursday (Aug. 20) at 6 p.m., before trekking up I-80 to face Nevada on Sunday (Aug. 23) at Noon in Reno, Nev.
