DAVIS, California — senior Abigail Lopez finished the game with two shots on goal and was a sophomore goalkeeper Izzy Palmatier added six stops between the posts on the other end of the field, but host UC Davis scored a goal in each of the two periods en route to a 2-0 victory over Sacramento State at Aggie Soccer Field on Thursday night.

The game was the regular season opener for both teams and the eighth time the two rivals – separated by just 21 miles – opened a season against each other.

The Hornets came out of the game with firepower and managed the first two tries of the game, as a freshman Jaety Mandaquit Her first college attempt was blocked and the second by the senior’s foot Ariana Scholten was blocked by the Aggies goalkeeper.

Sacramento State then survived a close call in the ninth minute when a UC Davis shot hit the crossbar and another shot missed.

Second semester Ellie Farber forced the Aggies’ goalie into another stop in the 21st minute as both offenses looked for a chance. Palmatier stopped two of UC Davis’ next three attempts before the Aggies finally broke through in the 41st minute.

A long throw from the opposite sideline found its way into a crowd inside the six, where Ava Coverdale was on hand to shoot the ball through traffic and roll it over the line for a 1-0 lead.

The score remained that way for the rest of the half and the first 18 minutes of the second half before UC Davis doubled its lead in the 64th minute. Sam Tristan received passes from Jayde Holley and Bella Mayo and converted from close range to make it 2-0.

Sacramento State’s only attempt in the second 45 minutes came off the foot of Lopez, whose attempt was blocked by the Aggies’ goalkeeper, preventing the Hornets from scoring.

The next home game in 2024 is Sacramento State, which hosts Houston Christian at Hornet Soccer Field on Saturday (August 17) at 1 p.m. The Hornets will honor their graduating class before kickoff at approximately 12:45 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the ESPN+ platform.