Highlanders Upset 7th Ranked UC Davis

Saturday, October 18

UCR Soccer Stadium

6:00 p.m.

UC Riverside

UC Davis

10/18/2008 2:18:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Xavier Perez Nets Game-Winner With 2:49 Remaining

Midway through their 2008 Big West schedule, UC Riverside's men's soccer team was still in search of its first conference win of the year, and standing across the field from them on Saturday evening was the UC Davis Aggies - the seventh ranked team in the nation. So naturally, the Highlanders stepped up and came through with the biggest win in the history of the program, stunning UCD, 2-1.

The win is just the second over a ranked opponent for the Highlanders in their 8-year Division I history. UCR topped San Diego State on September 3, 2007 by a 2-0 score when the Aztecs were ranked 21st in the country. The Aggies are the sixth Top-25 team the Highlanders have squared off against this season.

UCR got on the scoreboard first at the 30:38 mark when David Lozano (Dana Hills, CA) sent a cross through the box from the left side of the goal. UC Davis keeper Ryan McCowan deflected the pass, but Nathan Paterson (Modesto, CA) was there to clean things up sliding the ball past McCowan for a 1-0 UCR advantage.

That score held up as the teams headed in the locker room with the play even in the period as the Aggies out-shot the Highlanders by the slimmest of margins, 7-6. With 6:06 gone in the second period, UC Davis' Chris Beville was issued a red card for an infraction in the Aggies defensive end of the pitch, which allowed the Highlanders to play a man up for the rest of the match.

Despite the advantage, the play remained even, and UC Davis was awarded a penalty kick with 12:06 remaining in the second after a UCR handball in the box. Dylan Curtis' shot to UC Riverside keeper Ryan Schmitz' (San Diego, CA) left was good, but he was forced to re-kick it due to movement on the line behind him before he struck the ball. His second shot was true as well, however, and the game was knotted up at one apiece.

Both teams forced the issue over the remaining 12 minutes to avoid overtime, and UCR's Xavier Perez came up with the game-winner with 2:49 remaining connecting on a rebound after another McCowan save. It was Perez' first goal of the season.

The Highlanders hit the road on Wednesday, October 22 as they travel to Cal State Fullerton for a 7 pm kick off. They return to the UCR Soccer Stadium on Saturday, October 25 for a non-conference match against CSU Bakersfield at 3 pm.