Oct. 20, 2007

Final Stats

DAVIS, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton sophomore midfielder Shay Spitz scored a season-high two goals and senior goalkeeper Brent Douglas tallied five saves, two of which came in the final 30 seconds of the contest, to overcome a goal from UC Davis junior midfielder Dylan Curtis and give the visiting Titans a 2-1 Big West Conference victory over the Aggies in a men's soccer match at Aggie Soccer Stadium Saturday afternoon.

UC Davis falls to 7-4-2 overall and 2-3-1 in conference with the loss while the Titans pick up their first conference victory (1-4-2) of the season to improve their overall mark to 5-7-2.

With the score tied at 1-1, the Titans got the eventual game-winning goal from Sptiz in the 73rd minute as he dribbled past two defenders and beat Aggie goalkeeper Ryan McCowan one on one. UC Davis senior Nicholas Lind led a furious offensive outpouring in the final minute of the game with a total of three shots on goal. His last two shots came in the final 30 seconds and were just inches from tying the score and sending the game into overtime. Douglas made two outstanding saves on both shots to secure the Titan victory.

"It's always tough to lose at home," said Aggie head coach Dwayne Shaffer. "(Cal State Fullerton) has some great players and this just shows how tough the Big West Conference is overall. I think our guys played well, we just didn't get the win."

UC Davis outshot Cal State Fullerton, 8-4, in the first half, but the game remained scoreless thanks to two saves apiece by McCowan and Douglas. The Aggies also held a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks at the break.

Spitz broke the scoreless drought in the 54th minute off a free kick from about 15 yards out from the near post to give Cal State Fullerton a 1-0 lead. He put a spin on the ball and got a great bounce that made it past an Aggie defender and the goalkeeper.

Curtis tied the score at 1-1 in the 67th minute off another free kick from 15 yards out in front of the box. Senior Paul Cain and junior Ahmad Hatifie both put a foot on the ball before Curtis sent it to the top left post past a diving Douglas for his second goal of the season.

The Aggies outshoot their opponent 21-9, but managed to get off only two more shots on goal, 6-4. Junior Sule Anibaba took a game-high six shots and was one of only three Aggies to take a shot on goal. Lind finished with four shots while Curtis totaled five.

Cal State Fullerton was whistled for three more fouls than UC Davis and had a total of two yellow cards issued to the Aggies' one.

The Aggies are next in action Saturday as they cap their three-game Big West homestand with a 1 p.m. matchup with UC Irvine.

UC Davis Aggies Men's Soccer

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