DAVIS, Calif. – In the Aggies first season under the lights, UC Davis and Saint Mary's provided the fireworks in a gritty and gutsy 1-1 draw. The Gaels withstood eleven first half shots and were able to score first off a penalty kick from senior midfielder
Bastian Toelhoej. UC Davis would respond with a goal just three minutes later to equalize and setup for a dramatic final 25 minutes.
Sam Bentley would come up with a career high nine saves and some crucial ones down the stretch to help seal the 1-1 draw. Saint Mary's continues to put up fights night in and night out, recording their second draw of the season, this one to the reining 2024 Big West tournament champions.
Hubert Deragon,
TJ Dilley and
Fynn Allmon were stellar in the Gaels backline with several crucial challenges and blocks. The Gaels remain winless but improve to 0-2-2 on the season.
FIRST HALF SMC 0-0 UC DAVIS
The Aggies were on the forefront for the majority of the first half, generating eleven shots and forcing a combined eight saves both from Bentley and SMC defenders. Just six minutes in,
Hubert Deragon cleared a header off the line to keep the Aggies off the scoreboard.
Bentley made his fourth save of the match just 17 minutes in, getting down to his right and pushing a shot away from distance. Despite taking a lot of heat from the UC Davis attackers, the Gaels were solid with their 1v1 challenges and got sharp goalkeeping from Bentley all night long.
Off the bench, freshman defender
Adam Dring came in and made a nice impact as well for the Gaels. Dring was aggressive in 1v1 challenges and helped break the Aggies press with some individual dribbles. Dring finished with a season high 48 minutes of action.
FINAL SMC 1-1 UC DAVIS
Saint Mary's generated five shots in the second half, more than double their first half total, and were able to force turnovers in the Aggies defensive half to be more dangerous in transition. An early free kick outside the box and a corner kick attempt forced UC Davis to be sharp with their clearances.
Minutes later, the Gaels withstood back-to-back chances with a pair of goal line clearances.
Oliver Bieleveldt cleared the first attempt off a throw in with his header and then
TJ Dilley cleared an attempt on the back post from the ensuing corner kick.
Saint Mary's was finally rewarded for their defensive efforts after a handball in the box would give them a penalty in the 63rd minute. Toelhoej would step up and burry the shot down the middle for his second goal of the season. Over the last two seasons Toelhoej has been a staple at the penalty spot for the Gaels as he is now 5-for-5 dating back to the 2024 season.
UC Davis would finally convert after finishing with 24 shots on the night. Just two minutes later, they would score a goal off a long throw in and a scramble in the box to make it 1-1. For the third consecutive game, Saint Mary's scored first but failed to come away with all three points.
Bentley added to his career night with a save at the buzzer, pushing a flicked header off a corner kick wide to his left as time expired to seal the 1-1 draw. Bentley finished with a career high nine saves on the night and now has 20 saves through his four games this season.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's improved to 0-2-2 after their 1-1 draw with UC Davis. They will take the rest of the week off and gear up for another battle next week against the number one ranked team in the nation, the Stanford Cardinal. Kickoff is scheduled for Tuesday, September 9th at 7:00 PM and tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com.
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