On Saturday the Aggies’ winning streak was brought to an end in their final pre-season scrimmage against a fierce Fresno State side. Right from kick-off the Aggies felt the pressure from a well-organized opposition and the penalties started adding up. The first points on the board came from a penalty against UC Davis for not releasing. Fresno had 3 points up 8 minutes into the game. The next twenty minutes of play were dominated by Fresno State and they put two tries on the board with one converted.
Finally, UC Davis gained possession when Fresno State was penalized for being off-side. UC Davis kicks to touch and takes the line out. Sam Faucette (UC Davis #8) crashed through the Fresno defensive line and smuggled the ball across the line for UC Davis’s first try of the game. The try was converted by Max Schoenberger (UC Davis #12). With 10 minutes left in the first half the score was 7 to UC Davis and 15 to Fresno State.
With some points, the Aggies pushed harder in their attacking game but weren't able to retain possession. With just under two minutes left in the first half, Fresno State sniffed out space along the left channel to score another try. The score at half time was 7 to 22.
When the teams returned for the second half, Fresno kicked up the pressure. Fresno had another try on the board within minutes of kick-off. UC Davis’ Devin Flores (#13) responded quickly, intercepting a pass and running it over the try line. With no conversion, the score was 12 to 29. But Fresno was not deterred and added another 4 tries to the board over the next 10 minutes. UC Davis’ Ernesto Perez (#17) secured another try for the team with some hard work in the breakdown but it wasn't converted. In the final 15 minutes of the game, Fresno State added another three converted tries closing out their win with 70 points to the Aggies’ 17.
It was a tough pill to swallow for the Aggies who have been gaining momentum during this pre-season campaign. But it was good that the team had an opportunity to play against a side with a high level of game management on the field thanks to Fresno State’s #10, Isaia Kruse. Kruse’s experience in the game exposed the Aggies lack of line speed and narrow defense that gave Fresno State ample time to plan out their offensive strategy. It will be this class of players the team will be up against when they begin the season in January 2022. As captain Sam Eddins said in his post-match chat with the team, it will be important for the players to hold on to the feeling of this loss to drive themselves to improve as players and a team.
The Aggies have just two weeks left of practice before breaking for the holidays. Their first match of the season will be on January 15, 2022 at Saint Mary’s. Special mention goes out to the team parents who have been setting up scrumptious post match meals for the teams at each game. Thank you!