On Saturday, the UC Davis Aggies faced off against the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs for their fourth pre-season scrimmage. Within seconds of the kickoff, Guy Barrons (UC Davis #11) intercepted the ball and ran it over the try line. The try was converted by Francis Schumann (UC Davis #14). UC Davis spent the next ten minutes defending in their own half and gave away a handful of penalties. The Slugs ultimately scored their first try but were not able to convert it. The Aggies still led at 7 to 5.
Fifteen minutes into the first half, the Slugs #1 was penalized with a yellow card for a high tackle. The Aggies didn’t waste the opportunity. Mike O’Donnell (UC Davis #2) quickly scored the Aggies second try off the back of a successful lineout. Another excellent kick from Francis Schumann (UC Davis #14) converted the try bringing the score to 14 to 5.
UC Davis dominated play after the restart forcing penalties and gaining meters. Sam Faucette (UC Davis #6) took the ball the last few meters from a successful scrum to score the Aggies third try of the game. The converted try brought the score to 21 to 5. Just a few minutes later, with their #1 back on the field from the sin bin, Santa Cruz found a gap in the Aggies’s defense and blazed through for their second try. The try wasn’t converted. The score was 21 to 10.
The Aggies scored two more tries with little effort in the last minutes of the first half. First, Aiden Moore (UC Davis #3) with great attacking effort from the team after a successful lineout. And next Sam Faucette (UC Davis #6) for his second try of the game and only a minute left on the clock. Francis Schumann (UC Davis #14) continued to slot the conversions with clinical accuracy. The Aggies closed out the first half leading 35 to 10.
The start of the second half was about territory. The Aggies demonstrated skill with their kicking game. Max Schoenberger (UC Davis #10) used his kicks strategically to gain an advantage while Guy Barrons (UC Davis #11) got under the high ball to secure the ball keeping the momentum in the Aggies’ favor. Frustrated, Santa Cruz gave away more penalties and was yellow carded again. The effort on the Aggies side paid off when Will Bradford (UC Davis #8) carried the ball over the try line from a penalty at the 5 meter line. The converted try brought the score to 42 to 10.
Santa Cruz continued to show dominance in the scrum and early in the final quarter of the game disrupted the Davis defense with a brutal scrum and quick ball handling to score their third try. The try was not converted leaving the score at 42 to 15. The Aggies restarted with determination and jumped when Santa Cruz fumbled the ball. With one pass to Max Schoenberger (UC Davis #10) he took the ball half the length of the field to score the seventh try for the Ags. The converted try brought the score to 49 to 15 with just 10 minutes left in the game.
The final minutes of the game included one more try by Aggies captain, Sam Eddins (UC Davis #4) who carried the ball from the halfway line after the Aggies intercepted the ball. Francis Schumann (UC Davis #14) completed his kicking streak slotting the 8th conversion of the game.
The Aggies showed a stronger attacking game in this match as well as cleaner line outs and more accurate kicking thanks to the hard work from Francis Schumann (UC Davis #14) and Max Schoenberger (UC Davis #10). Several of the players brought their skills to a whole new level in the match but Captain Sam Eddins (UC Davis #4) put in a solid performance and demonstrated excellent leadership winning the coach’s choice for Man of the Match. The team will be working on scrums this week as well as tightening up the defense along the right hand channel.
The second teams took to the field right after a short warm-up. UC Davis #14 secured the ball, dodged the defense and planted the ball under the sticks in the first two minutes of the game. The try was converted giving the Aggies an early lead of 7 over 0. Santa Cruz answered back quickly scoring their own try just a moment after restart. The try was not converted leaving the score at 7 to 5. The game showed work to be done on the breakdown, but the players ball handling was greatly improved. Unfortunately, the game was cut short due to injuries to two UC Davis players. The coaches awarded Mike Acierno man of the match and also a special mention to Evan Wong for his performance.
The coaches and team appreciated the support of the fans and alumni!