Teams:  UC Davis vs. UC Riverside; vs. Cal State Fullerton Records: Aggies, 3-4-4 (1-1); Highlanders, 8-2-0 (1-1); Titans, 7-4-0 (0-2); Where: Aggie Stadium, Davis, Calif. When:  Friday, Oct. 5 at 4 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 7 at 3 p.m. Who to watch: Junior goalkeeper Omar Zeenni has made an invaluable difference to the success of the UC Davis men’s soccer team. Recently, he was named Big West Player of the Week for his consistent outstanding performances. He kept UC Davis in the game for their three straight draws on the road, and allowed only one goal in 330 minutes in the net. This snapped Zeenni’s 358-minute scoreless streak that consisted of shutouts against UNLV, Cal State Bakersfield and Air Force. Did you know?  Last year, on Oct. 1, the Aggies captured a 1-0 victory over the Highlanders. After only 52 seconds of play, sophomore Matt Wiesenfarth found the back of the net after the ball ricocheted off a UCR defender and back to the forward. In addition, Omar Zeenni finished with three... ...

UC Davis men’s soccer (3-4-4 and 1-1 in conference play) opened their run in the Big West Conference with a shaky start against Cal State Northridge, but immediately bounced back against UC Irvine. Junior Alex Aguiar led the UC Davis offense with four shots while junior Omar Zeenni made five saves, but CSU Northridge scored twice in the opening 15 minutes and held on for a 2-0 win on Friday at Matador Soccer Field in Northridge, Calif. The first half featured four of Zeenni’s five saves, but the Matadors struck early, scoring in the sixth minute of play. David Turcios, the CSU Northridge forward, drove into the box and fired a shot, which Zeenni deflected, but Turcios collected the rebound and put it away into the lower left corner. Later in the half, junior Alex Henry’s corner kick found junior Pat Reese but Reese’s header in the middle of the box was blocked out for a second Aggie corner kick. Freshman Eric Budniewski took the corner, but it was cleared... ...

The UC Davis men’s soccer team has been playing phenomenal soccer throughout the duration of the season. The Aggies’ overall record remains at 2-3-4, with losses in the past two games against Saint Mary’s and SMU. The men’s soccer team remained unbeaten until two weeks ago and matched a program record for most ties in a single season, needing just one more to set a new mark. The Aggies open their Big West Conference play on the road against Cal State Northridge this Friday. The Aggies shut out their first three opponents, preventing any goals in 310 minutes of play. In a matchup against Air Force, UC Davis warded off 11 second-half shots and 17 total from the Falcons. In addition, junior goalkeeper Omar Zeenni recorded five saves. The performance of the men’s soccer team throughout this game is a testament to the level of defense the team has been playing for the past several months. “Our defense has been really good,” said sophomore defender Brian Ford. “When our defense... ...

The UC Davis men’s soccer team has had a fantastic stretch away from home, coming away with four tied games against Cal State Bakersfield, Air Force, Denver and San Francisco.  The Aggies, who have continually displayed remarkable athleticism on both sides of the field, hold a record of 1-0-4. Last Monday, the men’s soccer team tied CSU Bakersfield 0-0 in double overtime. Five different Aggies posted two shots apiece, but just two of UC Davis’ 11 shots were on frame. CSU Bakersfield was led by Gyasi Zardes’ six attempts while Lucas Dall’Orso took five shots. The Aggies’ first attempt of the game came at the 19:30 mark when a corner kick from junior Kevin Schulte found freshman Ryan Gross, whose shot was blocked. In the second half, UC Davis suddenly found itself with an advantage after a Roadrunner was ejected with 25:10 left to play in the period. Despite an extra man on the field, however, the Aggies could not find the back of the net. The teams headed into... ...

The UC Davis men’s soccer team kicked off their season to a solid start last Saturday against Chico State. The Aggies tied Chico State 1-1 in double overtime in an exhibition match. Sophomore Ramon Martin del Campo put away the Aggies’ only goal of the game while freshman Kris Schultz came up with three saves as the UC Davis men’s soccer team fought Chico State to a 1-1 draw on Saturday at Aggie Soccer Field. The Wildcats struck first in the double overtime draw when Tyson Crim’s header off a cross from Micah Miranda found the upper left corner of the goal to give Chico State a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute. In the 78th minute, the Wildcats almost scored the go-ahead goal, but freshman Kirk Kappelhoff came up with a huge save for UC Davis. Tyson Crim’s attempt was wide and cleared out by an Aggie defender. As the first overtime period came to an end, Aguiar fired a shot from 25 yards out and nearly found the... ...

UC Davis’s sports are improving, but what business do they have playing with perennial powerhouses like UCLA? We may have witnessed the beginning of the end of statements like this one. The UC Davis men’s soccer program pulled out one of the biggest upsets in school history, possibly in any sport, when it took down the then-No. 6 Bruins in a 2-1 overtime victory. The Aggies were entering just their third game of the new season having posted an ugly 6-12 mark the previous year. Eight freshmen and five sophomores made it onto the field against UCLA while only four of the UC Davis players that saw playing time were upperclassmen. The Bruins were ranked No. 6 in the country. Enough said. “UCLA is a very good team; they’ve got some pros on the team, but in the game of soccer, you always have a chance to win,” said head coach Dwayne Shaffer. In a mismatch that could not have been more pronounced, UC Davis looked outmatched in the first... ...

Pacific announced Thursday that it would be leaving the Big West Conference for the West Coast Conference beginning in the 2013-14 school year. Pacific will return to the WCC after leaving the league for the Big West (formerly known as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association) over 40 years ago. Pacific’s announcement comes as the Big West prepares to add Hawaii as a member starting next year and San Diego State starting in 2013. Sacramento State will also be joining the Big West for men’s soccer only beginning with the 2012 season. ­ — Trevor Cramer ...

Matt Wiesenfarth, a Sacramento native, came to Davis a local hero but quickly emerged as a widespread terror to other team’s goals. Whenever the UC Davis men’s soccer team needed a goal, he seemed to be there. Wiesenfarth led the Aggies with five goals, three assists and 18 shots on goal this season. His goal against Sacramento State in the 87th minute tied the game and sent it to overtime. Against Cal Poly, Wiesenfarth performed his late-game magic again, scoring in the 84th minute to give UC Davis a 1-0 victory. In another game against the Mustangs, he scored with seven minutes remaining to set up the Aggies’ late game victory. Wiesenfarth was named the 2011 Big West Freshman of the Year, and the sports desk at The Aggie also recognizes him as the UC Davis Freshman of the Quarter. If Wiesenfarth’s season of late game magic and offensive prowess are indicative of anything, it is that no opponent goal is safe as long as “Wiesie” (Pronounced Weezy) is on... ...

In a year full of late-game magic, with games regularly being decided in the last few minutes, the UC Davis men’s soccer put a meaning to the phrase ‘it ain’t over till it’s over’. And yet, in a 2-1 loss to No. 15 UC Santa Barbara that exemplified this year’s theme, the Aggies played their last minute of the season. In the Big West Conference semifinals, the Aggies lost their third close decision of the season to the Gauchos. The loss dropped UC Davis to 7-8-4 and out of contention for an NCAA tournament bid. “Our team was outstanding and we gave them everything they could handle,” Head Coach Dwayne Shaffer said. “You’d think the law of averages would apply but in all three games everything went their way.” UC Davis found itself behind just 17 minutes into the game when it surrendered a penalty kick that gave UCSB the 1-0 lead. The Gauchos tacked on another goal 16 minutes into the second half to go up 2-0, a lead... ...

Going into the final two games of the season, the 2011 UC Davis men’s soccer program had the unique opportunity to go down in history for two different achievements. The Aggies had the chance to seize its first ever number one seed in the Big West Conference as well as tie the NCAA record for most overtime games in one season. UC Davis did make the record books, but probably not in the category it would have hoped. With two ties in the final two games, the Aggies finished with 11 overtime games this season. UC Davis becomes the third team to get to this mark, following St. Louis University, who first set this record in 2003, and San Diego State, who tied it in 2009. The ties against Cal State Fullerton and UC Riverside gained the Aggies two points in the Big West Conference standings, but it was not enough to secure UC Davis a first round home contest in the Big West tournament as it ended the regular... ...