\n
\n Story Links
\n
<\/p>\n
DAVIS, Calif. \u2014\u00a0UC Davis men’s soccer looks to keep its momentum going after a win over CSUN as it travels to Cal State Bakersfield on Wednesday, Oct. 15, before returning home Saturday, Oct. 18, to host UC Riverside for Senior Night.<\/p>\n
HOW TO WATCH\/LISTEN\/FOLLOW GAME NOTES<\/p>\n \tUC Davis enters the week 1-6-5 overall and 1-1-2 in Big West play following a 0-0 draw with UC Santa Barbara and a 1-0 win over CSUN. \nABOUT THE OPPONENTS<\/p>\n \tCSU Bakersfield holds a 2-7-3 overall record but remains unbeaten in Big West play at 2-0-2 \nSEASON NOTES<\/p>\n \tDefending Big West Champions: UC Davis enters 2025 as the reigning Big West Tournament champions after defeating UC Santa Barbara in last year’s final. The title marked the program’s second in the last five season and the Aggies secured its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance.
Oct. 15 \u2014 at Cal State Bakersfield | Watch<\/a> | Live Stats<\/a> | @ucdavismsoc (X\/Instagram)
Oct. 18 \u2014 vs. UC Riverside | Watch<\/a> | Live Stats<\/a> | @ucdavismsoc (X\/Instagram)<\/p>\n
\n\tGavin House<\/a> was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Week after anchoring the Aggie back line to back-to-back shutouts against UC Santa Barbara and CSUN. House added the game-winning assist in the victory over the Matadors and recorded a shot in the draw with the Gauchos.
\n\tThe Aggies’ win over CSUN marked their first Big West victory of the season.
\n\tCason Goodman<\/a> leads UC Davis with six points on two goals and two assists, starting all 12 matches.
\n\tChase Tanon<\/a> has two goals on the season and ranks 1st in the Big West in shot accuracy (.455) and shots on goal per game (1.00).
\n\tZack Lillington<\/a> has contributed one goal and two assists while leading the team with 27 shots, ranking 2nd in the Big West in shots per game (2.45).
\n\tGavin House<\/a> has added a goal and two assists from his center back position and is one of four Aggies with multiple assists this season.
\n\tGabriel Haggerty<\/a> has recorded a goal and an assist, including the game-winning goal against CSUN.
\n\tOffensively, UC Davis has totaled 159 shots across 12 matches (13.25 per game), ranking 3rd in the Big West and 67th nationally, and holds a .365 shot-on-goal percentage.
\n\tThe Aggies also rank 3rd in the Big West and 67th nationally in corner kicks per game (5.25).
\n\tDefensively, UC Davis owns a 1.33 goals-against average, ranking 5th in the Big West, and sits 4th in the conference in save percentage (.738).
\n\tNoah Schwengeler<\/a> has started 11 matches in goal, totaling 37 saves (3rd in the Big West) with a 1.20 goals-against average (4th) and a .755 save percentage (2nd).<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Roadrunners have scored eight goals this season and rank 7th in the conference in shots per game (10.42)
\n\tGoalkeeper Zenden Hart has logged over 1,080 minutes with 35 saves (6th in the Big West) and a 1.67 goals-against average
\n\tCSU Bakersfield has recorded consecutive shutouts and earned points in four straight league matches
\n\tUC Riverside enters the week 3-5-4 overall and 1-2-1 in Big West play
\n\tThe Highlanders rank 1st in the Big West and 63rd nationally in assists per game (1.67), 4th in scoring offense (1.25 goals per game), and 2nd in shot accuracy (.396)
\n\tThey’ve totaled 20 assists and 15 goals this season, with Eric Martinez tied for 2nd in the league with four assists
\n\tGoalkeeper Andrew Hermosillo ranks 6th in the Big West with a 1.50 goals-against average and .694 save percentage<\/p>\n
\n\tPreseason Honors: Seniors Cason Goodman<\/a> and Zack Lillington<\/a> headline the Aggies’ preseason accolades. Both were named to the Big West Preseason Coaches’ Team and United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch list. Goodman, the 2024 Big West Tournament MVP, scored 11 goals with 25 points, while Lillington anchored the Aggies with 18 starts, one goal, and four assists.
\n\tHermann Trophy Watchlist: Cason Goodman<\/a> was named to the 2025 Hermann Trophy Watch List. The Hermann Trophy, presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club, is considered the top individual award in college soccer and honors the National Player of the Year as voted on by Division I head coaches who are members of United Soccer Coaches.\u00a0
\n\t2025 Big West Poll: The Aggies were picked to finish third in the Big West preseason poll despite receiving the most first-place votes (69 points), narrowly behind UC Santa Barbara (73) and Cal Poly (71).
\n\tNational Spotlight: UC Davis will face Cal Poly in a primetime showdown on Oct. 1, live on ESPNU, marking a rematch of last season’s Big West semifinal.
\n\tUnder the Lights: Aggie Soccer Field hosted its first-ever night matches this spring following the completion of a $4.4 million lighting project shared with Dobbins Baseball Stadium. The defending champions will now officially begin their title defense under permanent lights.
\n\tProgram Legacy: UC Davis men’s soccer has established itself as one of the Big West’s premier programs under head coach Dwayne Shaffer<\/a>, who enters his 29th season in 2025. Shaffer has guided the Aggies through their transition from Division II to Division I, a period in which the program was not eligible for postseason competition, yet still has elevated the Aggies to national relevance. Under his leadership, UC Davis has made five NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2007, 2008, 2019, 2024) and reached five Big West Championship finals in the last seven years. A four-time conference coach of the year, Shaffer has amassed 258 wins at UC Davis and 317 career victories, ranking among the top 15 winningest active Division I coaches.
\n\tVeteran Leadership: The 2025 squad features an experienced senior class led by captains Luke Goodman<\/a> and Cason Goodman<\/a>, along with Lillington, Andrew Dutra<\/a>, Gavin House<\/a>, Noah Schwengeler<\/a>, Chase Tanon<\/a>, and Jason Hsu<\/a>.
\n\tRising Talent: Sophomore defender Carson Hammond<\/a>, a 2024 Big West All-Freshman selection, headlines the strong group of underclassmen expected to play a big role.
\n\tNew Additions: UC Davis welcomes 10 newcomers in 2025, blending transfers and freshmen into a 29-man roster.
\n\tAmong the 10 newcomers, three of them are transfers in Saul Tecle<\/a> (Las Positas JC), Ben Elkins<\/a> (Gonzaga), and Gabriel Sanchez<\/a> (Sonoma State).
\n\tUC Davis’ other newcomers include Derrick Green<\/a>, Jackson Richardson<\/a>, Nami Banks<\/a>, Caelan Kellett<\/a>, Josh Gault, Cole McLemore<\/a>, and Kota Brown<\/a>.
\n\tAssociate Head Coach Jason Hotaling<\/a> returns for his 21st season, recognized nationally among the top assistants in collegiate soccer. He has been instrumental in recruiting, scouting, and goalkeeper development while helping UC Davis to four NCAA Tournament appearances and the program’s first Big West double in 2019.
\n\tAssistant Coach Cayden Hotaling<\/a> joins the Aggies in 2025 after a playing career at Chico State.
\n\tColumbus Crew Star: Former Aggie standout Max Arfsten has emerged as one of the top young American professionals, winning the 2023 MLS Cup with the Columbus Crew, earning a spot in the 2025 MLS All-Star Game, and starring for the U.S. Men’s National Team at the Gold Cup.
\n\tContinued Pipeline: Keegan Walwyn-Bent<\/a> became the latest Aggie to sign professionally in 2025 with The Town FC of MLS Next Pro, continuing a recent pipeline that includes Arfsten, and Ethan Hoard, who recently signed with FK Jedinstvo Ub of the Serbian SuperLiga.
\n\tDeveloping Professionals: UC Davis has now produced three consecutive classes with professional signees, continuing the program’s strong reputation for developing talent that competes at the next level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Story Links
DAVIS, Calif. \u2014\u00a0UC Davis men’s soccer looks to keep its momentum going after a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7205,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,153,152],"class_list":["post-8732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}