Crump scores game-winner vs. SDSU

October 5, 2015

After outshooting San Diego State 6-3 during the first half of Sunday’s non-conference match at Aggie Soccer Field, freshman forward Crystal Crump scored the only goal of the day in the 51st minute to help UC Davis defeat the Aztecs, 1-0, and open a season-long four-match homestand in a positive manner.

Women’s soccer will enter Saturday’s match vs. Saint Mary’s, the final tune-up before the start of Big West play, with a 6-3-1 record. San Diego State, winners of the last three Mountain West Conference regular season and tournament titles, is now 4-3.

“To face another formidable opponent, on the same weekend after playing Stanford, we knew that we needed to stick to the game plan. Today’s result was based on which team was able to execute the best. I think today we did, and I am super proud of everyone,” said UC Davis head coach Twila Kaufman.

Alexis Smith finished the match with four saves and collected her sixth shutout of the season. With nine regular season matches still remaining, the freshman goalkeeper needs just one more clean sheet to match a program record set by Kelly Parker in 1998, and matched byMegan Daws in 2006.

Smith is currently tied for third with six other Aggie netminders.

Even though women’s soccer was denied its first goal on multiple occasions throughout the first half thanks to the efforts of Aztec goalkeeper Melanie Vaughn, she had zero chance of stopping Crump’s shot, one of a team-high three recorded throughout the afternoon.

Sensing that SDSU would try to pull Crump offsides, Ana Marija Sola launched a deep ball outside the 18-yard box to her teammate. Even though the Aztecs made a valid attempt, the deft placement of Sola’s pass, and Crump’s timing was better because the Aggies were able to create a one-on-one scoring opportunity.

After taking a step to improve her scoring angle, Crump punched her shot past a diving goalkeeper into the right-hand side of the goal.

“I heard [the Aztecs] yelling offsides, but kept running towards the ball once Ana Marija kicked it downfield. Once I slipped the defender, I knew that everybody was behind me.

“After I kicked the ball, I was thrilled that it hit the back of the net. I saw the ‘keeper approach me and wanted to capitalize on this scoring opportunity,” added Crump.

The game-winner is Crump’s first as an Aggie.

“Crystal is just starting to hit her stride as a forward. Who she will become as a 22-year-old vs. an 18-year-old is an incredible thing to think about. She has a bright future, I think she is going to be one of the most prolific goal scorers in the conference in time,” added Kaufman.

Led by Rachel Smith with two, five different Aggies have now lifted the Aggies to victory this season — a total that is one shy of the total posted by the 2011 squad.

That season, six different players scored a game-winning goal. If this past weekend is any indication with the way the Aggies competed at No. 6 Stanford, one of the top programs in the nation, and San Diego State, the top team in a conference filled with numerous teams respected by fans and pundits from across the nation, this year’s roster will set a new benchmark sooner than later.

“This is a huge win, but I think the way we played at Stanford two days ago helped us today. We played a great match, on their field; the program took a step up that night and that became a new starting point for this team,” added Kaufman.

“This win means a lot because it shows that we are moving forward as a program. This was a great win, especially in front of our fans,” said Crump.

UC Davis’ homestand will continue on Saturday, Sept. 26, when Saint Mary’s visits Aggie Soccer Field for the first time since 2009.