Heart and hustle from freshman forward Crystal Crump led to the first goal scored in Friday’s non-conference matchup against Nevada, three UC Davis shots nearly found the back of the net after deflecting off the crossbar, or either post, and two diving saves prevented the Aggies from scoring the game-winning goal in front of 387 fans at Aggie Soccer Field.

Tied at 1-1 after regulation, the Wolf Pack handed UC Davis a loss in its first overtime match of the year after scoring the game-winner on a penalty kick with 3:35 remaining.

UC Davis will enter Sunday’s 12 p.m. road match at Pacific with a 5-2 overall record, Nevada will return to Reno with a 1-3-3 mark. 

Entering the last of a three-match homestand, the Aggies carried their school-record four-match shutout streak and five-match win streak — a Division I-era mark that was originally set by the 2011 team — with them to Friday’s contest.

Early in the match, Sienna Drizin brought all Aggie fans to their feet in excitement after taking her first shot from the day. Punched towards the goal from 10 yards out, Drizin’s shot hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced off the turf before hitting the left post. By that time, UC Davis soccer fans, players and coaches celebrated the senior defender’s efforts as all three groups thought the ball crossed the end line. 

Unfortunately for the Aggies, by the time a Wolf Pack defender cleared the ball to safety, everyone realized that a goal was not awarded, and play needed to continue.

Nearly three minutes later, women’s soccer officially took a 1-0 lead thanks to Crump’s heads-up effort and hustle.

What started with a broken play on a UC Davis scoring opportunity quickly became an Aggie corner kick after Crump raced from the opposite side of the field towards a slow-rolling ball that looked as if it was heading out of bounds — or so every Nevada player thought. Once Crump gained possession, a Wolf Pack defender was forced to match up against her in the near corner.

After extending the Aggies’ possession on that play, Crump kicked the ball towards the center of the field to set up another Aggie scoring opportunity. 

Mari Pastor took full advantage of her teammate’s hustle by launching a shot on goal. After that attempt bounced off the right post back into play, Lindsay Johansen found Crump on the opposite side of the six-yard box.

Within 30 seconds, a play that began as a mistimed pass turned into Crump’s first collegiate goal. 

Even though Nevada was able to turn a 1-0, halftime deficit into a 1-1 tie after scoring in the 56th minute, the Aggies nearly regained the lead on two occasions throughout the second half. 

In the 78th minute, Haley Hughes nearly curled a shot around Nevada netminder Kelsey Quintos, who needed every inch of her body to collect the senior forward’s shot after diving on the ground to her left.

In the waning seconds of regulation, Damian also tested Quintos with a blast from 12 yards out in an attempt to score the game-winner. As was the case with Hughes’ effort, Quintos needed to hit the ground and dive to her left to stop another dangerous UC Davis shot. Unlike her teammate, Damian’s shot was not collected by Quintos and squirted out of her outstretched hands due to the sheer velocity of the kick. As the crowd gasped, Quintos crawled towards, and pounced on top of the ball mere inches in front of the end line as the horn blared, signaling an end to regulation. 

Even though UC Davis recorded 14 shots to Nevada’s eight, it was the Wolf Pack’s final attempt that brought a sudden conclusion to the events that unfolded at Aggie Soccer Field.

Moments before that decisive strike, a Nevada player hit the turf inside the 18-yard box and drew a penalty kick.

Leading up to that whistle was a play that involved numerous players from both teams converging on a floating cross just inside the penalty area. As is the case when numerous players leave their feet in an attempt to head to the ball to safety, or towards the goal depending on which team one plays for, contact was created when bodies collided with one another.

Unfortunately for UC Davis, the one Nevada player that crashed to the turf ended up drawing, what ultimately became, the game’s decisive scoring opportunity. 

That play set up the game-winning penalty kick, a shot that snapped two UC Davis streaks and allowed Nevada to escape Davis with a victory.

The Aggies will return to action Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m. when women’s soccer visits Stockton to face the Pacific Tigers. Fans can follow the action from Knoles Field online through live stats or a free video stream; links for each are available at ucdavisaggies.com.