DAVIS, Calif. - - Ashley Edwards began and finished the Aggies' scoring on Sunday afternoon while Lexi Poppoff's goal 19 seconds into the second half was the eventual game-winner, as the UC Davis women's soccer team remained unbeaten with a 3-1 nonconference win visiting over San Jose State.

The Aggies improved to 3-0-1 while San Jose State, which picked up a goal from Mikaella Meibock, dropped to 2-2-1. Kiele Argente, Kirstin Holmberg and Poppoff each had assists for UC Davis.

Quick goals at the start of each half ignited UC Davis with Edwards taking a pass from Argente, spinning and firing a shot from approximately 30 yards out that found the top right corner of the goal less than five minutes into the game. Meibock's fourth goal of the season tied the contest in the 22nd minute when she put in a loose ball off a corner kick.

With the game tied 1-1 to start the second half, the Aggies took the lead for good just seconds in when Holmberg passed ahead to Poppoff on a breakaway who beat Spartans' goalkeeper Emily Pryor to make it 2-1.

"Getting a goal early in the first half is helpful, it changed the half," said Aggie coach Maryclaire Robinson. "Getting that goal early, early in the second half kind of set the tone, gave us a little breathing room and allowed us to play with a little more confidence and go forward."

UC Davis maintained the one-goal lead for the next 40 minutes before Edwards struck again, this time taking Poppoff's pass and using her left foot to score from 20 yards. She leads the Aggies with three goals. 

Taylor Jern made four saves in goal - including a 1-v-1 stop in the first half - for UC Davis on Sunday while Emily Pryor had three for the Spartans. The Aggies outshot San Jose State 18-9 and held a 6-2 advantage on corner kicks.

"I thought Emily Irion played one of the best games she has in the midfield for us," said Robinson. "And that was a huge impact. Yes, the team is jelling but there's opportunities for a lot of qualities to step up and be impactful. Today was Ashley's day, Emily Irion played well, Lexi Poppoff got in behind and so it was kind of a collection. If we can be goal scorers by committee, that's just going to be fantastic."

UC Davis returns to Aggie Soccer Field on Friday when it hosts California at 5 p.m.

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