$750,000 BASE SALARY. That doesn’t talk about incentives, “moving allowances”, and things of that nature.

I don’t follow other schools, so I didn’t know that. Probably depends on the new coach and if he was able to bring in some players.

Kind of like Traci Joyner leaving and taking 5-6 transfers and 2-3 recruits with her. If the current UCD WSOC team had those several starters - 4 of whom are among the top XI at Oregon - I doubt our record would be 1-2-2. Plus one of the recruits is the top sub. It probably will take Kat Mertz a couple of years to rebuild our WSOC program.

More about perception, perhaps.

The WCC is a good landing place, as well as an upgrade, for UCSD - and UCI, if they're moving. It's a non-football conference, with basketball and soccer as the headline sports. The big difference is enrollment. The other WCC schools are small, religiously affiliated schools. In the long run, UCSD could become like the 800lb. gorilla in the chimpanzee exhibit.

I remember listening to the basketball game in which UCD won the D2 national championship. The enrollment differential was all the announcers talked about. Similar thing here.

An improved outing last night on the road vs. Pacific. Still need to work on discipline, as UCD had 2x as many fouls as UOP, gave up 3 more corners than we won, and had 2 offsides to none for the Tigers.

I like that Mertz is playing lots of people in the first two games, including two goalies for a half each. Traci Joyner is an outstanding coach, but one criticism I had was that she plays field starters too much. That trend is continuing in her first two games at Oregon. And only gave one goalie any playing time at all.

Mertz is having to deal with the fallout from that now. Only 5 of the Aggies' returning players had anything close to significant playing time under Joyner. In addition to the lack of truly experienced players returning this season, research indicates that greater playing time potentially compromises running performance during late season and postseason competition. Maybe partly why Davis didn't get over the hump in the Big West Tournament.

From my own coaching experience, I believe players need actual game experience as well as practice time to develop optimally. And, if players know they really can or will get regular, significant playing time, they work harder in practice. Not just for the opportunity, but to prepare themselves to take advantage of it.

Virtual scheduling?

“As part of the Palm Springs Holiday Invitational, UC Davis will play road games at Nevada (Nov. 18), and Colorado (Nov. 21), before closing the event at home against Louisiana (Nov. 24).”

No games actually in the city that is “hosting” the event. Too bad; Palm Springs is pretty nice that time of year.

A disappointing game last night. 7 offsides calls (to zero) and 12 fouls (to 8) really hurt. Need to be more disciplined.

Uhh...something called home field advantage.

Why would UCD, in essence, want to give that away to the "visiting team", just so more of the opponents' fans could attend the game?

Great to see the WBB back on thew practice court!

I don'y know if Title IX is necessarily a bigger factor, but I'm sure it's significant, when deciding what new sports to offer, or which to consider cutting.

Remember that baseball, not football, was known for decades as "the national pastime". I imagine all the MW schools have a long history of a baseball program...probably sons following fathers and grandfathers playing in the program. That's a strong support system for continuing baseball. And, like here in Montana where we have our summer cabin, baseball is still extremely popular. Lots of the low-level minor leagues are located in Midwest and Great Plains towns, and there's lots of semipro or town teams. So it's imbedded in the culture here.

Soccer is still a newbie in many areas. While popular, it doesn't have the history or the generations of people who have played the game. Even in CA, where our 7th grade granddaughter plays for a strong Sacramento area club, many of the parents are totally new to the game. Being a longtime residents of Davis, that still always surprises us.

Here in NW Montana, soccer has become quite popular, mostly due to the sustained success of the Montana WSOC team, which is usually at or near the top of the Big Sky Conference. But it has in no way diminished the support for local minor league and semipro baseball teams. And neither Montana, nor Montana State sponsor baseball, though Montana does has softball.

Actually, looking at GCC standings over the last several years, Azusa Pacific generally holds its own. Surprisingly, Santa Clara is often at or neat the bottom of the conference.

The GCC will actually be a tough schedule - California Baptist, Fresno State, Loyola Marymount, University of the Pacific, San Diego State, San Jose State and Santa Clara. Only Azusa Pacific, a D2 school, might be a weak member.

I think that not offering both a men’s and a women’s team in sports like soccer and water polo is more likely linked tp Title IX. A sport like football creates an over-abundance of roster opportunities for men. There’s no comparable sport for women in terms of roster size. Schools have to otherwise cut back on men’s teams they may have the facilities for in order to equalize the opportunities. I think that’s why you see relatively fewer men’s volleyball and gymnastics programs at the college level.

With the announcement of the Women's Water Polo team moving to the Golden Coast Conference in 2026-27, the only UCD program currently remaining in the Big West is Men's Soccer.

What they may like is that Sac State might keep one or two LA high school players from going to another BIG10 or an SEC school, and coming back to haunt the Trojans. Remember that USC cancelled a contract to play UC Davis in 2021...and happily paid to do so.

Sac State very probably won't be on the Trojan schedule anytime soon, so the Hornets are no threat.

In an interview (I think on the BIG Mountain Podcast?), prior to the House settlement, Rocko said that UCD would not opt in for 25-26 because they were going to honor commitments to all students currently on team rosters. The plan was to opt in once those student-athletes graduated. That interview was posted somewhere here on Aggie Sports Talk.
Since the settlement I've heard that Davis would opt in since existing student-athletes were grandfathered in. But I haven't seen or heard any official announcement.

Corrected.

Typo. Despite proofreading, that one slipped by.

I think you’ve built a theory with too many holes. Your thesis seems to be that Sac State has the capacity and intent to provide a culturally supportive environment for Black athletes, and will become a de facto [H]BCU within the CSU system.

1) To be meaningful and effective, a culturally supportive environment for Black athletes has to be based on a culturally supportive environment for all Black students. Black student enrollment at Sac State in 2024 was 7%. More than the other schools you listed, but I’m not sure it’s a significant difference. I certainly don’t think that it’s enough to provide the type of environment you’re talking about. The University of Mississippi has a Black student enrollment of 12%. The University of South Carolina has 15% (Journal of Blacks in Higher Education). I suspect that a survey of those campuses might not reflect a particularly culturally supportive environment for Black students.

Yes, Sac State has been recognized by the State Assembly as California’s first Black-serving institution, and should be congratulated for its efforts to increase Black student enrollment and graduation rates. However, Sac has previously been designated Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. With the reality of budget, cuts, faculty layoffs, class cancellations and increases in student fees that are occurring, new initiatives like the Black Honors College will be impacted, as will students from underserved populations. There will be completion for the decreasing available funding.

It also runs counter to the current Federal approach to education. A Black Honors College is very likely to be seen in Washington as a DEI program, which could imperial Federal funding at Sac State and possibly the entire CSU system. Even the hiring “a Majority of Black coaches in football and basketball” could be cause for a Federal investigation in the current climate. Sad, but that’s the reality.

2) Sac State is largely a commuter college. Less than 10% of Sac State students live on campus, which has to make it a challenge to create any type of student-centered campus identity.

3) The new identity that you’re saying is being developed at Sac State would be top-down driven. That is always artificial, and seldom becomes self-sustaining. To be authentic, any cultural environment is evolutionary and almost always bottom-up. Since the intent of CSU enrollment has always been to primarily serve a geographically local student population, there’s going to be a limit on the growth of the Black student population. Hispanic/Latino students make up the largest ethnic group at Sac State (38%). I doubt that will change, so if anything a culturally supportive environment for Hispanic/Latino students and athletes will predominate. Futbol everyone!!

4) Your current thesis seems to also run counter to your previous thesis that the new paradigm in sports is that of athletes and coaches (and probably administrators like AD’s and presidents) will be made up of people who ARE NOT personally committed to an institution. Rather they are committed to building their brand and maximizing financial/personal gain. They will immediately move to wherever the best offer is made. That means athletes, coaches, and administrators will not stay at an institution. I don’t believe that a revolving door of people can build or sustain a positive, supportive environment for athletes, regardless of their ethnicity.

The UCD Women’s Soccer Team begins preseason practice at the end of the month, and opens the season at home against Fresno State on August 14. New coach Kat Mertz and her staff will welcome 25 players, including All Big West Honorees Genevieve Fontes (1st Team - Midfield) and Sarah Canavan (Honorable Mention - Forward ), both redshirt seniors.

Hoping to build off the success of the last two seasons in both of which the Aggies finished 2nd in regular season play and reached the Big West Tournament Semifinal, Mertz faces a significant rebuilding task. Not only did Davis lose key graduating seniors, but several other top contributors followed departed coach Tracey Hamm to the University of Oregon, as did three of the Aggies’ 2025 commits.

Departed Players:

Goalkeeper Caeley Goldstein (graduate) played every minute for the Aggies the last 3 years, saving 80% of Shots on Goal and recording a 1.06 Goals Against average. That included 19 clean sheets in 57 games. Goldstein was originally hired as a graduate assistant at Oregon but was recently granted an 6th year of eligibility. She will likely start in goal for the Ducks.
2024 All West 2nd Team

Goalkeeper Gia Kiesling (redshirt freshman) did not play in her only season at UCD, but had Goldstein not been granted the additional year of eligibility, may well have been the starting keeper for the Ducks this season.

Defender Jayde Holley (redshirt senior). Holley missed the 2023 season due to injury. Otherwise she started 55 games (of 57) over her 3 years on the pitch, averaging 85 mpg.
2021 Big West Conference All-Freshman Team
2021 All-Big West Conference 2nd Team
2022 All-Big West Conference 1st Team
2022 All West Region 3rd Team
2024 All Big West Conference 1st Team
2024 All West 1st Team

Defender Taylor Dever (senior) played in 40 of 58 games during her 3 years at Davis, including starting all 20 last season, in which she averaged 88 mpg.

Defender Elise Picard (redshirt sophomore) started 22 consecutive games for the Aggies, averaging 76 mpg, before going down with a season-ending injury in the 3rd game last season.
2023 Big West Conference All-Freshman Team

What might have been the Aggie defense is completely decimated. Holley, Dever, Picard and graduated senior Bella Mayo (who played every minute) were the Aggies’ starting backline in front of Goldstein for every game last season, until Picard was injured.

Midfielder Abella Hunter (sophomore) played in all 20 games in her only season as an Aggie, averaging 46 mpg. Hunter for third leading scorer for Davis with 4 goals.
2024 Big West Conference All-Freshman Team

Recruits Who Recommitted to Oregon:

Forward Miya Alamares - Davis HS/Davis Legacy. 3-Star prospect/Top Drawer Soccer. Was in camp with the U.S. National U-17 team that finished third at the 2024 FIFA World Cup.

Forward Selah Simms - 3-Star prospect/Top Drawer Soccer. Liberty HS (Brentwood)/Lamorinda SC. 4 year track letter winner (sprints & hurdles); North Coast Meet of Champions qualifier.

Forward Addison Boyer - Oak Harbor WA/Seattle United. 3-Star Prospect/Top Drawer Soccer. Club team was ECNL champion in 2023-24 & 2023 Surf Cup Best of the Best finalist. 4 year state qualifier in track (sprints).

Given her relatively late hire, Mertz had little time (or choice) to recruit from the transfer portal or rebuild the recruiting class, though she was able to bring in some new faces in each category. The upside for this season’s roster is it’s a completely new slate. Players who didn’t get much time on the pitch will have an opportunity to step up, as will the incoming freshmen.

NOTE: Those are "3 to 5 stars" players who didn't shine at a previous stop or stops. So they still have to live up to that rating.

And even if they do, the fact that they were "varsity players" playing a "JV schedule" might lessen whatever they accomplish in the eyes of scouts/recruiters (for individual players), or conferences that Sac might be interested in joining. Damned if they do, damned if they don't situation.