NCAA College Cup Live Blog: Cal 2-1 UC Davis

Preamble: And they said UC Davis and Cal would never play football against each other. Of course this probably wasn’t the sort of football they (whoever they are) had it mind. We are here high atop ancient Edwards Stadium, for UC Davis’ first-ever Division I postseason game. It’s fitting, in a way, that it would come against the Bears from Berkeley. This is one of those in-the-family clashes UCD had in mind when it made the move to D-I. I’ve never been in Edwards before. The view from the top row is fabulous, with the Berkeley Hills, clocktower, Haas Pavilion and Bancroft Street visible without any real effort. The stadium itself is cavernous. Cal averaged 474 fans per game.

The Aggies are a fantastic story. In their first season of postseason eligibility, they reached the postseason by finishing second in a strong Big West. They did it with a direct attacking mindset, emphasizing substance over style. UCD head coach Dwayne Shaffer said he didn’t expect to make any changes from that style. Cal is a well-organized team that is difficult to break down. The best case scenario for the Aggies would be to scrape an early goal and then settle in. Easier said than done. The Bears are in their seventh straight postseason and haven’t lost in the first round since 2001.

The way this works is that I will be updating things at the top of the page as the game goes along. So the newest stuff will be up top. This format (although not my wit) is stolen from The Guardian in England, who does this sort of thing for big matches.

Anyway here’s some housekeeping: The winner gets a date on Nov. 28 at 11th-seed Virginia Tech. No. 6 Brown, No. 3 Connecticut and No. 14 Akron are the other seeded teams in this section of the draw. The College Cup will be awarded on Dec. 16 in Cary, N.C. live on ESPN2. The NCAA would also like you to know it has a website, which can be found at ncaa.org.

1:10 p.m. It looks like there will be a pretty solid crowd. I see a lot of people in UC Davis shirts. The Aggies will be in dark blue. The Bears were required to wear white by the NCAA. It's a windy day here in Berkeley, which probably will benefit the team that can keep the ball on ground.

1:15 p.m. They have run out of game programs, which suggests a fairly nice crowd.

1:25 p.m.: The teams have taken the field, and after a slight delay the national anthem starts. The PA announcer reminds everyone for the third time that no artificial noisemakers are allowed. I'd say UCD's fans are louder and more present, although we'll see what happens once the game starts.

1 min: UCD kicks off. They will be playing into the wind in the first half. The first Division I team postseason in school history is under way

2 mins: There's still a long line of people waiting to get in. UCD has tried a couple of attacks down the flanks, but so far haven't really looked dangerous

3 min: Cal gets the first set piece opportunity after a foul about 35 yards from goal. Andrew Jacobson's long serve into the UCD penalty area bounces over the end line.

5 mins: First dangerous chance goes to Cal. Jacobson is sent in on a nifty one-two, but the pass is too strong and he has no angle when he gains possession in the Aggie area. His shot goes wide on the short side.

6 mins: Quincy Amarikwa wins a long serve off a free kick from midfield, but his shot sails wide.

7 mins: Midfielder Ian Conklin saves a goal on the far post on a header after a long throw in. Cal looks the more dangerous team right now.

10 mins: Good end-to-end action here. Dylan Curtis finds some space in the middle of the penalty area, but can't get much on his shot. On the other end, Cal has some possession, before Quincy Amarikwa dispossesses.

12 mins: More danger in the UCD penalty area. A soft forward ball for Javier Ayala-Hil eluded GK Ryan McCowan, but Jake Mogelson was there to clear it. Cal has looked more dangerous going forward

15 mins: Some nifty step over action by Amarikwa creates a chance for Conklin, whose attempt is dealt with by the Bears' back line.

18 mins: UCD continues to try and hoof it forward for Amarikwa, who is doing a good job of holding the ball up against multiple defenders. As I write that. Dylan Curtis steals a lazy pass at midfield and rips off a dangerous run. Sule Anibaba is a second late and can't get to the cross.

20 mins: Great chance for UCD. Paul Cain's long throw is picked up by Amarikwa along the end line. He makes a nifty move to cut around his defender. The Cal GK can't handle the cross and it rolls out to Ahmad Hatfie, whose shot from 20 yards sails high. Still a nice opportunity.

22 mins: Amarikwa wins a corner, which is long, but turns into a shot attempt, by someone I didn't see. Cal's counter attack is ruled offside. The game is seriously picking up.

23 mins: Another corner for UCD. Dylan Curtis' ball reaches Paul Cain at the far post, whose shot is handled well by Stefan Frei. Now's it's Cal hoofing it forward and the Aggie attack is buzzing.

25 mins: Sule Anibaba's name goes into the book after clipping Javier Ayala-Hil about 35 yards from goal. It was a scoring chance, so it makes sense. The free kick goes out for a corner, which is cleared by UCD's Nicholas Lind.

27 mins: Amarikwa wins a long ball to Nicholas Lind, who fired wide. UCD is outshooting Cal 5-2

29 mins: Things have slowed down a bit as the goalkeepers take turns booting long balls down field. Nothing much in terms of build up, but UCD wins its third corner off one of those long plays.

30 mins: And it's a dangerous one as Sule Anibaba meets Dylan Curtis's inswinger with a header that flies over the ball

GOAL 33 mins Andrew Jacobson Cal 1-0 UCD A brilliant strike from about 30 yards on a ball that looked like nothing. The senior midfielder picked out the top corner. It may be against the run of play, but now the Aggies have some work to do.

34 mins: Now the Bears are buzzing. Davis Paul has a dangerous chance and Bears have some extended possession.

35 mins: Jacobson, the goal scorer, goes into the book after clattering into Amarikwa along the sideline. The forward had gone all the way back to end Cal's run of possession. It was a late challenge after the ball had already gone out of bounds. The free kick comes to nothing.

36 mins: A nifty ball springs Cal's leading scorer, Andrew Weideman, down the left side. He dekes his way past one defender and fires a dangerous curling shot over the crossbar.

39 mins: Ahmad Hatfie wins the ball with some nifty work at midfield and Amarikwa wins a corner. It's played short to Hatfie, whose curling ball from 25 yards way is dealt with easily.

41 mins: Amarikwa continues to give the Bears defense fits. He wins a no-hope long ball then turns it into a corner. Then he's there at the far post on the inswinger, but his boot directs the ball over the bar.

43 mins: UCD's best chance of the first half goes begging. Paul Marcoux runs onto a long ball down the left channel and is alone with the keeper. His shot from a tough angle nestles into the side netting on the wrong side of the crossbar.

45 mins: One of those great moments you only see in college soccer. UCD wins a corner with 30 seconds left in the half. The ball has started to bounce away onto the track, but an Aggie tracks it down and boots it into the penalty area before time can expire. The disorder actually briefly looks promising.

Halftime: UCD goes into the half down a goal, but it seemed to me as though it had the better of the play. Cal’s goal was a nice piece of individual skill and the ball seemed to duck in under the crossbar. The Aggies will have the wind at their back in the second half, so it will be interesting to see if that changes things.

46 mins: The teams are back on the field. Cal will kick off going into the wind.

48 mins: UCD wins the ball in Cal's half, and Amarikwa leaves the ball for Lind, who runs onto it from 25 yards and the shot skips wide.

49 mins: Cal's Pat Marion steals the ball on the right wing and starts a dangerous run forward. It ends with the someone (I didn't see who) driving the ball over the UCD goal. But it was a nice chance.

50 mins: Nick Lind sprints through the Cal defense, beating a couple of defenders to win UCD's ninth corner. Wiedeman, back to defend, blocks Matt Slagle's header with his own head. Cal takes possession on the counterattack.

51 mins: Amarikwa continues to inflict trouble on Cal. Coming up the right, his through-pass finds Sule Anibaba a step offside. It appears UCD has moved moved Anibaba into a more forward position.

55 mins: Great save by UCD's McCowan. The Aggies were pushed far forward and Javier Ayala-Hill set up a great counter opportunity for Luke Sassano, alone in the middle of the penalty area. The defender's shot appears ticketed for the far corner, but the McCowan kicked it away for a corner.

58 mins: Both keepers take turns being caught out on long balls. First Cal's Stefen Frei has to punch the ball away from Amarikwa, barreling in on a bouncer. Then McCowan runs 30 yards to prevent Ayala-Hill from controlling a loose ball. UCD is holding the ball more, but Cal looks really dangerous on the counterattack.

62 mins: Cal wins a corner, which goes whizzing dangerously through the penalty area. It falls to Wiedeman, whose curling shot can’t quite tuck inside the far post. The Bears are getting closer, the Aggies appear to have hit a lull at a bad time. UCD coach Dwayne Shaffer sends in four substitutes.

64 mins: Amarikwa tries to answer with a long-range effort of his own, but the low line drive shot is not on target.

66 mins: Amarikwa wins another ball in traffic, but his from 20 yards is handled relatively easily. Cal looks fairly comfortable in defense unless Amarikwa is running at them.

67 mins: Jacobson plays Servando Carrasco into open space on the left side of the UCD penalty area, but McCowan easily handles the crossface shot.

69 mins: Cal brings on Patrick Dolan, bringing our Mohawk count to two (UCD's Sule Anibaba is the other).

72 mins: Paul Marcoux drives another long range shot that forces a diving save from Frei. Then the Aggies create a great chance down the left side, but the header attempt by Chris Leer sails just high. Two great chances, but UCD can't seem to finish.

GOAL UCD Amarikwa 75 Cal 1-1 UCD Amarikwa heads home a really, really long throw in from Paul Cain. The ball came from about 30 yards away and Amarikwa latched onto it from about four yards out and beat Frei. Now we have a game.

76 mins: And Cal nearly answers right away. A series of corner kicks leads to a couple of great opportunities. UCD doesn't look all that steady at the back. It needs to be going forward.

77 mins: The Aggies break out from Cal siege and nearly put themselves up. Paul Marcoux, make a great run down the right side and picks out Amarikwa in the penalty area. His header is caught by Frei. End-to-end stuff.

85 mins: Cal just missed going ahead. Carrasco latches onto a cross and his header just missed high. Then Carrasco hits the crossbar on a great opportunity. UCD is hanging on for dear life.

86 mins: And then the Aggies just miss. Chris Leer runs onto a long ball down the right, creates some space and fires it just wide. Leer is set in again moments later by Amarikwa and the shot goes high.

88 mins: Nice free kick from a dangerous position is lofted in by Jacobson. UCD is there.

90 mins: Cal's last chance comes to nothing and we're headed to overtime.

Overtime: This has been a thrilling second half. Here's the format for extra time, two 10-minute periods with the first goal winning. If it isn't settled then, the match will be decided by a penalty kick shoot out.

91 mins: Cal kicks off to start the first overtime period. UCD will have the wind.

92 mins: Carrasco, who has been Cal's most dangerous offensive player in the second half, is injured attempting to dispossess Amarikwa who is working in the corner. The Aggies will have throw-in in a position of genuine danger about 15 yards from goal line when the game starts again.

92 mins: Cain's long throw is handled by Frei and Cal takes over going forward.

94 mins: Wiedeman takes a long pass, but has too many Aggie defenders to get through and is dispossessed. At the other end, Anibaba wins a free kick for UCD about 40 yards away.

96 mins: For a moment it looks as though Chris Leer had been sent forward down the left side, but Leer's second touch lets him down and Cal is able to take it away.

97 mins: A long ball comes to Amarikwa, who is onside, but he’s knocked over in the penalty area as he tried to get the ball onto his right foot. UCD gives a penalty shout, but it’s not answered. Probably the right decision.

100 mins: The overtime break.

101 mins: Dylan Curtis steals a lazy cross field pass and puts the Aggies on the attack. His pass into the middle is just behind Amarikwa and the threat ends.

102 mins: Jacobson sprints down the right and his shot is directed out.

GOAL Wiedeman 102 mins Cal 2-1 UCD McCowan comes out to try and punch away Luke Sassano's long throw in and doesn't get a good shot on it. It falls to Cal's leading scorer, whose ball meanders between the two Aggies guarding the far post to end the game.