UC Davis Aggies men's soccer
| UC Davis Aggies men's soccer | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1972 | ||
| University | University of California, Davis | ||
| Head coach | Dwayne Shaffer (28th season) | ||
| Conference | Big West | ||
| Location | Davis, California, US | ||
| Stadium | Aggie Soccer Field (capacity: 1,000) | ||
| Nickname | Aggies | ||
| Colors | Yale blue and gold[1] | ||
| |||
| NCAA tournament Quarterfinals | |||
| Division II: 1976 | |||
| NCAA tournament Round of 16 | |||
| Division II: 1976 | |||
| NCAA tournament Round of 32 | |||
| Division I: 2008, 2019 Division II: 1973, 1976 | |||
| NCAA tournament appearances | |||
| Division I: 2007, 2008, 2019, 2024 Division II: 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977 | |||
| Conference tournament championships | |||
| 2019, 2024 | |||
| Conference regular season championships | |||
| 1999, 2001, 2012, 2017, 2019 | |||
The UC Davis Aggies men's soccer team represents the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) in all NCAA Division I men's college soccer competitions. UC Davis competes in the Big West Conference, where they have competed since 2007. There, they have won the regular season on three occasions: 2012, 2017, and 2019, and in the latter year, won the Big West Conference men's soccer tournament. At the Division I level, UC Davis has appeared in four NCAA tournaments, where the furthest they have reached is the second round in 2008 and 2019.
UC Davis will leave the Big West for the Mountain West Conference (MW) after the 2025 season. The Aggies will become inaugural members of the MW's new men's soccer league in 2026.[2]
The program is presently coached by Dwayne Shaffer, who has coached the program since 1997.
Several notable soccer players that have played for UC Davis include Quincy Amarikwa, Maximilian Arfsten, Nabilai Kibunguchy, and Wallis Lapsley.
History
UC Davis began fielding a men's varsity soccer team in 1972, and were coached for its first 15 seasons by Will Lotter, who had previously coached the Aggies baseball and football team in the 1950s. During Lotter's tenure the program, playing at the Division II level, reached four NCAA Division I men's soccer tournaments, with their best performance coming in 1976. There, the Aggies reached the quarterfinals. Lotter retired in 1987, and for nine seasons, Simon Davies coached the program. In 1997, Dwayne Shaffer took over coaching duties which saw the program ascend to the Division I level and win its first conference regular season and tournament titles. As of 2025, Shaffer remains the head coach. [3]
Coaching staff
As of September 16, 2025.
| Name | Position coached | Consecutive season at UC Davis in current position | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dwayne Shaffer | Head coach | 28th | |
| Jason Hotaling | Associate head coach | 21st | |
| Cayden Hotaling | Assistant coach | 1st | |
| Gabby Bermudez | Athletic Trainer | 4th | |
| Reference:[4] | |||
Championships
Conference regular season championships
| Year | Coach | Overall Record | Conference Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Dwayne Shaffer | 16–3–2 | 12–0–2 |
| 2001 | 13–7–1 | 9–4–1 | |
| 2012 | 10–7–4 | 7–3–0 | |
| 2017 | 11–7–3 | 7–2–1 | |
| 2019 | 13–5–2 | 5–1–1 | |
| Conference regular season championships | 5 | ||
Conference tournament championships
| Year | Coach | Opponent | Score | Site | Overall Record | Conf. Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Dwayne Shaffer | UC Santa Barbara | 2–0 | Davis, CA | 13–5–2 | 5–1–1 |
| 2024 | Dwayne Shaffer | UC Santa Barbara | 2–0 | Santa Barbara, CA | 10–6–6 | 4–3–2 |
| Conference tournament championships | 2 | |||||
Rivalries
UC Davis' rivalries in football with Cal Poly and Sacramento State. The Cal Poly series known as the Battle for the Golden Horseshoe in American football is unnamed in soccer. The Causeway Classic as it is called in American football is referred to as the Causeway Clasico.[5]
Records
Coaching records
| Coach | Years | Overall | Conference | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record | Pct. | Record | Pct. | |||
| Will Lotter | 1972–87 | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | 4 NCAA Division II tournaments (1973, 1975, 1976, 1977) |
| Simon Davies | 1988–96 | 80–38–3 | .558 | 67–34–9 | .650 | |
| Dwayne Shaffer | 1997–present | 143–57–4 | .711 | 2 TAAC Championships (1983, 1986) | ||
| Total | 417–413–38 | .532 | ||||
Player career records
Statistics below show the all-time program leaders.
| Category | Record holder | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Games played | Matt Wiesenfarth | 86 |
| Points | Quincy Amarikwa Adam Mickelson |
43 |
| Points Per Game | Quincy Amarikwa | 1.13 |
| Goals | Quincy Amarikwa | 20 |
| Assists | Adam Mickelson | 19 |
| Penalty kick goals | Sule Anibaba | 5 |
| Game-winning goals | Matt Wiesenfarth | 7 |
| Shutouts | Wallis Lapsley | 21 |
| Wins | Wallis Lapsley | 35 |
Player season records
Statistics below show the all-time program leaders during the season
| Category | Record holder | Season | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Quincy Amarikwa | 2008 | 31 |
| Points Per Game | Maximilian Arfsten | 2021 | 1.15 |
| Goals | Quincy Amarikwa | 2008 | 15 |
| Assists | Dylan Curtis | 2008 | 11 |
| Shots | Quincy Amarikwa | 2008 | 78 |
| Penalty kick goals | Sule Anibaba | 2007 | 5 |
| Shutouts | Wallis Lapsley | 2018 | 9 |
| Wins | Ryan McCowan | 13 |
Postseason
NCAA tournament results
UC Davis has appeared in five NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 1–4–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | First round | California | L 1–2 |
| 2008 | First round Second round |
Denver Michigan |
W 4–0 L 1–2 |
| 2019 | Second round | Louisville | L 0–1 |
| 2024 | First round | San Diego | L 0–1 |
Honors
- California Collegiate Athletic Association regular season[6]
- Winners (2): 1999, 2001
- Runners-up (2): 1998, 2000
- California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament[6]
- Runners-up (2): 1998, 2001
- Big West Conference regular season[7]
- Winners (3): 2012, 2017, 2019
- Runners-up (3): 2007, 2013, 2014
- Big West Conference tournament[7]
- Winners (1): 2019
- Runners-up (4): 2012, 2017, 2018, 2023
See also
References
- ^ UC Davis Athletics Style Guidelines (PDF). January 4, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
- ^ "MW Expands Sports Sponsorship with the Addition of Men's Soccer and Men's Swimming and Diving in 2026-27" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. October 29, 2025. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
- ^ "UC Davis Men's Soccer Record Book" (PDF). ucdavisaggies.com. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
- ^ "Men's Soccer Coaching and Support Staff". ucdavisaggies.com. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
- ^ "2024-25 Causeway Cup".
- ^ a b "CCAA Men's Soccer Records". goccaa.org. September 19, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
- ^ a b "Big West Conference Men's Soccer Records" (PDF). bigwest.org. July 19, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2025.