The men’s soccer team (1-2-0) defeated its Causeway rival UC Davis 2-1 on Friday at Hornet Soccer Field.

Before the fans even had time to blink, Davis had already lit up the scoreboard with a goal after only 10 seconds of play.

Like most of the Aggies, Lance Patterson thrives on athleticism, but his goal in the first minute of the game proved to be the only time Davis would dominate Sacramento State.

“The first 10 seconds and we give up a goal. That’s not how you intend to start a game,” said senior midfielder Fernando Cabadas. “Coach, from the get go, said “You’ve got to start off strong’ and we let our guard down for a split second and they scored. Bad communication from the back. But luckily we came back. We battled through, and we ended up scoring two goals and we won the game.”

The Hornets never panicked. After the quick goal and into the second half, the Hornets decided not to make major adjustments as they stuck with their game plan.

“We didn’t make any adjustments,” said sophomore defenseman Matt Linenberger. “We just knew that Davis, they’re not a really a soccer-playing team like the past five years. They’re big, strong, physical, they don’t look to play soccer. We knew they were going to just sit in because they had the lead. We were just going to try to run at them and score some goals.”

Friday marked the first time in five years the men’s team has beaten Davis.

“It’s a great feeling obviously,” said head coach Michael Linenberger. “We haven’t had this feeling of beating Davis in five years. Obviously in any sport that’s always the big game for the media for the school, the athletic department, everything. So being able to beat them and get five points towards the causeway cup for Sac State is fantastic.”

This comeback victory could prove to be a galvanizing moment for the Hornets. After starting the season 0-2 and then quickly giving up a goal to their rival, this could be huge for the Hornets’ confidence.

“One of our season objectives is to go undefeated at home,” Linenberger said. “We’re 1-0 now which is great. We’re hoping this will spring board us into Sunday when we have to travel into Stanford and we’re back home for a big slate of games again. So we’re hoping that this is the game that gets us rolling and gets us a shot in the arm.”

The Hornets will head to Laird Q. Cagan Stadium in Palo Alto to face Stanford on Sunday. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.

AJ Taylor can be reached at [email protected]