Two agricultural towns. Two top NorCal clubs. One ridiculously awesome rivalry name. After over a year off the field, FC Davis and Academica SC will return to the pitch on Saturday, May 15th at 7:00PM as the Lions take a trip down south to visit their Golden Gate Conference foe for the first ever installment of the Cowtown Classic. Appropriately named after each town's historic roots in agriculture, the yearly preseason series will showcase each team's roster in preparation for their respective NPSL campaigns. “The name was a no-brainer”, said FC Davis owner Adam Lewin. “UC Davis is a world class agricultural university that has cows on campus. Academica is a fantastic organization based in Turlock, where they are known as the Heart of the Valley for its agricultural production. The event not only has a great name, but will be an amazing community event for the hosting club leading into the NPSL season.” In a short period of time, Davis and Academica have taken part in some memorable NPSL matches. In 2018, Davis stormed back from a three goal deficit in the final minutes to tie the game 3-3. The equalizer scored by Dixon product Allan Espinoza. In 2019, Academica came into Davis and stunned the Golden Gate Conference champions, knocking the Lions out of the National Playoffs in a second half thriller. “Our rivalry has gone back and forth over the years and the teams always put on a great show,” said Academica SC President Simon Bettencourt. “ We are excited to bring an event to both our communities that can be leveraged for good while building upon the rivalry for years to come.” The first installment of the Cowtown Classic will take place in Turlock, with Davis hosting the 2022 rendition.