Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
MSOC | No. 6 Gaels Reaching New Heights This Season
10/11/2018 7:13:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Saint Mary's men's soccer has accomplished their highest ranking ever in school history and are proving why they deserve their spot in the top-10.
MORAGA, Calif. — In his 13th season as head coach of the Gaels, Adam Cooper and his staff have lifted the men's soccer program to new heights in what's already become the greatest season the program has ever seen and one of the all-time best Saint Mary's teams across all sports.
The Gaels were ranked No. 6 in this week's United Soccer Coaches poll, their highest ranking of all-time. After their seventh straight win to begin the season, Saint Mary's entered the coaches' poll on Sep. 18 at No. 17 and have climbed every week since. Last Sunday, then-No. 9 Saint Mary's erupted for four goals against Pacific, who were projected to win the WCC, en route to a 4-0 smackdown against the Tigers on the road.
Other national polls are equally bullish about the Gaels this season. College Soccer News has SMC also pegged at No. 6 in their Top 30 rankings while Top Drawer Soccer lists the Gaels one slot lower at No. 7.
Saint Mary's currently owns a 12-0-0 record and are the only team in the country remaining with a perfect record.
The Gaels have been anchored by their strong defense this season and are tops in the country in multiple defensive categories. Saint Mary's leads the nation in goals against average (.325), save percentage (.897), and shutout percentage (.833). Incredibly, the Gaels have only allowed four goals the entire season and are holding their opponents to 8.2 shots per game.
Goalkeeper Remi Prieur has been a large part of the Gaels' success and currently leads the country in shutouts (9) and save percentage (.895). The redshirt junior has already tied Andre Rawls (2014) for most wins in a season with 12 and is on pace to break the program's goals against average and shutout records as well.
For as strong as the Gaels' defense has been this season, the offense has been just as productive. Saint Mary's is second in Div. I in scoring offense (2.75) and is tied for second in goals scored (33). Cooper's offense has tallied four or more goals in a single match five times this season and the team has a 29 goal differential.
Guiding the SMC offense is a three-headed monster consisting of all juniors. Following his All-WCC First Team performance a season ago, Jake Rudel has emerged as one of the country's premier goal scorers and has tallied 10 so far this season with two assists to boot. Rudel ranks among the top-10 in the nation in both game-winning goals (t-6th) and total goals scored (t-8th). At one point in the season, Rudel had goals in five consecutive matches and has already earned WCC Player of the Week twice this year.
Saint Mary's other dangerous weapon up front is Anders Engebretsen who leads the conference in shots taken. Engebretsen has six goals and five assists for the second most points on the team and was the first WCC Player of the Week this year after tallying four goals and an assist in the Gaels' opening weekend. Bringing up the attack from midfield is Jakub Svehlik who is third SMC player to reach double-digit points this season (four goals, three assists). Svehlik had a huge game-winning goal against New Mexico with only 20 seconds remaining in regulation to capture the Gaels' 10th win of the season in Albuquerque.
Be sure to be a part of Saint Mary's historic season this Saturday as the Gaels host the San Francisco Dons at 3 p.m. Tickets for the match can be found by clicking HERE, calling the Ticket Office at (925) 631-GoTx, or at the stadium entrance.
The Gaels were ranked No. 6 in this week's United Soccer Coaches poll, their highest ranking of all-time. After their seventh straight win to begin the season, Saint Mary's entered the coaches' poll on Sep. 18 at No. 17 and have climbed every week since. Last Sunday, then-No. 9 Saint Mary's erupted for four goals against Pacific, who were projected to win the WCC, en route to a 4-0 smackdown against the Tigers on the road.
Other national polls are equally bullish about the Gaels this season. College Soccer News has SMC also pegged at No. 6 in their Top 30 rankings while Top Drawer Soccer lists the Gaels one slot lower at No. 7.
Saint Mary's currently owns a 12-0-0 record and are the only team in the country remaining with a perfect record.
The Gaels have been anchored by their strong defense this season and are tops in the country in multiple defensive categories. Saint Mary's leads the nation in goals against average (.325), save percentage (.897), and shutout percentage (.833). Incredibly, the Gaels have only allowed four goals the entire season and are holding their opponents to 8.2 shots per game.
Goalkeeper Remi Prieur has been a large part of the Gaels' success and currently leads the country in shutouts (9) and save percentage (.895). The redshirt junior has already tied Andre Rawls (2014) for most wins in a season with 12 and is on pace to break the program's goals against average and shutout records as well.
For as strong as the Gaels' defense has been this season, the offense has been just as productive. Saint Mary's is second in Div. I in scoring offense (2.75) and is tied for second in goals scored (33). Cooper's offense has tallied four or more goals in a single match five times this season and the team has a 29 goal differential.
Guiding the SMC offense is a three-headed monster consisting of all juniors. Following his All-WCC First Team performance a season ago, Jake Rudel has emerged as one of the country's premier goal scorers and has tallied 10 so far this season with two assists to boot. Rudel ranks among the top-10 in the nation in both game-winning goals (t-6th) and total goals scored (t-8th). At one point in the season, Rudel had goals in five consecutive matches and has already earned WCC Player of the Week twice this year.
Saint Mary's other dangerous weapon up front is Anders Engebretsen who leads the conference in shots taken. Engebretsen has six goals and five assists for the second most points on the team and was the first WCC Player of the Week this year after tallying four goals and an assist in the Gaels' opening weekend. Bringing up the attack from midfield is Jakub Svehlik who is third SMC player to reach double-digit points this season (four goals, three assists). Svehlik had a huge game-winning goal against New Mexico with only 20 seconds remaining in regulation to capture the Gaels' 10th win of the season in Albuquerque.
Be sure to be a part of Saint Mary's historic season this Saturday as the Gaels host the San Francisco Dons at 3 p.m. Tickets for the match can be found by clicking HERE, calling the Ticket Office at (925) 631-GoTx, or at the stadium entrance.
Players Mentioned
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