MORAGA, Calif. — The Gaels prevailed in their midweek matchup against Pacific as an early goal was all it took to seal the 1-0 win.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Sophie Santos put the Gaels on the board first on Wednesday after she took control of a feed from Kailana Kaeo. Once she took possession of the ball, Santos sent it into the back right corner of the net to give SMC the 1-0 lead. The Gaels had a strong offensive half to begin the game as they took double the shots (10) that Pacific did (5), while Saint Mary's took six shots on goal. The Tigers were forced to make five saves in the first 45 minutes of action compared to SMC who only had to make two.

Pacific picked up the pace in the second half as they took two shots and a shot on goal within the first six minutes following the break. In the 47th minute, the Tigers had their closest attempt of the day after a free kick from outside the box. The ball was sent towards the crossbar, but goalie Maleah Milner was able to jump high enough and deflect the shot. Pacific had another chance after the deflected ball went back to one of their forwards, but the Tiger kicked it just wide of the goal and it went out of bounds.

SMC had a close scoring opportunity in the 63rd minute when Jaylen Crim sent a rocket toward the goal for her second shot of the day but it hit the right post. By the time the final clock expired, the Gaels had accumulated 18 shots while the Tigers had 10. Pacific was forced to make a total of seven saves throughout the match compared to Saint Mary's who only had four.

THOUGHTS FROM TRAVIS CLARKE

• "It's always good to get points in WCC games. We fought hard today against a team that was well coached and organized. It was good to see our team bounce back and respond."

UP NEXT: LOYOLA MARYMOUNT

• Saint Mary's will travel south for their next match as they look to take on the Loyola Marymount Lions on Saturday at 6:00 p.m.