MORAGA, Calif. – For the second straight season and third time in program history, No. 12 Saint Mary's hoisted the West Coast Conference Championship hardware after defeating Loyola Marymount 2-0 on Saturday at home. The Gaels moved to 15-1 and 6-0 in conference play with the victory and handed the Lions their first WCC loss of the year. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Saint Mary's got the scoring started early on Saturday as they tallied the first goal of the match in just the 11th minute of action. Philipe Van der Lof took control of a breakaway at midfield before feeding the ball to Jake Rudel, who was able to put it in the back of the net for the Gaels' first goal of the game. 

Saint Mary's didn't give an inch defensively in the first half as the Lions couldn't manage a single shot attempt in the period. Despite taking just two shots in the half themselves, the Gaels had ample opportunity to stretch their lead in the opening 45 as they recorded seven corner kicks. The half proved to be physical as ten total fouls were called in the opening 30 minutes and four different Gaels received a yellow. A total of six cautions and one red card were handed out in the match.

The Gaels continued to stunt the Lions' offense until the 57th minute when LMU finally took their first shot of the match. The Lions took two more shots in the next three minutes, but SMC was able to keep their opponents scoreless as Remi Prieur recorded his first save of the day with a diving stop in the 62nd minute.

Saint Mary's continued to control the tempo in the second half, outshooting LMU 7-3 and padded their lead late courtesy of none other than Anders Engebretsen. Sebastian Schacht set up Engebretsen who juked his defender and roofed his shot for a pretty goal, his team-leading 13th of the season. 

THOUGHTS FROM ADAM COOPER

• "I'm so proud of this team. Today was difficult, Loyola Marymount is very good and they did a solid job disrupting our game. Our guys showed great character as they have all season long to persevere, dig deep, and bring home another championship."
• "One of our goals after last season ended was to win another WCC championship and do it again in front of family, friends, and alumni was very special. We will enjoy today and then get ready for Portland next week on Senior Day."

UP NEXT: PORTLAND

• Saint Mary's will host the Portland Pilots for their final match of the regular season at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 16.