BERKELEY, Calif. — The odds were stacked against Saint Mary's Women's Soccer in a lot of ways on Sunday afternoon. Two of their starters were forced to exit the match early; one due to injury, the other via a red card. Despite that, Saint Mary's found a way to take the California Golden Bears the distance, forcing double overtime and eventually a 1-1 draw at the home of Cal soccer. It's the first time this season that Saint Mary's has not won a match this season, with their record standing at 3-0-1 after four matches.
 
2^nd HALF GOAL…AGAIN
Stop us if you've heard this one before, but the Gaels scored a goal in the second half that wound up being a very important point in the game. This time it came in the 55^th minute via Taylour Mendoza, who found herself in a prime scoring position and didn't miss it, burying it into the back of the net for her first goal of the season. It gave Saint Mary's a 1-0 lead that seemed to flip the way the action on the field was flowing. In the first half, the Gaels took just one corner, while Cal took seven. But Saint Mary's cashed in on a chance, and that is something they have done a lot so far in the month of August.
 
PLAYING SHORT-HANDED
Saint Mary's was down a few players as the match carried on, beginning just 14 minutes into the game. Malia Allison tried to fight off an apparent injury but was unable to continue, putting Saint Mary's short one of their top defenders. In the 72^nd minute, Maya Alcantara was given a red card after some hard contact with a Golden Bear attacker, changing the complexion of the match. Saint Mary's was able to hold onto the lead for just over 11 minutes until Amaya Gray scored her first goal of the season, tying the match at 1-1 and sending it into an eventual overtime. Considering how long the Gaels had to play shorthanded and the chances they fought off, it was a great result.
 
FENDING OFF BEARS
This was the first time this season that Saint Mary's was outshot in a match, getting outshot 12-6 on Sunday afternoon at Cal. As a matter of fact, after the red card, Cal took the final eight shots of the match, which meant Taylor Poland needed to be on her game, and she was. As time wound down in regulation, the Gaels fought off a late corner from Cal that sent the match into overtime. In the first overtime, Poland made a great save down low on a shot in the 98^th minute, and watched as another in the final 60 seconds sailed wide. In the second overtime, Cal had another great chance at scoring with a corner in the final 30 seconds, to the point where they brought their goalie into the mix to force a two-player advantage. Poland had to range back to her left to make a save on a shot attempt, but it ensured SMC would leave with a draw.
 
UP NEXT
The Gaels will return home on a busy Friday on the campus of Saint Mary's College. They kick off a tripleheader (men's soccer at 4 pm, volleyball at 6 pm) with a 1 pm start against UC Riverside. Their second match of the week will be on the road, on Sunday, against Fresno State.
 
#GaelsRise — Single game tickets are on sale through the month of September! To select your game and your tickets, click HERE!