MORAGA, Calif. - As Saint Mary's Women's Soccer inches closer to their season opener this Thursday against Cal Poly, it's time to preview what should prove to be an exciting season ahead for the Gaels.
 
Last season the Gaels finished with an overall record of 10-4-4 and a 4-3-2 record in conference play. It was the second-straight 4-3-2 WCC record for the Gaels, and the first time they've had back-to-back winning seasons in the WCC since 2000 and 2001. The Gaels are believing they can compete with the best teams in the conference again, evident in the games against Santa Clara and Pepperdine from last season.
 
RUN IT BACK
Experience will play a big part in the Gaels success this season, and players like junior forward Suzuna Shibukawa will leading the way. The Hyogo, Japan native joined the Gaels at the last season after starting her collegiate career at Western Michigan. During the 2021 season, she tallied eight goals in 16 games, making her the first Gael since 2014 to score more than eight goals in a season.
 
Shibukawa's elite finishing helped her finish in a tie for ninth on the WCC's top scorer chart, while also notching a team high four assists and 20 points. Last week, Shibukawa was named to the All-WCC Preseason Team, marking the second year in a row that a Gael had been featured in the WCC Preseason team after junior goalkeeper Taylor Poland was named in the squad before the 2021 season.
 
Poland will aim to continue her success from last season when she recorded eight solo shutouts, including a clean-sheet against Pepperdine who was ranked No. 13 at the time, along with a 0.769 save percentage over 17 games.
 
The Gaels were very stingy defensively last season, and one of the Gaels key defensive players looking to keep the opposition out of goal is senior Laura Trapero Sanz. The Madrid native started all 18 games for the Gaels last season, keeping clean sheets in nine of them. Sanz also led the team in minutes played with a total of 1,706 minutes.
 
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Along with the returners, 14 newcomers look to help the Gaels squad reach the next level. One of the freshmen this year hoping to make an impact is midfielder Savannah Schwarze. The Sacramento native impressed in the Gaels final preseason exhibition game, scoring and assisting in a 3-0 victory over Sacramento State.
 
Another newcomer looking to make an instant impact is forward Priscilla Ward. A native of Chico, California, the prolific scorer set her high school league alight last season scoring 62 goals in 25 games. Averaging just over a goal a game over her four years at Chico High, her new teammates will hope she brought her shooting boots with her to the Gaels squad.
 
GAMES OF NOTE
The Gaels open their account on the 2022 this Thursday at 4 pm against Cal Poly, and play 10 home dates among 17 matches. The Gaels will host new foes like the Texas Tech Red Raiders for the first time in program history. It will be just the second meeting ever between the WCC and Big 12 programs, and the first match up between the two since 2011.
 
The University of Pennsylvania will come to Moraga for the first ever meeting between the Gaels and the Quakers of the Ivy League. Saint Mary's will host Washington State for what will be just the sixth meeting all time between the two schools
 
National powerhouse BYU will make their final visit to the Saint Mary's campus as a member of the WCC on October 1 to kick off conference play. Saint Mary's will have an even split of four WCC games at home and four on the road. Senior Day will be on the final home Saturday of the season against San Diego on October 22 at 12 p.m.