MORAGA, Calif. - Saint Mary's Women's Soccer had four players receive WCC honors for 2023, capping off a season filled with accolades and accomplishments for the program that haven't happened in over a decade at SMC.

WCC HONORS

The Gaels had a player named to each level of the WCC All-Conference Awards, with Makena Carr being named to the WCC All-Conference First Team, Briana Salvetti named to the Second Team, Sydney Middaugh to the WCC All-Freshman Team, and Savannah Schwarze receiving Honorable Mention. 

Carr had an assist in the Gaels 1-0 win over Gonzaga, and racked up over 1,500 minutes played on the season. She scored a goal in the season finale at LMU and had an assist as well. The transfer from Washington was a big addition to the Gaels' back line this season, and showed her ability to push forward and start the team's runs up field as well as defending. 

Salvetti scored 10 goals with six assists this season, the most goals for a Gael since Jessica Menzhuber in 2009, and her 26 points were the most since Jordan Marada's 30 in 2011. The Larkspur, Calif. native was named the West Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Week after her performances versus No. 15 Washington State and Eastern Washington. 

Salvetti helped the Gaels defeat the No. 15 Washington State Cougars 1-0 by pressuring the keeper and taking the ball away from her before hitting the back of the net in just the third minute of the game for the match's only goal. The win gave SMC its first win over a top-25 ranked team since 2011 when they beat No.11 UC Irvine. 

Salvetti followed that performance by leading the Gaels to a 6-3 victory over Eastern Washington. She converted on a pair of penalty kick goals while distributing an assist to teammate Savannah Schwarze.

Middaugh scored four goals with one assist in 2023, and finished off the season with nine points. The freshman out of Hesperia, Calif. had her best performances against San Diego and Pacific. Middaugh set up Salvetti for a goal at San Diego and scored a goal herself. She had the game-winning goal against Pacific, where she had her first collegiate brace in a 2-0 win for Saint Mary's. 

She showed her skill and ability in both of those goals, scoring the first goal after she received a long pass from Salvetti, where she raced up the right side, worked her way through the box, and fired the shot with her right foot into the upper right-corner of the net from the short side. Middaugh put another one in the goal when she cut right, then back left, split two defenders, and shot with her left foot across to the lower right side of the net past the diving keeper on a brilliant individual effort.

Schwarze earned Honorable Mention after scoring four goals – two being game winners – and registered two assists. The Granite Bay, Calif. native shined in the Gaels win over Eastern Washington, with her first collegiate brace as well, scoring the game winner there and at home against San Jose State. 

TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

The Gaels finished fourth in the conference standings, their highest finish in the WCC since 2003. They were the only team to not only defeat conference champion Gonzaga, but also the only team to shut out the Zag's top-ranked offense this season. 

SMC had a six-game unbeaten streak at one point during the season, and was named the College Soccer News Women's Team of the Week after their upset of Washington state and 6-3 win over Eastern Washington. The wins over Washington State, Gonzaga, and a tie over James Madison gave the program three unbeaten performances over three top-50 teams. The current senior class has won 10 games twice in their four years at Saint Mary's, which hasn't happened for a group at SMC since 2001.

"I'm so proud of our team as we continue to set new standards for this program," Said Head Coach Theresa Romangolo. "We are developing and recruiting elite student-athletes and have built something special with our hard work and passion for the game. We're all definitely proud to be a Gael."

Coach Romagnolo was not only able to celebrate her program's accomplishments and what she has built here at Saint Mary's, but also had a career accomplishment as well, eclipsing the 100-win mark for her coaching career in 2023. 

Senior goalkeeper Taylor Poland left her stamp on the program, finishing third in saves (235), third in wins (26), tied at second for the most shutouts (23), third in most matches played (60), and third with a total of 5492 minutes played as a Gael. 

She also is in 10th for most wins (8) and seventh for most shutouts (6) in a single season. She received WCC Defensive Player of the Week and College Soccer News Women's National Team of the Week for the week of October 16th. Poland made a season-high 10 saves in the shutout of Gonzaga. 

The Gaels will enjoy some time off before ramping off for their spring season next semester. 

 
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