MORAGA, Calif. – After their 2-1 win over the weekend against Idaho State, Saint Mary's Women's Soccer will be back on the road as they face off against UC Davis and Stanford. 
 
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels (1-1) at UC Davis Aggies (2-0)
Thursday, August 24 at 5 PM 
Aggie Soccer Field – Davis, Calif. 
Watch Live | Live Stats
 
Saint Mary's Gaels (1-1) at Stanford Cardinal (2-0)
Sunday, August 27 at 5 PM
Maloney Field at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium – Palo Alto, Calif.
Watch Live | Live Stats
 
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Mary's are coming off a 1-1 start to their 2023 campaign. After a narrow 2-1 loss to UC Irvine on the road last Thursday, the Gaels rebounded to beat Idaho State 2-1 in their home opener on Sunday. 
 
Saint Mary's took the lead early in the first half through a pair of Tessa Salvestrin goals. The Gaels took a 2-0 lead into half, with the Bengals poised to cause some problems in the second. Idaho State managed to get a goal back with 30 minutes to go, but some quality defense and a few nervy moments helped secure SMC the victory. 
 
Emily Jensen the focal point of the midfield for SMC, dispossessing players and making great outlet passes to teammates.  
 
In the 23^rd minute, she played a great outlet pass to Briana Salvetti charging down the wing. Salvetti then chipped a perfect pass to Tessa Salvestrin who guided the ball into the back of the net to open the scoring and give the Gaels a 1-0 lead in the 23^rd minute. 
 
Just three minutes later, the Gaels doubled their lead thanks to another Tessa Salvestrin goal. Once again, a great pass from Emily Jensen found Briana Salvetti who launched a perfect cross into the box to find the wide-open head of Salvestrin, giving SMC a 2-0 in the 26th minute. 
 
The Bengals tried to come out of the gates hot in the second half, knowing they had a big mountain to climb against this tricky Gaels team. SMC wouldn't back down, eager to put the game to bed in the early stages of the second half.
 
The dying minutes proved to be difficult for the Gaels, as they tried to push for a third but also trying to play conservatively to not allow an equalizer.  
 
SMC defenders began to show some fatigue, but some individual moments of quality defending kept the Gaels safe. 
 
Amari Hicks was a wall at the back all game, as she made great tackle to stop close range shop from Idaho St. in the 80^th minute.
 
Fast breaks continued to fall Idaho State's way, but SMC nearly stole a goal of their own when Tessa Salvestrin nearly returned the favor to Briana Salvetti, as she hit a low right footed shot on goal forcing a tough save from the keeper in the 87^th minute.  
 
Amari Hicks closed the game out in style, as she made another stellar block within the final 20 seconds of the game, deflecting a Bengals shot that was surely heading towards the back of the net.  
 
Despite a tricky second half, the Gaels dug deep in their home opener, giving eager SMC fans a win in their first game in Moraga. 
 
ABOUT UC DAVIS
The Aggies are coming off a 9-6-4 season where they finished 2^nd in the Big West Conference behind Cal Poly. Davis faced off against UC Irvine in the first round of the Big West Conference Tournament where they fell 1-0 to the eventual conference champions. Head Coach Tracy Hamm is in her fifth year in charge of the Aggies. This season, Davis have started a perfect 2-0, defeating Idaho State 5-0 and Sacramento State 3-0. Sam Tristan is leading the Aggies having scored 3 goals on the season already. Her teammate Devyn Simmons has notched 2 goals on the season as well. 
 
ABOUT STANFORD
The Cardinal are coming off another fantastic season in 2022, finishing with a 17-2-3 overall record. Stanford topped the Pac-12 last season with a 9-1-1 conference record, edging out UCLA. In the NCAA Regionals, the Cardinal beat San Jose State in the first round 6-0 before losing to BYU in penalty kicks in the second round. Head Coach Paul Ratcliffe has been in charge of the Cardinal for 21 seasons, having taken Stanford to the NCAA in all but one season. Stanford have picked up two wins in their opening two matches, having beaten San Diego 4-0 and UC Irvine 2-1.