MORAGA, Calif. - On Thursday, August 22nd, the Saint Mary's men's soccer team officially kicked off their 2024 season with a home matchup against the Roos of Kansas City. Both teams would meet for the first time in program history but it would be the Roos who walked away with the victory after a goal in the 84th minute to stun the Gaels at home. Saint Mary's would outshoot Kansas City 8-6 in the match and force three saves on Roos keeper Brandon McGaugh. Ian Smith and Tyler Hardin led the way with two shots each while Bastian Toelhoej and Fynn Allmon anchored the Gaels backline.

FIRST HALF SMC 0-0 KC

Head coach Adam Cooper would go with some familiar names in tonight's starting lineup but freshman midfielder Cesar Batres would hear his name called as he made his first career collegiate start after joining the Gaels out of McKinney Boyd High School in Texas. Early in the contest it would be the Roos who stood on the front foot with quality ball possession and an early chance on goal just under the ten minute mark. Third year keeper Jack Landreth would stand tall and push the shot attempt from the left half of the 18-yard box wide for a KC corner. The Gaels backline was stout all night long though as Toelhoej and Allmon played all 90 minutes and won countless tackles and aerial challenges. 
 

HALF | SMC 0- KC 0

The match remains scoreless after one half of play. The Gaels continue to keep pressure on the Roos.

Check out this save from Jack Landreth in the 9th minute of play!#GaelsRise pic.twitter.com/92KbEUKcK8

— Saint Mary's Men's Soccer (@SMC_MSoccer) August 23, 2024

Kansas City's keeper was not tested all that much in the first 45 but Saint Mary's did outshoot the Roos 4-3 and took some defensive success as momentum into the break. Senior forward Wade Muttitt did get out on the break a handful of times and showed off his breakaway pace. He finished the match with nearly 70 minutes of action and a scoring chance late in the second half.  

FINAL SMC 0-1 KC

The Gaels jumped on the Roos early to start the second half and it was through direct play and long diagonals going forward. Senior forward Jude Zamora got in on the action as well as Justin Sosa and Tyler Hardin. Sosa and Hardin combined for three shots in the half and the Gaels got good production from wingback Ian Smith who got up the left side quite nicely, combining with Sosa and Muttitt. 

After successfully defending a Roos corner, the cleared ball would find the feet of Muttitt who would break from his own penalty box and go the length of the field on a counter attack. Muttitt drove into the Roos defensive half with some offensive support on the far side from Smith but ultimately got forced out nicely by the Kansas City center back who did well to track back and delay Muttitt wide of the penalty box. 

Under the 15-minute mark, the Gaels would get down the right side again through Smith and Muttitt. After defending the initial cross from Sosa, Muttitt would send a one-time ball into the box that would bounce around and find the feet of Toelhoej who let a shot go just outside the 6-yard box but see it blocked by a Roos defender in the chaos. 

In a blink of an eye though, Kansas City would cash in on a bit of luck with a shot from distance by striker Elie Kisoka. Kisoka collected a cleared header off a long ball nearly 40 yards away and with a bouncing ball he would decide to have a hopeful volley attempt on goal. The shot attempt would take a pair of errant bounces en route to Landreth who failed to corral the shot as it found the back of the net. With just six minutes left in regulation, the Gaels still produced a quality attempt on goal which featured a whipped header attempt from Sosa on the near post. The Roos keeper had to be sharp and was as he held the shot firmly to preserve their lead. 

Kansas City defended long balls into the box as time expired and hung on for the 1-0 victory to start their 2024 campaign. Saint Mary's went on to outshoot Kansas City 8-6 and the game's foul total soared to 40 combined fouls and five yellow cards to speak to the intensity of the second half action. 

Allmon and Toelhoej were stellar in the Gaels backline and the bulk of the offensive chances belonged to Saint Mary's in the second half. Cooper and his squad will regroup and prep for Cal Poly on Sunday to conclude their opening weekend.  

LOOKING AHEAD

The Gaels will look to bounce back and seek their first win of the season on Sunday as they return home to take on Big West member Cal Poly. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM and you can watch the game live on ESPN+. Tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets. Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information. 

#GaelsRise