WSOC | Romagnolo and Plachy Earn WCC Superlative Awards in Historic 2025 Season
11/12/2025 9:58:00 AM | Women's Soccer
SAN BRUNO, Calif. - The Saint Mary's women's soccer team gave everything they had this season for a magical and historic 2025 campaign, recording 12 wins, a second place conference finish and just narrowly missing out on an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament. Despite the sad news of the official end of the season on Monday afternoon, the Gaels saw their name littered on the 2025 West Coast Conference All-Conference awards with Theresa Romagnolo being named Coach of the Year and Kate Plachy earning Goalkeeper of the Year.
Sydney Middaugh joined Plachy on the WCC All-Conference First Team while senior midfielder Savannah Schwarze was named to the Second Team for her third career all-conference selection. Amari Hicks, Maddie Lucas and Ashlyn Vaughn rounded out the selections for Saint Mary's, being named Honorable Mention to give the Gaels six total all-conference selections.
HC Theresa Romagnolo | WCC Coach of the Year
Theresa Romagnolo became the second coach in the program's history to win conference Coach of the Year and the first since Paul Ratcliffe took home the award three straight seasons from 1999-2001. Romagnolo and her squad had visions of the 2001 team that won 15 games, went 5-2 in conference play and made their third NCAA Tournament appearance. This season, the Gaels went 12-2-4 for their highest win total since 2001, including a program record seven conference wins to finish just one point behind WCC Champions Pepperdine for their best conference finish since 2000.
The six-year head coach has gotten off to quite a start in her SMC career, recording three 10-win seasons and combining for 48 wins. Prior to 2021, Saint Mary's hadn't recorded a 10-win season since Kai Edwards in 2011. Romagnolo has helped put Saint Mary's women's soccer back on the map with a historic season and rightfully earning herself her first WCC Coach of the Year award.
"It has been an absolute pleasure to coach this gropu of girls", said Romagnolo. "This team will go down as one of the best ever in Saint Mary's history and I could not be more proud of this group. We left it all out on the field and gave it our all every single day to put together an incredible season" (Romagnolo).
#11 Kate Plachy | GK | R-So. | WCC Goalkeeper of the Year
Saint Mary's finished the season as the best defensive team in the WCC and one common pattern great defensive teams seem to always have is a standout keeper. This year, the Gaels got that from redshirt sophomore Kate Plachy who put together a career season in just her second year as the everyday starter.
Plachy led the WCC in shutouts (12) and save percentage (.855) and was second in Goals Against Average (0.611). Her 12 shutouts would go down as second most in a single-season in program history and she now has 18 career shutouts over her two seasons to put her alone in fourth place all-time. Plachy finished the 2025 campaign with 65 saves and also set a new career high with 12 saves in a road draw with San Francisco back on September 27th. She became just the second Goalkeeper of the Year award winner in program history with the other being Taylor Poland in 2020. Plachy would also earn a spot on the all-conference First Team along with her major award for the Gaels.
"KP was incredible for us in goal this year", said Gaels head coach Theresa Romagnolo. "She showed great growth from year one to year two and she was our elader in the backline. Her hard work on and off the field truly paid off this year and she could not be more deserving of this award" (Romagnolo).
This is the first time in program history Saint Mary's has won multiple conference awards in the same season.
#31 Sydney Middaugh | F | Jr. | All-WCC First Team
Sydney Middaugh was the engine of the Gaels offense, leading the team with ten goals and also adding a pair of assists. Middaugh stood as one of the most dynamic and talented forwards in the West Coast Conference, boasting impressive speed and change of direction along with elite dribbling skills to make her a dangerous 1-v-1 threat.
Middaugh was a part of so many highs for the Gaels this season, recording two braces in wins over San Diego and Oregon State, scoring the second goal in a statement road win over 16th ranked Georgetown and finishing the season with a conference high five game-winners. This is Middaugh's third all-conference selection as she was an all-freshman selection in 2023 and was named to the second team in 2024. She now has 18 career goals over her three seasons, ranking 10th in program history.
#14 Savannah Schwarze | MF | Sr. | All-WCC Second Team
Four-year midfielder Savannah Schwarze capped off her decorated collegiate career with her third All-WCC selection, being named to the Second Team for her efforts in 2025. Schwarze started all but one game for Saint Mary's, tallying 1,411 minutes played, three goals, five assists and 36 shot attempts to stand as one of the conference's most balanced and all-around talented players. Schwarze was one of the team's captains as a four-year senior and was a tremendous box-to-box midfielder.
Schwarze was named the WCC Offensive Player of the Week back on September 1st after finishing her two-game week with a goal and two assists in home wins over San Jose State and Boston U. She finished her collegiate career with eight goals, 13 assists and 64 games played.
#3 Amari Hicks | D | Sr. | Honorable Mention
Another veteran and leader in the Gaels backline, senior defender Amari Hicks would be recognized with Honorable Mention status for her role in the WCC's best defense. Hicks played in 17 games and made 16 starts good for 1,448 minutes played. The Las Vegas native was an everyday starter for the Gaels in 2024 but was not initially in the starting lineup in 2025 with senior transfer Anna Emperador getting the nod on opening day against CSUN. Emperador saw her season come to an end due to a knee injury and up next was Amari Hicks who stepped in like she had never left.
Hicks had a great physical presence for the Gaels in the backline, standing at 5-10 and also having great closing speed to keep up with any forward in the conference. She helped Saint Mary's to a conference leading 12 shutouts and just eleven goals allowed, good for an opponent average of 0.61. This would go down as her first all-conference distinction as she concludes her collegiate career with 61 games played, 53 starts and nearly 5,000 minutes of action.
#34 Maddie Lucas | MF | So. | Honorable Mention
Maddie Lucas was an active player off the bench for Saint Mary's as a true freshman in 2024 but she filled a major role this season as the team's holding midfielder, replacing Emma Barthel who graduated and finished her career last season. Lucas was one of five players to play and start in all 18 games for the Gaels this season, finishing with two assists and 1,536 minutes played. This is Lucas' first all-conference distinction as she will continue to be a major piece of the Gaels' success in the seasons to come.
#13 Ashlyn Vaughn | F | Fr. | Honorable Mention
Freshman forward Ashlyn Vaughn had big shoes to fill in the Gaels front line after the departure of Tessa Salvestrin who signed with SCU Torreense in Portugal. Vaughn brought a great burst of energy to every game she played in and as a true freshman, she will certainly be a major part to the team's attack in the coming years.
Vaughn finished her freshman campaign with three goals, three assists, 17 starts and 1,251 minutes played. She was the team's lone recipient on the WCC All-Freshman Team as well as her Honorable Mention distinction for her first all-conference honors of her career.
The full 2025 West Coast Conference women's soccer all-conference awards can be found below or at wccsports.com.
2025 West Coast Conference Women's Soccer All-Conference Awards
Coach of the Year
Theresa Romagnolo, Saint Mary's
WCC Offensive Player of the Year
Caroline Penner, Seattle U
WCC Midfielder of the Year
Tabitha LaParl, Pepperdine
WCC Defensive Player of the Year
Keeley Dockter, Portland
WCC Goalkeeper of the Year
Kate Plachy, Saint Mary's
WCC Freshman of the Year
Samantha Snorsky, Gonzaga
WCC All-Conference
First Team
Caroline Penner, F, Seattle U
Keeley Dockter, D, Portland
U'i Kaaihue, F, Seattle U
Tabitha LaParl, M, Pepperdine
Peyton Leonard, D, Pepperdine
Sydney Middaugh, F, Saint Mary's
Kate Plachy, GK, Saint Mary's
Julia Quinonez, F, Pepperdine
Violet Rademacher, D, Portland
Amelia Severn, M, Gonzaga
Tatum Wynalda, M, Pepperdine
Second Team
Ella Callanan, San Diego
Lindsey Chau, San Francisco
Callan Harrington, LMU
Sophia Hills, Portland
Kyra Murphy, Pepperdine
Mailin Orozco, Santa Clara
Katelyn Rigg, Gonzaga
Josephine Schlichting, San Diego
Savannah Schwarze, Saint Mary's
Audrey Shackelford, Washington State
Samantha Snorsky, Gonzaga
Jordyn Young, Washington State
Honorable Mention
Hailey Bagby, Portland
Bella Bonnett, Seattle U
Taylor Curtis, Pacific
Izzy DeBuyl, Santa Clara
Aliyah Dockter, Portland
Mia Erba, Oregon State
Marla Gaudlitz, Seattle U
Karina Gonzalez, Pepperdine
Amari Hicks, Saint Mary's
JJ Hoover, LMU
Aniela Jensen, Pacific
Kat Jordan, Santa Clara
Maddie Lucas, Saint Mary's
Maggie Mace, Washington State
Leah O'Brien, Santa Clara
Mya Sanchez, Oregon State
Kaitlyn Sasadeusz, San Francisco
Kennedy Schoennauer, Santa Clara
Kyla Schuster, Seattle U
Ashlyn Vaughn, Saint Mary's
Makayla Werner, Gonzaga
Addie Whitehouse, Santa Clara
Kailee Wilson, Seattle U
WCC All-Freshman Team
Amanda Anders, San Diego
Hildi Benediktsdottir, Santa Clara
T Bengtsson-Stenseth, San Francisco
Jaelyn Byeman, Seattle U
Izzy DeBuyl, Santa Clara
Ariana Markey, Pepperdine
Keira Mitchell, Washington State
Alicia Osegueda, San Francisco
Layla Simon, Pepperdine
Samantha Snorsky, Gonzaga
Ashlyn Vaughn, Saint Mary's
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Sydney Middaugh joined Plachy on the WCC All-Conference First Team while senior midfielder Savannah Schwarze was named to the Second Team for her third career all-conference selection. Amari Hicks, Maddie Lucas and Ashlyn Vaughn rounded out the selections for Saint Mary's, being named Honorable Mention to give the Gaels six total all-conference selections.
HC Theresa Romagnolo | WCC Coach of the Year
Theresa Romagnolo became the second coach in the program's history to win conference Coach of the Year and the first since Paul Ratcliffe took home the award three straight seasons from 1999-2001. Romagnolo and her squad had visions of the 2001 team that won 15 games, went 5-2 in conference play and made their third NCAA Tournament appearance. This season, the Gaels went 12-2-4 for their highest win total since 2001, including a program record seven conference wins to finish just one point behind WCC Champions Pepperdine for their best conference finish since 2000.
The six-year head coach has gotten off to quite a start in her SMC career, recording three 10-win seasons and combining for 48 wins. Prior to 2021, Saint Mary's hadn't recorded a 10-win season since Kai Edwards in 2011. Romagnolo has helped put Saint Mary's women's soccer back on the map with a historic season and rightfully earning herself her first WCC Coach of the Year award.
"It has been an absolute pleasure to coach this gropu of girls", said Romagnolo. "This team will go down as one of the best ever in Saint Mary's history and I could not be more proud of this group. We left it all out on the field and gave it our all every single day to put together an incredible season" (Romagnolo).
#11 Kate Plachy | GK | R-So. | WCC Goalkeeper of the Year
Saint Mary's finished the season as the best defensive team in the WCC and one common pattern great defensive teams seem to always have is a standout keeper. This year, the Gaels got that from redshirt sophomore Kate Plachy who put together a career season in just her second year as the everyday starter.
Plachy led the WCC in shutouts (12) and save percentage (.855) and was second in Goals Against Average (0.611). Her 12 shutouts would go down as second most in a single-season in program history and she now has 18 career shutouts over her two seasons to put her alone in fourth place all-time. Plachy finished the 2025 campaign with 65 saves and also set a new career high with 12 saves in a road draw with San Francisco back on September 27th. She became just the second Goalkeeper of the Year award winner in program history with the other being Taylor Poland in 2020. Plachy would also earn a spot on the all-conference First Team along with her major award for the Gaels.
"KP was incredible for us in goal this year", said Gaels head coach Theresa Romagnolo. "She showed great growth from year one to year two and she was our elader in the backline. Her hard work on and off the field truly paid off this year and she could not be more deserving of this award" (Romagnolo).
This is the first time in program history Saint Mary's has won multiple conference awards in the same season.
#31 Sydney Middaugh | F | Jr. | All-WCC First Team
Sydney Middaugh was the engine of the Gaels offense, leading the team with ten goals and also adding a pair of assists. Middaugh stood as one of the most dynamic and talented forwards in the West Coast Conference, boasting impressive speed and change of direction along with elite dribbling skills to make her a dangerous 1-v-1 threat.
Middaugh was a part of so many highs for the Gaels this season, recording two braces in wins over San Diego and Oregon State, scoring the second goal in a statement road win over 16th ranked Georgetown and finishing the season with a conference high five game-winners. This is Middaugh's third all-conference selection as she was an all-freshman selection in 2023 and was named to the second team in 2024. She now has 18 career goals over her three seasons, ranking 10th in program history.
#14 Savannah Schwarze | MF | Sr. | All-WCC Second Team
Four-year midfielder Savannah Schwarze capped off her decorated collegiate career with her third All-WCC selection, being named to the Second Team for her efforts in 2025. Schwarze started all but one game for Saint Mary's, tallying 1,411 minutes played, three goals, five assists and 36 shot attempts to stand as one of the conference's most balanced and all-around talented players. Schwarze was one of the team's captains as a four-year senior and was a tremendous box-to-box midfielder.
Schwarze was named the WCC Offensive Player of the Week back on September 1st after finishing her two-game week with a goal and two assists in home wins over San Jose State and Boston U. She finished her collegiate career with eight goals, 13 assists and 64 games played.
#3 Amari Hicks | D | Sr. | Honorable Mention
Another veteran and leader in the Gaels backline, senior defender Amari Hicks would be recognized with Honorable Mention status for her role in the WCC's best defense. Hicks played in 17 games and made 16 starts good for 1,448 minutes played. The Las Vegas native was an everyday starter for the Gaels in 2024 but was not initially in the starting lineup in 2025 with senior transfer Anna Emperador getting the nod on opening day against CSUN. Emperador saw her season come to an end due to a knee injury and up next was Amari Hicks who stepped in like she had never left.
Hicks had a great physical presence for the Gaels in the backline, standing at 5-10 and also having great closing speed to keep up with any forward in the conference. She helped Saint Mary's to a conference leading 12 shutouts and just eleven goals allowed, good for an opponent average of 0.61. This would go down as her first all-conference distinction as she concludes her collegiate career with 61 games played, 53 starts and nearly 5,000 minutes of action.
#34 Maddie Lucas | MF | So. | Honorable Mention
Maddie Lucas was an active player off the bench for Saint Mary's as a true freshman in 2024 but she filled a major role this season as the team's holding midfielder, replacing Emma Barthel who graduated and finished her career last season. Lucas was one of five players to play and start in all 18 games for the Gaels this season, finishing with two assists and 1,536 minutes played. This is Lucas' first all-conference distinction as she will continue to be a major piece of the Gaels' success in the seasons to come.
#13 Ashlyn Vaughn | F | Fr. | Honorable Mention
Freshman forward Ashlyn Vaughn had big shoes to fill in the Gaels front line after the departure of Tessa Salvestrin who signed with SCU Torreense in Portugal. Vaughn brought a great burst of energy to every game she played in and as a true freshman, she will certainly be a major part to the team's attack in the coming years.
Vaughn finished her freshman campaign with three goals, three assists, 17 starts and 1,251 minutes played. She was the team's lone recipient on the WCC All-Freshman Team as well as her Honorable Mention distinction for her first all-conference honors of her career.
The full 2025 West Coast Conference women's soccer all-conference awards can be found below or at wccsports.com.
2025 West Coast Conference Women's Soccer All-Conference Awards
Coach of the Year
Theresa Romagnolo, Saint Mary's
WCC Offensive Player of the Year
Caroline Penner, Seattle U
WCC Midfielder of the Year
Tabitha LaParl, Pepperdine
WCC Defensive Player of the Year
Keeley Dockter, Portland
WCC Goalkeeper of the Year
Kate Plachy, Saint Mary's
WCC Freshman of the Year
Samantha Snorsky, Gonzaga
WCC All-Conference
First Team
Caroline Penner, F, Seattle U
Keeley Dockter, D, Portland
U'i Kaaihue, F, Seattle U
Tabitha LaParl, M, Pepperdine
Peyton Leonard, D, Pepperdine
Sydney Middaugh, F, Saint Mary's
Kate Plachy, GK, Saint Mary's
Julia Quinonez, F, Pepperdine
Violet Rademacher, D, Portland
Amelia Severn, M, Gonzaga
Tatum Wynalda, M, Pepperdine
Second Team
Ella Callanan, San Diego
Lindsey Chau, San Francisco
Callan Harrington, LMU
Sophia Hills, Portland
Kyra Murphy, Pepperdine
Mailin Orozco, Santa Clara
Katelyn Rigg, Gonzaga
Josephine Schlichting, San Diego
Savannah Schwarze, Saint Mary's
Audrey Shackelford, Washington State
Samantha Snorsky, Gonzaga
Jordyn Young, Washington State
Honorable Mention
Hailey Bagby, Portland
Bella Bonnett, Seattle U
Taylor Curtis, Pacific
Izzy DeBuyl, Santa Clara
Aliyah Dockter, Portland
Mia Erba, Oregon State
Marla Gaudlitz, Seattle U
Karina Gonzalez, Pepperdine
Amari Hicks, Saint Mary's
JJ Hoover, LMU
Aniela Jensen, Pacific
Kat Jordan, Santa Clara
Maddie Lucas, Saint Mary's
Maggie Mace, Washington State
Leah O'Brien, Santa Clara
Mya Sanchez, Oregon State
Kaitlyn Sasadeusz, San Francisco
Kennedy Schoennauer, Santa Clara
Kyla Schuster, Seattle U
Ashlyn Vaughn, Saint Mary's
Makayla Werner, Gonzaga
Addie Whitehouse, Santa Clara
Kailee Wilson, Seattle U
WCC All-Freshman Team
Amanda Anders, San Diego
Hildi Benediktsdottir, Santa Clara
T Bengtsson-Stenseth, San Francisco
Jaelyn Byeman, Seattle U
Izzy DeBuyl, Santa Clara
Ariana Markey, Pepperdine
Keira Mitchell, Washington State
Alicia Osegueda, San Francisco
Layla Simon, Pepperdine
Samantha Snorsky, Gonzaga
Ashlyn Vaughn, Saint Mary's
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's SoccerD
/ Women's SoccerD
/ Women's SoccerMF
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/ Women's SoccerGK
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/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's SoccerWSOC | Game Highlights vs. Oregon State
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Tuesday, November 04
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Sunday, November 02
WSOC | Emmie Ennnis Game-Winner vs. Pepperdine
Saturday, October 25
