MORAGA, Calif. - For the first time in four years, the Cal Golden Bears will cross the tunnel and take on Saint Mary's Thursday evening to kickoff the 2025 season. The Gaels will have a new look Thursday evening as they welcome 20 newcomers in head coach Adam Cooper's 20th season. 

After being picked to finish eighth in this year's preseason poll, the Gaels have nothing to lose and everything to gain as they embark on one of the most challenging schedules in Cooper's tenure. Kickoff is slated for 5:00 PM on Thursday, August 21st and all the action can be streamed live on ESPN+.    

GAME INFORMATION AND COVERAGE

MSOC | Saint Mary's vs. Cal | Saint Mary's Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | August 21st | 5:00 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets 

GAELS OUTLOOK

2024 Season Recap…

The 2024 season did not go as planned for Saint Mary's as they finished with a 2-9-6 overall record and were 1-4-3 in WCC play. Despite nine losses the Gaels had six draws which tied the most for a single-season during Adam Cooper's tenure. The last time the Gaels tied six times in a season was way back in 2006. 

Their two wins came against Cal Poly in non-conference play and WCC rival Gonzaga. The win over the Mustangs proved to be a quality one as Cal Poly went on to win four games in conference play and claim their first ever Big West regular season title since joining the conference in 2001. Adam Cooper remains the program's winningest coach with 166 wins since 2006 and he'll look to get back into the top half of the conference entering his 20th season at the helm.  

All-WCC Preseason Team and Poll…

On Thursday, August 14th the 2025 West Coast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll and Team was announced. The San Diego Toreros earned 81 points and nine first place votes after winning their third straight WCC title in 2024. Oregon State received one first place vote as the Beavers were picked to finish second. Saint Mary's earned 22 points and were selected to finish 8th ahead of Pacific and Gonzaga.    

The Gaels did not have a player named to the preseason team but returned a pair of all-conference selections in Ian Smith and Cesar Batres. Smith was a staple in the Gaels backline, playing in a career high 15 games and recording his first collegiate goal in a 2-2 draw versus Dartmouth. Batres stormed onto the scene as a tenacious midfielder for Saint Mary's, playing in 16 games and scoring two goals as a true freshman. He became the first player to earn both an all-conference selection and be named to the all-freshman team in the same season since 2021.  

New Faces, New Chapter…

Saint Mary's welcomes twenty newcomers including twelve freshmen to the 2025 squad but the new life and ready-to-play type of talent out of the portal will allow players to step in and become major contributors from the jump. 

"We have a great mix of key returners from last year's squad and some new transfers that will mesh really well and make an immediate impact for the upcoming season. Sam Danner, TJ Knight, Hubert Deragon and Cameron Kobey are just a few names that had great springs for us and have made their impact felt throughout the first week of camp" (Cooper). 

Cooper is no stranger to large recruiting classes as he enters his 20th season at Saint Mary's. Although a lot of teaching has to be done in the early stages of the preseason, the same coaching principles still apply and Cooper and his staff are well committed to instilling those principles within their program.

Series History…

Saint Mary's went to Berkeley last season and fell 4-2 but will host the Golden Bears on Thursday for the first time since 2021. The last time the Gaels took down Cal was also that very same season, shutting them out 1-0 to record their first win over Cal since 2010. 

The Gaels have just six wins all-time against Cal and will meet for just the fifth time in the last decade, holding a 1-2-1 record over those four matches.  

ABOUT THE GOLDEN BEARS (ACC)

The Bears finished 2024 with a flourish, winning three out of four matches on the road to get within perhaps a win or two of reaching the postseason. After the victory at Stanford in the regular-season finale, the Bears upset No. 14 North Carolina 2-1 on the road in its ACC Championship opener, with defender Alfredo Ortiz converting Cal's first penalty kick of the season to clinch the win. The win at Duke followed and then came the close loss to Clemson, with the Bears finishing the year 8-8-2.

Leonard Griffin brings back a bevy of talented Bears for 2025 including sophomore forward Malcolm Zalayet, the team's top returning goalscorer who netted four goals last year. Zalayet also led Cal in assists with four. Ortiz, another returning sophomore, was the Bears' fourth-leading scorer last year with seven points from three goals and one assist. Goalkeeper Connor Lambe – who posted a 1.06 goals-against average in 12 games for the Bears in 2023 – is back as a graduate student this fall.

Kickoff is slated for 5:00 PM and the game can be streamed live on ESPN+. Tickets can be bought at the gate or 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. 

GAMEDAY POLICIES & PROCEDURES: Please note the department's gameday policies including use of a clear bag. Additional information on the 'Clear Bag' policy and other gameday protocols can be found HERE or at smcgaels.com. 

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