MORAGA, Calif. - Saint Mary's nearly pulled off the comeback in their season opener Thursday night but two goals within a span of three minutes would propel Cal to the 3-2 victory.
After going down a goal just six minutes into the game, the Gaels tied things up with a header goal from
TJ Dilley three minutes into the second half. The game would flip on its head over the final half hour as SMC defender
Hubert Deragon got sent off with a second yellow in the 67th minute and then three goals were scored over the final fifteen minutes. Cal took back their lead with a penalty kick goal in the 79th minute only for the Gaels to tie the game for a second time with a penalty of their own just a minute later. The Golden Bears would finally put the nail in the coffin with a goal from Cam Wilkerson in the 82nd minute to seal the wild 3-2 victory.
Cal outshot Saint Mary's 19-7 as sophomore keeper
Sam Bentley finished with a game high five saves.
TJ Dilley scored his first collegiate goal to tie the game at one while captain
Bastian Toelhoej converted his penalty kick later in the half for his sixth career goal.
FIRST HALF SMC 0-1 CAL
Cal wasted no time scoring in the sixth minute to take a 1-0 lead. They tallied seven shots over the first 45 minutes and maintained their one-goal lead at the break.
FINAL SMC 2-3 CAL
Out of the break, Saint Mary's earned their first corner kick of the match and capitalized with a terrific near post header from
TJ Dilley to knot the game at one. Assisting on the goal was senior
Sam Danner for his first point as a Gael after transferring in from Fairfield University.
The road got a little tougher for the Gaels after senior defender
Hubert Deragon picked up his second yellow card of the game, putting the Gaels down a man with 25 minutes to play. Replay also played a role in the game as Cal earned a penalty after an overturned call in the 79th minute. Forward Luka Lukic converted the penalty to put the Golden Bears back up 2-1.
Just a minute later, Saint Mary's would be the benefactors of a replay scenario and have a call overturned, giving them a penalty opportunity with a chance to tie the game. After going 3-for-3 on penalty attempts last season,
Bastian Toelhoej would step up once again and slot the penalty into the top right corner for his first goal of the season. Once again, the Gaels had tied the game with ten minutes remaining.
Concluding a wild 15-minute span, Cal would score and take the lead for the third time in the match with a goal in the 82nd minute. Cam Wilkerson got on the end of a cross to tap in the goal on the back post and help seal the 3-2 victory on opening day.
Toelhoej and
Jona Starek played all 90 minutes for the Gaels while Bentley finished with five saves in goal. Redshirt freshman
TJ Dilley scored his first collegiate goal in his first collegiate start in 66 minutes of action. Freshman midfielder
Jaydon Whittaker put together a solid performance in the team's midfield with 75 minutes played in his collegiate debut. 13 total players made their SMC debut as the Gaels battled until the final whistle but dropped the opener 3-2.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will conclude their opening weekend at home and take on San Jose State on Sunday, August 24th at 5:00 PM. Tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets and the match can be streamed live on ESPN+.
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