MORAGA, Calif. - Saint Mary's opened their two game home stand with authority, earning their first win of the season in a 2-0 shutout against the San Jose State Spartans on Thursday night in Moraga.
The Gaels controlled the pace from start to finish, outshooting the Spartans 26-3. Saint Mary's overtook San Jose State with goals from captains
Emmie Ennis and
Savannah Schwarze. The Gaels defense, led by
Amari Hicks,
Molly Silva,
Jessie Hawes, and
Aleiyah Schexnayder, was stellar all night, holding SJSU to just three shots.
FIRST HALF SMC 1-0 SJSU
Saint Mary's came out hot, firing nine shots within the first 30 minutes of play. The breakthrough finally came when
Emmie Ennis pounced on a turnover from a Spartan defender and fired a shot into the bottom left corner of the net. Ennis collected a loose ball off an errant clearance and beat her defender on the dribble to score the 1v1 goal, her first of the season.
By halftime, the Gaels had outshot San Jose State 15–1, holding the Spartans without a single corner while creating multiple dangerous looks of their own.
FINAL SMC 2-0 SJSU
The game progressed even further in the 69th minute when a yellow card initially given to San Jose State's Maryam Ladkani was upgraded to a red card following a review, causing the Spartans to play a player down for the rest of the match.
The game was secured in the 90th minute when
Savannah Schwarze converted a penalty kick to double the lead and secure the win. She played all 90 minutes, recorded six shots and scored her second goal of the season.
LOOKING AHEAD
With the victory, Saint Mary's brings their record to 1-1-1 on the season. The Gaels will look to carry this momentum into the last match of their home stand on Sunday, August 31st as they host Boston University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM and the match can be streamed live on ESPN+.
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