SAN BRUNO, Calif. - For the first time since splitting the WCC weekly awards into an Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week in 2021, Saint Mary's swept both awards with
Savannah Schwarze and
Kate Plachy earning the weekly honors after a pair of wins over San Jose State and Boston. The Gaels put together their best two performances of the season, outscoring their opponents 6-0 for their first two wins of the season.
Schwarze and Plachy become the first conference players of the week for the Gaels since current forward
Briana Salvetti was named Offensive Player of the Week on November 4th of last season. These are the first ever WCC weekly awards for both Schwarze and Plachy.
#14 Savannah Schwarze | MF | WCC Offensive Player of the Week
Savannah Schwarze has been the team's leader in the midfield, starting all four games this season and leading her team with two goals and two assists. This week, Schwarze scored her second goal of the season off a penalty to ice their two-goal victory over the Spartans Thursday evening. She then concluded the weekend with a career high two assists in the team's 4-0 rout over Boston U for their first ever win over the Terriers.
Schwarze ranks inside the top-ten in the WCC in goals, assists and is tied for the conference lead with six points through the first three weeks of the season.
#11 Kate Plachy | GK | WCC Defensive Player of the Week
Kate Plachy and the Gaels defense had yet to record a shutout through the first two games of the season, drawing with CSUN to open the season and then allowing four goals to second ranked Stanford last week. That would change with a pair of shutouts this week in wins over San Jose State and Boston U. Plachy faced just three shots against the Spartans as the Gaels outshot SJSU 26-3.
She then recorded five saves off thirteen shots Sunday afternoon to help seal the team's four-goal shutout victory over the Terries. One of those five saves included a penalty kick save in the 51st minute to preserve a 2-0 lead at the time. The win marked her eighth career shutout and moved her inside the top-ten all-time in program history.
The Gaels will take on UC Davis under the lights Thursday evening before returning home to host Hawaii on Sunday, September 7th at 12:00 PM. Tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets and both matches can be streamed live on ESPN+.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
