MORAGA, Calif. - Saint Mary's recorded their first two wins of the 2025 season in dominant fashion last week, outscoring their opponents 6-0 including a four-goal rout over Boston U. They will look to continue their momentum this week with a pair of Big West opponents in UC Davis and Hawaii. The Gaels will hit the road to take on the Aggies under the lights Thursday night before returning to Moraga to host Hawaii for the first time in seven years.
GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
WSOC | Saint Mary's at UC Davis | Aggie Soccer Field
Davis, Calif. | September 4th | 7:00 PM
Live Stats |
ESPN+ |
Tickets
WSOC | Saint Mary's vs. Hawaii | Saint Mary's Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | September 7th | 12:00 PM
Live Stats |
ESPN+ |
Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Gaels Complete 2-0 Homestand, Wins over Aggies and Terriers…
Saint Mary's had yet to record a win in the 2025 season but that changed quickly as they came out of last weekend with two dominant wins over San Jose State and Boston U. The Gaels kicked things off Thursday evening with a 2-0 win over the Spartans, outshooting them 26-3.
On Sunday, they hosted Boston U for just their second all-time meeting and put up a season high four goals. They tallied 22 shots in the match, their second straight with 20+ shot attempts. Four different players scored as Saint Mary's is tied for the conference lead with nine goals on the season. They now lead the WCC in goal differential, goals per game, shots per game and assists with eleven.
Six Goals, Six Different Goal Scorers…
Saint Mary's went 2-0 this past weekend with wins over San Jose State and Boston. Over their two games the Gaels scored six goals from six different players. On Thursday, captains
Emmie Ennis and
Savannah Schwarze scored the two goals for the shutout victory. Then on Sunday,
Sydney Middaugh,
Ashlyn Vaughn,
Briana Salvetti and
Brooklyn Smith scored the four goals for the rout over the Terriers.
The last time Saint Mary's scored four goals in a match was last season in a 4-0 conference win over San Diego. The Gaels scored four goals twice that season and currently sit in a tie for first place with nine goals so far this year.
Series History…
Saint Mary's and UC Davis did not meet last season but the Gaels have been rather dominant over the last decade. The Gaels are 9-2-1 over their last twelve meetings including a 1-0 road victory in their last matchup in 2023. The Aggies are seeking their first win over the Gaels since 2021 and their first win at home since a double overtime victory in 2015.
Saint Mary's and Hawaii will meet for the first time since 2018. In their last meeting, the Rainbow Wahine came away with the 2-1 overtime victory in Moraga. The last time Saint Mary's defeated Hawaii was in 2011. The Gaels won three straight matches from 2001-2011 and are 3-2 over their last five meetings.
ABOUT THE AGGIES (Big West)
Despite coming off a 13-win season and a second place finish in the Big West, UC Davis was picked to finish eighth in this year's preseason poll while Hawaii was picked to win the conference with six first place votes. Redshirt senior Genavieve Fontes was named to the preseason team after leading the Big West with 11 goals.
UC Davis enters a new chapter in their program's history after head coach Tracy Joyner left for Oregon after the 2024 season. Joyner led the Aggies to three straight 2nd place finishes in the Big West and her 13 wins last season went down as second most in program history. Kat Mertz was named the program's fifth head coach this past spring and comes over after four seasons with Division II MSU Denver.
This season, UC Davis is 1-2-2 overall with their lone win coming against WCC member Pacific. Since, they have gone 0-2-1 over their last three games with defeats to San Jose State and LSU. They are also winless at home, recording a draw to Fresno State to open the season and then suffering a 2-1 defeat to San Jose State two weeks ago.
ABOUT THE RAINBOW WAHINE (Big West)
Coming off of a conference regular season title a season ago, the Hawai'i women's soccer team was picked first by the league's coaches in the Big West Preseason Poll. Additionally, midfielder Nalani Damacion and forward Amber Gilbert earned spots on the Big West preseason all-conference team. It's the first time since 2008 that the Rainbow Wahine have been selected first in a conference preseason poll following the program's first-ever Big West regular season title in 2024.
Hawai'i returns 20 players from last year's team, including eight who started at least 15 matches. Of those returners are Nalani Damacion who was named the Big West Midfielder of the Year and Kennedy Justin who was the league's Goalkeeper of the Year. This season, the Rainbow Wahine are just 1-3-2 with their lone win coming over Central Arkansas. They do have draws against Pepperdine and Cal Baptist but will come to the west coast to take on Sacramento State and Saint Mary's.
Michele Nagamine returns for her 14th season as the program's head coach after winning her second Big West Coach of the Year award in 2024.
Saint Mary's will first take on UC Davis on the road Thursday night at 7:00 PM before returning to Moraga to host Hawaii on Sunday at 12:00 PM to conclude their two-game week. Both matches can be streamed live on ESPN+ and tickets can be purchased online at smcgaels.com/tickets.
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