Saturday, October 10
Portland, OR
6:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
8-2-4, 2-2-0
1
at
0
Portland
5-7-1, 1-2-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Mary's | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Portland | 0 | 0 | 0 |
WSOC | Gaels Take Down Portland, Pick Up First Win at Merlo Field Since 2021
10/10/2026 8:50:00 PM | Women's Soccer
PORTLAND, Ore. - Saint Mary's women's soccer picked up its eighth win of the season and second win of West Coast Conference play, taking down the Portland Pilots 1-0 on the road Saturday night. A 34th-minute header from senior defender Molly Silva gave the Gaels an early lead, and the defense remained strong to give Saint Mary's its first road win of WCC play in 2026.
HOW IT HAPPENEDÂ
The Gaels and Pilots battled for possession from the get-go Saturday night under the lights, with neither squad recording a shot on goal until the 25th minute. SMC goalkeeper Kate Plachy was forced into an acrobatic save, followed up by a goal-line clearance from defender Molly Silva to keep the Gaels even. The Gaels jumped in front though in the 35th minute off a Natalie Mejia corner kick that found the head of Silva, who slotted her header into the bottom right corner for the senior defender's third goal of the season. Saint Mary's continued to generate chances and outshot the Pilots 6-4 in the first half, with Silva recorded three of the Gaels' six first-half shots.
The defensive line for Saint Mary's remained strong all night, holding the Pilots to just two shots on goal, an effort led by three 90-minute performances from defenders Molly Silva, Aleiyah Schexnayder, and Taylor Farnum. Ashlyn Vaughn continued to pressure Portland's back line, recording a game-high four shots and delivering another brilliant 90 minutes of action. The Gaels saw the match out and picked up their tenth shutout of the season, joining Auburn as one of two teams in the country to reach the ten shutout mark this season.
GAME NOTES
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's returns to Moraga next Saturday, October 17, for Alumni Weekend to take on the San Diego Toreros at 3 p.m. The match can be streamed live on ESPN+, with tickets available for purchase HERE or at smcgaels.com/tickets.Â
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.Â
#GaelsRise
HOW IT HAPPENEDÂ
The Gaels and Pilots battled for possession from the get-go Saturday night under the lights, with neither squad recording a shot on goal until the 25th minute. SMC goalkeeper Kate Plachy was forced into an acrobatic save, followed up by a goal-line clearance from defender Molly Silva to keep the Gaels even. The Gaels jumped in front though in the 35th minute off a Natalie Mejia corner kick that found the head of Silva, who slotted her header into the bottom right corner for the senior defender's third goal of the season. Saint Mary's continued to generate chances and outshot the Pilots 6-4 in the first half, with Silva recorded three of the Gaels' six first-half shots.
The defensive line for Saint Mary's remained strong all night, holding the Pilots to just two shots on goal, an effort led by three 90-minute performances from defenders Molly Silva, Aleiyah Schexnayder, and Taylor Farnum. Ashlyn Vaughn continued to pressure Portland's back line, recording a game-high four shots and delivering another brilliant 90 minutes of action. The Gaels saw the match out and picked up their tenth shutout of the season, joining Auburn as one of two teams in the country to reach the ten shutout mark this season.
GAME NOTES
- Senior defender Molly Silva picked up her third goal of the season after scoring one in her first three seasons as a Gael.Â
- Redshirt sophomore midfielder Natalie Mejia recorded her second assist of the season and second of conference play in the 2026 campaign.
- Sophomore forward Ashlyn Vaughn recorded a game-high four shots and remains top five in the conference in both goals and total shots.
- Three Gael defenders, Taylor Farnum, Molly Silva, and Aleiyah Schexnayder, all recorded 90 minutes played in the match, with Farnum recording the first 90-minute match of her collegiate career.
- Kate Plachy logged her conference high sixth shutout, and recorded two saves in the match to bring her career total to 156 saves.
- The Gaels join SEC member Auburn as one of two teams in the country to record ten shutouts this season.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's returns to Moraga next Saturday, October 17, for Alumni Weekend to take on the San Diego Toreros at 3 p.m. The match can be streamed live on ESPN+, with tickets available for purchase HERE or at smcgaels.com/tickets.Â
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.Â
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
D
/ Women's SoccerMF
/ Women's SoccerGK
/ Women's SoccerD
/ Women's SoccerD
/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's SoccerTeam Stats
SMC
POR
Goals
1
0
Shots
11
10
Shots on Goal
3
2
Saves
2
2
Corners
5
5
Fouls
13
11
Scoring Plays
Molly Silva (3)
Assisted By: Natalie Mejia
GOAL by SMC Silva, Molly Assist by Mejia, Natalie.
34:53
Game Leaders
def
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
4
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Saturday, October 10
Wednesday, October 07
Friday, October 02
Saturday, September 26
