Wednesday, October 14
Berkeley, CA
3:30 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
at
Cal
#35 Eemil Laamanen: 13 GP/12 GS, 1 A, 1161 MP (leads team)
Photo by: Varun Aravind (@vflicks04)
MSOC | Gaels Hit the Road For Two-Match Week against Cal and Santa Clara
10/12/2026 3:53:00 PM | Men's Soccer
MORAGA, Calif. - The Saint Mary's men's soccer team will kick off its two-match week with a road contest against Cal for its last non-conference game of the 2026 season. They'll take on the Golden Bears on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. and then head to the South Bay on Saturday night to resume West Coast Conference play against Santa Clara. Saturday's match can be streamed live on ESPN+ and additional match information can be found at smcgaels.com.
GAME INFORMATION AND COVERAGE
MSOC | Saint Mary's at Cal | Edwards Stadium
Berkeley, Calif. | Oct. 14 | 3:30 p.m.
Live Stats | ACCNX | Free Admission
MSOC | Saint Mary's at Santa Clara | Buck Shaw Field
Santa Clara, Calif. | Oct. 17 | 7 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Suarez Nets Second Career Goal in 2-1 Defeat to Pacific…
Sophomore midfielder Rafael Suarez scored his second career goal on Saturday in a 2-1 loss to Pacific. The Folsom native has been a big piece of the Gaels' midfield this season and recorded his ninth 90-minute match of the season. He roofed a left-footed shot attempt inside the box in the 62nd minute to cut the deficit in half against the Tigers. Despite outshooting Pacific 27-8, the Gaels fell 2-1 on Saturday and will turn the page to Berkeley for their final non-conference match on Wednesday.
Gaels Record Season High 27 Shots in Intense Affair with Tigers…
Saint Mary's and Pacific combined for eleven cards in Saturday's West Coast Conference match including a red card for the Tigers' head coach Andres Ochoa, contributing to a fiery conference affair. Saint Mary's was on the front foot all afternoon long, tallying a season-high 27 shots for the most in a single-match since 2019. Cameron Kobey had a one-on-one chance turned away by the Tigers goalkeeper just two minutes into the match, but Pacific found a way to score in transition in the 19th minute to go up 1-0. A penalty kick just eight minutes later would double their lead as the Tigers took a two-goal advantage into the half.
Saint Mary's tallied 15 more shot attempts in the second half including a pair of shots off the woodwork from Carl Emil Lauridsen. They finally broke through in the 62nd minute off of a loose ball in the box collected by Rafael Suarez. Suarez side-stepped a Pacific defender and then fired a left-footed shot into the roof of the net to cut the deficit in half. The Tigers keeper finished with three saves in the half and a game-high seven over the course of the 90 minutes to hang on for the 2-1 victory.
Series History…
Saint Mary's and Cal have met each of the last two seasons with the Golden Bears recording a 4-2 win in 2024 and a 3-2 road victory in 2025. All-time, the Gaels are 6-21-5 dating back to 1978 and will look for their first road win over Cal since 2010. That year, SMC head coach Adam Cooper and his squad knocked off No. 18 Cal 2-1 in an overtime thriller.
Saint Mary's holds an all-time record of 12-39-8 against Santa Clara but the two teams have been some of the most evenly matched in WCC play over the last 19 years. The Gaels are an even 11-11-5 dating back to 2007 and are fresh off a 2-1 home victory in 2025. The Gaels will head to Buck Shaw Field seeking their first road win over the Broncos since 2020.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN BEARS (4-4-3, 1-3-1 ACC)
ACC member Cal enters the week with a 4-4-3 overall record and a 1-3-1 conference record. The Golden Bears have won two of their last three matches but are coming off a 1-0 defeat in ACC play to Virginia last Friday. They will host the Gaels on Wednesday and then welcome NC State to end the two-match week on Sunday. Cal has faced off against four other West Coast Conference programs this season with a combined record of 2-1-1. Wins for the Golden Bears came against Santa Clara and Pacific as well as a scoreless draw with No. 6 Portland to start the 2026 season.
Cal has struggled to put the ball in the back of the net this season, averaging just 1.45 goals per game for the second lowest mark in the ACC. Despite the lack of offensive production though, they have been one of the best defenses in the conference allowing just 1.18 goals per game. Callen Lewis leads the team with four goals this season as a true sophomore. Lewis had two goals as a true freshman a season ago and has played in all eleven games this season. Adam Salama has garnered all but one start in goal this season and ranks third in the ACC with five total shutouts over his ten starts.
ABOUT THE BRONCOS (4-6-2, 1-1-2 WCC)
Santa Clara has just one game this week, hosting the Gaels Saturday night at Buck Shaw Field. The Broncos are one of the best home teams in the WCC with all four wins on the season coming at home. They start the week in a three-way tie for fourth place at five points in the latest conference standings along with Seattle U and San Diego. The Broncos most recently ended a three-match winless streak, winning the last time out with a two-goal victory over LMU.
Santa Clara ranks just seventh in offense in the WCC with a little over one goal per game but like Cal, the Broncos are one of the best defenses on the West Coast as they lead the conference with a 1.25 Goals Against Average. Sophomore forward Josmar Guandique leads the team with three goals this season, primarily coming off the bench for the Broncos in his 12 matches played. Will Wiersdorf also returns for the Broncos as the senior midfielder is putting together a solid 2026 campaign with two goals and a team high three assists. He is one of just two players to start all 12 games this season. Cameron Rast enters his 24th year at the helm for Santa Clara and has guided them to eight NCAA Tournament appearances and seven WCC Championships since taking over back in 2002.
Wednesday's game against Cal will be streamed on ACCNX while Saturday's contest will return to ESPN+. Additional game information and ticket links can be found at smcgaels.com.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
GAME INFORMATION AND COVERAGE
MSOC | Saint Mary's at Cal | Edwards Stadium
Berkeley, Calif. | Oct. 14 | 3:30 p.m.
Live Stats | ACCNX | Free Admission
MSOC | Saint Mary's at Santa Clara | Buck Shaw Field
Santa Clara, Calif. | Oct. 17 | 7 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Suarez Nets Second Career Goal in 2-1 Defeat to Pacific…
Sophomore midfielder Rafael Suarez scored his second career goal on Saturday in a 2-1 loss to Pacific. The Folsom native has been a big piece of the Gaels' midfield this season and recorded his ninth 90-minute match of the season. He roofed a left-footed shot attempt inside the box in the 62nd minute to cut the deficit in half against the Tigers. Despite outshooting Pacific 27-8, the Gaels fell 2-1 on Saturday and will turn the page to Berkeley for their final non-conference match on Wednesday.
Gaels Record Season High 27 Shots in Intense Affair with Tigers…
Saint Mary's and Pacific combined for eleven cards in Saturday's West Coast Conference match including a red card for the Tigers' head coach Andres Ochoa, contributing to a fiery conference affair. Saint Mary's was on the front foot all afternoon long, tallying a season-high 27 shots for the most in a single-match since 2019. Cameron Kobey had a one-on-one chance turned away by the Tigers goalkeeper just two minutes into the match, but Pacific found a way to score in transition in the 19th minute to go up 1-0. A penalty kick just eight minutes later would double their lead as the Tigers took a two-goal advantage into the half.
Saint Mary's tallied 15 more shot attempts in the second half including a pair of shots off the woodwork from Carl Emil Lauridsen. They finally broke through in the 62nd minute off of a loose ball in the box collected by Rafael Suarez. Suarez side-stepped a Pacific defender and then fired a left-footed shot into the roof of the net to cut the deficit in half. The Tigers keeper finished with three saves in the half and a game-high seven over the course of the 90 minutes to hang on for the 2-1 victory.
Series History…
Saint Mary's and Cal have met each of the last two seasons with the Golden Bears recording a 4-2 win in 2024 and a 3-2 road victory in 2025. All-time, the Gaels are 6-21-5 dating back to 1978 and will look for their first road win over Cal since 2010. That year, SMC head coach Adam Cooper and his squad knocked off No. 18 Cal 2-1 in an overtime thriller.
Saint Mary's holds an all-time record of 12-39-8 against Santa Clara but the two teams have been some of the most evenly matched in WCC play over the last 19 years. The Gaels are an even 11-11-5 dating back to 2007 and are fresh off a 2-1 home victory in 2025. The Gaels will head to Buck Shaw Field seeking their first road win over the Broncos since 2020.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN BEARS (4-4-3, 1-3-1 ACC)
ACC member Cal enters the week with a 4-4-3 overall record and a 1-3-1 conference record. The Golden Bears have won two of their last three matches but are coming off a 1-0 defeat in ACC play to Virginia last Friday. They will host the Gaels on Wednesday and then welcome NC State to end the two-match week on Sunday. Cal has faced off against four other West Coast Conference programs this season with a combined record of 2-1-1. Wins for the Golden Bears came against Santa Clara and Pacific as well as a scoreless draw with No. 6 Portland to start the 2026 season.
Cal has struggled to put the ball in the back of the net this season, averaging just 1.45 goals per game for the second lowest mark in the ACC. Despite the lack of offensive production though, they have been one of the best defenses in the conference allowing just 1.18 goals per game. Callen Lewis leads the team with four goals this season as a true sophomore. Lewis had two goals as a true freshman a season ago and has played in all eleven games this season. Adam Salama has garnered all but one start in goal this season and ranks third in the ACC with five total shutouts over his ten starts.
ABOUT THE BRONCOS (4-6-2, 1-1-2 WCC)
Santa Clara has just one game this week, hosting the Gaels Saturday night at Buck Shaw Field. The Broncos are one of the best home teams in the WCC with all four wins on the season coming at home. They start the week in a three-way tie for fourth place at five points in the latest conference standings along with Seattle U and San Diego. The Broncos most recently ended a three-match winless streak, winning the last time out with a two-goal victory over LMU.
Santa Clara ranks just seventh in offense in the WCC with a little over one goal per game but like Cal, the Broncos are one of the best defenses on the West Coast as they lead the conference with a 1.25 Goals Against Average. Sophomore forward Josmar Guandique leads the team with three goals this season, primarily coming off the bench for the Broncos in his 12 matches played. Will Wiersdorf also returns for the Broncos as the senior midfielder is putting together a solid 2026 campaign with two goals and a team high three assists. He is one of just two players to start all 12 games this season. Cameron Rast enters his 24th year at the helm for Santa Clara and has guided them to eight NCAA Tournament appearances and seven WCC Championships since taking over back in 2002.
Wednesday's game against Cal will be streamed on ACCNX while Saturday's contest will return to ESPN+. Additional game information and ticket links can be found at smcgaels.com.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
Saturday, October 10
Saturday, October 03
Wednesday, September 30
Saturday, September 26
