MSOC | Gaels Drop Final Non-Conference Match to Golden Bears in Berkeley

Wednesday, October 14

Berkeley, CA

3:30 PM

Saint Mary's College of California

2-8-4, 0-3-1

Cal

5-4-3, 1-3-1

Team	1	2	Final F
Saint Mary's (CA)	0	0	0
California	2	2	4

Highlights

Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner

MSOC | Gaels Drop Final Non-Conference Match to Golden Bears in Berkeley

10/14/2026 8:26:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

BERKELEY, Calif. - The Saint Mary's men's soccer team capped off its non-conference slate for the 2026 season in a 4-0 road defeat to Cal Wednesday afternoon. Similar to the Pacific game last time out, Saint Mary's (2-8-4, 0-3-1) got off to a quick start with several dangerous chances over the opening minutes of the match. They finished even in shots over the first 45 minutes but Cal (5-4-3, 1-3-1) scored a pair of first half goals including a penalty kick in the 40th minute to take a 2-0 lead into the break. Two more goals in the second half would solidify a 4-0 victory for the Golden Bears, their fifth of the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Head coach Adam Cooper introduced some new starters to Wednesday's starting eleven including true freshman Angelos Mavropoulos and sophomore forward Henry Beatty, each making their first starts of the 2026 season. In the ninth minute, the Gaels put together a stellar box-to-box moment that started with a brilliant defensive tackle from Ryan Firestone deep inside the 18-yard box. After winning the challenge, senior forward Luke Schaefer would get played up the field on the counter. Schaefer laid the ball off for Beatty who drove into the box and fired a left-footed shot on frame, forcing the first save from Cal's goalkeeper. The rebound would fall for Carl Emil Lauridsen who forced another save on frame near the penalty spot. One final rebound would return to Schaefer who saw his deflected shot rattle off the cross bar and out of bounds to end a hectic offensive moment for the Gaels.

Just three minutes later, Firestone found himself in on goal after a ball played over the top. The junior defender would hammer a left-footed shot low and across the frame but the Golden Bears keeper made another impressive save to keep the game scoreless. Cal would finally get some breathing room late in the half with a drawn penalty in the 40th minute that was converted by Cesar Cordova. The lead would double in the blink of an eye with a goal no more than two minutes later to give Cal a 2-0 lead at the half.

The Golden Bears went on to outshoot the Gaels 7-3 over the final 45 minutes and find two more goals to cap off a 4-0 midweek victory. Mavropoulos and Schaefer led the team with two shots each while Sam Bentley added four more saves to his season total. The Gaels will resume West Coast Conference action Saturday night against Santa Clara at Buck Shaw Field.

GAME NOTES

Mavropoulos and Beatty made their first starts of the 2026 season
Mavropoulos played a career high 75 minutes while adding two shots to his stat line
90-minute efforts came from Talan Rochelle, Eemil Laamanen and Firestone
Laamanen leads the team with 1251 minutes played this season
Bentley brought his season save total to 32 and now ranks fifth most in the WCC

LOOKING AHEAD

Saint Mary's will head to the South Bay on Saturday and take on Santa Clara to resume WCC action. Kick off is slated for 7 p.m. and the match 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