Saturday, October 24
Santa Clara, CA
1:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
at
Santa Clara
Photo by: Tod Fierner
10/22/2026 10:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
MORAGA, Calif. - Fresh off its third conference win of the season, the Saint Mary's women's soccer team will travel to Buck Shaw Field this coming Saturday to take on the Santa Clara Broncos at a pivotal time in West Coast Conference play. The Gaels remain tied for the national lead with 11 shutouts this season and are in search of their first win against the Broncos since the 2000 season.
GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
WSOC | Saint Mary's at Santa Clara | Buck Shaw Field
Santa Clara, Calif. | Oct. 24 | 1 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Gaels Take Down San Diego, Hold Longest Win Streak in the WCC…
The Gaels continued their recent dominance at Saint Mary's Stadium with another brilliant performance this past Saturday, taking down San Diego 1-0 in a match highlighted by a season-high 25 shots from the Gaels and a second goal of the season for forward Brooklyn Smith. Senior forward Maren Hoovel recorded her first assist of the season and second of her career, while sophomore forward Ashlyn Vaughn would record a game-high five shots, moving her to third in the conference in shots per game at a 3.73 mark.
Goalkeeper Kate Plachy and the Gaels' back line continued their stellar season, as the Gaels now rank third in the country in Shutout Percentage (.733) while ranking fifth in the country in Goals-Against-Average (.400). Saint Mary's two-game win streak is the longest active streak in the West Coast Conference, while the Gaels continue to hold the highest winning percentage in the conference at .733. The Gaels remain in the hunt for a top four spot in the first-ever West Coast Conference Tournament, as Saint Mary's sits just one point behind Seattle U who will come to Moraga later this month on October 31.
Gaels Approaching History…
With Saturday's victory, Saint Mary's and goalkeeper Kate Plachy are closing in on program history once again thanks to another impressive shutout from coach Romagnolo's side. With their 11th shutout of the season, the Gaels are now just four shutouts away from tying the program record of 15, which was set in the program's inaugural season of 1987 when the Gaels played a record 22 matches that season. The shutout also brought Plachy's career total to 24, now second all-time among Gael goalkeepers behind Ruth Montgomery's 29 career shutouts.
Plachy's 0.55 Goals-Against-Average this season leads all keepers in the conference and ranks 25th in the country. She is also approaching Gael great Beth Litell's single-season program record of a 0.47 GAA after breaking the program record in conference a season ago at a mark of 0.45. Along with five shutouts from redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Soraya Souvanaphong to open the season, Plachy and the Gaels' current Goals-Against-Average of 0.40 would break the program record of 0.60 set in the 2001 season with Paul Ratcliffe at the helm.
Series History…
The Gaels hold a record of 3-33-5 all-time versus the Broncos and drew with Santa Clara 1-1 a season ago in Moraga, a match highlighted by a goal from senior forward Brianna Salvetti in her final match as a Gael. Saint Mary's last beat Santa Clara in the 2000 season, when the Gaels stormed into Buck Shaw Field and took down the No. 15 Broncos 4-2 thanks to a thrilling four-goal performance from Gael great Lucianne Crenshaw.
ABOUT THE BRONCOS (7-2-6, 3-0-2 WCC)
After an 8-6-5 season and a sixth-place conference finish a season ago, the Broncos are in search of their first WCC title and NCAA tournament appearance since the 2024 season. Picked to finish second in the conference along with Portland with 61 points, the Broncos are led by long-time head coach Jerry Smith, who enters his 40th season with a one-of-a-kind resume in collegiate soccer. Smith is one of three head coaches at the Division I level to reach the 500-win mark and recently picked up his 200th WCC victory to extend his mark as the winningest coach in conference history.
After opening conference play with three straight victories, the Broncos have drawn their last two matches and sit in third place in the conference. Senior forward Kennedy Schoennauer leads the conference with 12 goals this season, scoring in four of five conference matches for the Broncos, including a brace in their 3-1 victory over San Diego. Freshman forward Litsy Alcocer leads the Broncos with five assists on the season, while goalkeeper Ally Harrison ranks fourth in saves (42) and fifth in Goals-Against-Average (0.90) in the conference.
Kick off for Saturday's match is slated for 1 p.m. The match can be streamed live on ESPN+, with tickets available for purchase HERE.
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 COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
WSOC | Saint Mary's at Santa Clara | Buck Shaw Field
Santa Clara, Calif. | Oct. 24 | 1 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Gaels Take Down San Diego, Hold Longest Win Streak in the WCC…
The Gaels continued their recent dominance at Saint Mary's Stadium with another brilliant performance this past Saturday, taking down San Diego 1-0 in a match highlighted by a season-high 25 shots from the Gaels and a second goal of the season for forward Brooklyn Smith. Senior forward Maren Hoovel recorded her first assist of the season and second of her career, while sophomore forward Ashlyn Vaughn would record a game-high five shots, moving her to third in the conference in shots per game at a 3.73 mark.
Goalkeeper Kate Plachy and the Gaels' back line continued their stellar season, as the Gaels now rank third in the country in Shutout Percentage (.733) while ranking fifth in the country in Goals-Against-Average (.400). Saint Mary's two-game win streak is the longest active streak in the West Coast Conference, while the Gaels continue to hold the highest winning percentage in the conference at .733. The Gaels remain in the hunt for a top four spot in the first-ever West Coast Conference Tournament, as Saint Mary's sits just one point behind Seattle U who will come to Moraga later this month on October 31.
Gaels Approaching History…
With Saturday's victory, Saint Mary's and goalkeeper Kate Plachy are closing in on program history once again thanks to another impressive shutout from coach Romagnolo's side. With their 11th shutout of the season, the Gaels are now just four shutouts away from tying the program record of 15, which was set in the program's inaugural season of 1987 when the Gaels played a record 22 matches that season. The shutout also brought Plachy's career total to 24, now second all-time among Gael goalkeepers behind Ruth Montgomery's 29 career shutouts.
Plachy's 0.55 Goals-Against-Average this season leads all keepers in the conference and ranks 25th in the country. She is also approaching Gael great Beth Litell's single-season program record of a 0.47 GAA after breaking the program record in conference a season ago at a mark of 0.45. Along with five shutouts from redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Soraya Souvanaphong to open the season, Plachy and the Gaels' current Goals-Against-Average of 0.40 would break the program record of 0.60 set in the 2001 season with Paul Ratcliffe at the helm.
Series History…
The Gaels hold a record of 3-33-5 all-time versus the Broncos and drew with Santa Clara 1-1 a season ago in Moraga, a match highlighted by a goal from senior forward Brianna Salvetti in her final match as a Gael. Saint Mary's last beat Santa Clara in the 2000 season, when the Gaels stormed into Buck Shaw Field and took down the No. 15 Broncos 4-2 thanks to a thrilling four-goal performance from Gael great Lucianne Crenshaw.
ABOUT THE BRONCOS (7-2-6, 3-0-2 WCC)
After an 8-6-5 season and a sixth-place conference finish a season ago, the Broncos are in search of their first WCC title and NCAA tournament appearance since the 2024 season. Picked to finish second in the conference along with Portland with 61 points, the Broncos are led by long-time head coach Jerry Smith, who enters his 40th season with a one-of-a-kind resume in collegiate soccer. Smith is one of three head coaches at the Division I level to reach the 500-win mark and recently picked up his 200th WCC victory to extend his mark as the winningest coach in conference history.
After opening conference play with three straight victories, the Broncos have drawn their last two matches and sit in third place in the conference. Senior forward Kennedy Schoennauer leads the conference with 12 goals this season, scoring in four of five conference matches for the Broncos, including a brace in their 3-1 victory over San Diego. Freshman forward Litsy Alcocer leads the Broncos with five assists on the season, while goalkeeper Ally Harrison ranks fourth in saves (42) and fifth in Goals-Against-Average (0.90) in the conference.
Kick off for Saturday's match is slated for 1 p.m. The match can be streamed live on ESPN+, with tickets available for purchase HERE.
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
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