Saturday, November 7
Moraga, CA
1:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
vs
Pepperdine
Photo by: Tod Fierner
11/5/2026 10:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
MORAGA, Calif. - The Saint Mary's women's soccer team will host the 2025 West Coast Conference Champion Pepperdine Waves this coming Saturday, with the match having massive playoff implications for the final spot in this year's first ever WCC Tournament.Â
The Gaels continue to lead the conference with a 0.56 Goals Against Average and stand as one of the best defenses in the country. They will look for their second consecutive win over the Waves after upsetting them 1-0 in Malibu in 2025. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+, with tickets available for purchase at smcgaels.com/tickets.Â
GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
WSOC | Saint Mary's vs Pepperdine | Saint Mary's Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | Nov. 7 | 1 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Gaels Take Down Pacific, Pick Up Tenth Victory Of the Season
Saint Mary's recently wrapped up its final two-match week of the conference season, first storming into Stockton this past Wednesday to take down Pacific 2-1 before falling to Seattle U 2-0 this past Saturday. In Stockton, forward Ashlyn Vaughn opened the scoring in the 12th minute with her team-leading ninth goal of the season. Vaughn is now one goal away from reaching the double-digit goal mark, which would mark the first time the Gaels have had a double-digit goal scorer in back to back seasons since Lori Hokerson hit the double-digit mark twice in 1993 and 1994.Â
Freshman forward Brianna Jurasek then scored off a soaring header in the 53rd minute to secure her team-high third game-winner. With a goal this coming weekend, Jurasek would become the first Gael freshman to score five goals in a season since Jordan Morada in 2010. Wednesday's victory marks the first time the Gaels have reached the double-digit win mark in back-to-back seasons since the 2000-2001 seasons. Goalkeeper Kate Plachy recorded her 26th victory as a Gael, tying fellow Gael WCC Goalkeeper of the Year Taylor Poland for third all-time among Gael goalkeepers.
Saint Mary's then returned to Moraga and fell to the Seattle U Redhawks 2-0, who are currently tied for first in the West Coast Conference standings. Ashlyn Vaughn led the Gaels with three shots in the match, now ranking tied for sixth in program history in single-season with 63 shot attempts. Goalkeeper Kate Plachy recorded four saves in the match, while the Gaels recorded double-digit shots for the 12th time this season.
It All Comes Down To This…
Saint Mary's now sit at 13 points in the West Coast Conference, just three points behind fourth-place Santa Clara for the final spot in the inaugural four-team conference tournament. Along with a victory over Pepperdine, the Gaels would then need a Santa Clara loss this coming weekend, with the Broncos hosting seventh-place Portland this coming Saturday. Additional tiebreakers would go to conference goal-differential which will be decided after the final games on Saturday.Â
Senior Day Special…
The Gaels will honor five graduating seniors this weekend, including forwards Brittany Holden, Maren Hoovel, and Brooklyn Smith, defender Molly Silva, and goalkeeper Kate Plachy. All five players have played a crucial part in the Gaels' success this season, with all four outfield players recording a goal contribution this season, and Plachy ranking in the top three in the conference in save percentage (.833) and shutouts (7) this season. The five graduates will be honored prior to the 1 p.m. kick this Saturday.Â
Series History…
Saint Mary's will look to extend its current unbeaten streak against the Waves to three games after a 1-0 win on the road last season and a 1-1 draw in Moraga back in 2024. A season ago when the teams met in Malibu, the Gaels stormed into Tari Frahm Rokus Field and took all three points thanks to a goal in the second minute of play from midfielder Emmie Ennis for the Gaels' first victory in Malibu since 2015. They will look for their first home win over Pepperdine since a 1-0 victory in 2018.Â
ABOUT THE WAVES (9-4-4, 5-1-2 WCC)
After winning the West Coast Conference league title a season ago with a record of 11-7-2, the Pepperdine Waves were picked to finish first in the preseason coaches poll and have shown no signs of slowing down in 2026. The Waves are tied for first place in the conference with LMU and Seattle U heading into the final day of WCC play, and are in search of their eighth trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last ten seasons.
Led by 29th year head coach Tim Ward, the Waves have enjoyed a strong start to the season, picking up a 1-1 draw on the road against current No. 5 Texas Tech before beginning their WCC campaign with four consecutive victories. While Kate Plachy remains the only player to win multiple WCC Defensive Player of the Week awards this season, Waves' senior forward Julia Quinonez leads the WCC in Offensive Player of the Week awards this season with four selections. Quinonez leads the conference in game-winning goals with five and ranks second in goals with 13.
Kick off for Saturday's match is slated for 1 p.m., with the Senior Day ceremony beginning prior to starting lineup introductions. The match can be streamed live on ESPN+, with tickets available for purchase HERE or at smcgaels.com/tickets.
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
The Gaels continue to lead the conference with a 0.56 Goals Against Average and stand as one of the best defenses in the country. They will look for their second consecutive win over the Waves after upsetting them 1-0 in Malibu in 2025. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+, with tickets available for purchase at smcgaels.com/tickets.Â
GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
WSOC | Saint Mary's vs Pepperdine | Saint Mary's Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | Nov. 7 | 1 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Gaels Take Down Pacific, Pick Up Tenth Victory Of the Season
Saint Mary's recently wrapped up its final two-match week of the conference season, first storming into Stockton this past Wednesday to take down Pacific 2-1 before falling to Seattle U 2-0 this past Saturday. In Stockton, forward Ashlyn Vaughn opened the scoring in the 12th minute with her team-leading ninth goal of the season. Vaughn is now one goal away from reaching the double-digit goal mark, which would mark the first time the Gaels have had a double-digit goal scorer in back to back seasons since Lori Hokerson hit the double-digit mark twice in 1993 and 1994.Â
Freshman forward Brianna Jurasek then scored off a soaring header in the 53rd minute to secure her team-high third game-winner. With a goal this coming weekend, Jurasek would become the first Gael freshman to score five goals in a season since Jordan Morada in 2010. Wednesday's victory marks the first time the Gaels have reached the double-digit win mark in back-to-back seasons since the 2000-2001 seasons. Goalkeeper Kate Plachy recorded her 26th victory as a Gael, tying fellow Gael WCC Goalkeeper of the Year Taylor Poland for third all-time among Gael goalkeepers.
Saint Mary's then returned to Moraga and fell to the Seattle U Redhawks 2-0, who are currently tied for first in the West Coast Conference standings. Ashlyn Vaughn led the Gaels with three shots in the match, now ranking tied for sixth in program history in single-season with 63 shot attempts. Goalkeeper Kate Plachy recorded four saves in the match, while the Gaels recorded double-digit shots for the 12th time this season.
It All Comes Down To This…
Saint Mary's now sit at 13 points in the West Coast Conference, just three points behind fourth-place Santa Clara for the final spot in the inaugural four-team conference tournament. Along with a victory over Pepperdine, the Gaels would then need a Santa Clara loss this coming weekend, with the Broncos hosting seventh-place Portland this coming Saturday. Additional tiebreakers would go to conference goal-differential which will be decided after the final games on Saturday.Â
Senior Day Special…
The Gaels will honor five graduating seniors this weekend, including forwards Brittany Holden, Maren Hoovel, and Brooklyn Smith, defender Molly Silva, and goalkeeper Kate Plachy. All five players have played a crucial part in the Gaels' success this season, with all four outfield players recording a goal contribution this season, and Plachy ranking in the top three in the conference in save percentage (.833) and shutouts (7) this season. The five graduates will be honored prior to the 1 p.m. kick this Saturday.Â
Series History…
Saint Mary's will look to extend its current unbeaten streak against the Waves to three games after a 1-0 win on the road last season and a 1-1 draw in Moraga back in 2024. A season ago when the teams met in Malibu, the Gaels stormed into Tari Frahm Rokus Field and took all three points thanks to a goal in the second minute of play from midfielder Emmie Ennis for the Gaels' first victory in Malibu since 2015. They will look for their first home win over Pepperdine since a 1-0 victory in 2018.Â
ABOUT THE WAVES (9-4-4, 5-1-2 WCC)
After winning the West Coast Conference league title a season ago with a record of 11-7-2, the Pepperdine Waves were picked to finish first in the preseason coaches poll and have shown no signs of slowing down in 2026. The Waves are tied for first place in the conference with LMU and Seattle U heading into the final day of WCC play, and are in search of their eighth trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last ten seasons.
Led by 29th year head coach Tim Ward, the Waves have enjoyed a strong start to the season, picking up a 1-1 draw on the road against current No. 5 Texas Tech before beginning their WCC campaign with four consecutive victories. While Kate Plachy remains the only player to win multiple WCC Defensive Player of the Week awards this season, Waves' senior forward Julia Quinonez leads the WCC in Offensive Player of the Week awards this season with four selections. Quinonez leads the conference in game-winning goals with five and ranks second in goals with 13.
Kick off for Saturday's match is slated for 1 p.m., with the Senior Day ceremony beginning prior to starting lineup introductions. The match can be streamed live on ESPN+, with tickets available for purchase HERE or at smcgaels.com/tickets.
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
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/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's SoccerGK
/ Women's SoccerD
/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's SoccerF
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