Wednesday, August 12
Long Beach, CA
7:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
at
Long Beach State
WSOC | Gaels Open 2026 Campaign At Long Beach State, Host Fresno State For First Time Since 2018
8/11/2026 10:35:00 AM | Women's Soccer
MORAGA, Calif. - Saint Mary's will kick off its 2026 season with two non-conference matchups, as they open at Long Beach State this Wednesday and return to Moraga for their home opener against Fresno State on Sunday. The Gaels will bring a plethora of returning talent to the 2026 season and look to finish what they started after a second place finish a season ago in the West Coast Conference. The Gaels were picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll and will seek their third ever home victory against the Bulldogs on Sunday.
GAME INFORMATION AND COVERAGE
WSOC | Saint Mary's at Long Beach State | George Allen Field
Long Beach, Calif. | August 12th | 7:00 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
WSOC | Saint Mary's vs. Fresno State | Saint Mary's Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | August 16th | 1:00 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
2025 Season Recap…
2025 was a truly historic WCC season for Saint Mary's, a season in which the Gaels set a program record with 24 points in conference play and finished one point behind conference champions Pepperdine. Though the Gaels controlled their destiny down to the final day of conference play, a 1-1 draw to rival Santa Clara was enough to give Pepperdine the edge and send the Waves to the NCAA tournament. With the most wins in the WCC a season ago and the only team in the conference to go undefeated at home, head coach Theresa Romagnolo continues to build this Gaels program into one of the elite women's soccer programs on the West Coast.
2025 saw a program-record four All-West Region selections, two of whom will return to the Gaels squad in 2026. As the most decorated Gael of 2025, Kate Plachy became the second Gael ever to win WCC Goalkeeper of the Year (Taylor Poland, 2020) and was named to the All-West Region First Team and WCC First Team. Savannah Schwarze returns for her fifth year after an impressive 2025 season, starting all 17 games she appeared in, recording a team-high five assists, and earning All-WCC Second Team and WCC All-Academic Team Honorable Mention.
All-WCC Preseason Team and Poll…
Leading the charge for the Gaels on the All-WCC Preseason Team were goalkeeper Kate Plachy and forward Ashlyn Vaughn. Starting all 18 matches and allowing only 11 goals all season, Plachy's dominance in front of the net solidified her as WCC Goalkeeper of the Year and All-WCC First Team honors in 2025. After a breakout freshman campaign in which she tallied three goals and three assists, including a stunner against LMU that featured on SportCenter's Top-10, Vaughn looks to lead this Gaels attack in 2026 and finish what they started in 2025.
After a second place finish in 2025, the Gaels were picked to finish fourth in the WCC Preseason Coaches Poll with 60 points. Conference champions Pepperdine were picked first with 81 points, while Portland and Santa Clara tied for second with 61 points each. Denver was picked to finish seventh in its inaugural season in the WCC after officially joining from the Summit League earlier this summer.
19 Returners for 2026 Season…
Saint Mary's will enter the 2026 season with 19 total returners including three of its five leading goal scorers from 2025. Standout freshman Ashlyn Vaughn netted three goals in her first collegiate season while Savannah Schwarze and then first year Gael Brooklyn Smith combined for six goals on the season.
The backline and defensive side of the ball was one of the highlights for the Gaels last season and they'll look to be one of the best defensive teams again in the WCC with key returners in Molly Silva, Aleiyah Schexnayder, Anna Emperador, Madison Casado, Maddie Lucas and 2025 WCC Goalkeeper of the Year Kate Plachy. Plachy, Schexnayder, Silva and Lucas return as the top four minute leaders from 2025 with each eclipsing 1500 minutes and starting in all 18 games. The group will be pivotal once again in the team's defensive success and a group that allowed just 0.61 goals per game for eighth best in the country in 2025.
Series History…
The Gaels last took on Long Beach State on the road in 2011, when they suffered a difficult 6-0 defeat in their only other road matchup against the Beach. The Gaels last hosted the Beach in 2010 in a narrow 1-0 victory, and currently lead the all-time series against the Beach 4-1-0.
Saint Mary's and Fresno State last met in 2021 at Bulldog Soccer Stadium, a contest that ended scoreless through two overtime periods. The Gaels will look to record their first victory over the Bulldogs since 2018, when a 53rd-minute goal from midfielder Anyssa Dominguez secured a 1-0 result at Saint Mary's Stadium. The Gaels lead the all-time series against the Bulldogs 3-2-1.
ABOUT THE BEACH (BIG WEST)
Long Beach State enters 2026 picked to finish seventh in the Big West preseason poll after a difficult 2025 campaign in which they finished 2-4-4 and eighth place in the conference. The Beach are led by senior forwards Radisson Banks and Cherrie Cox, who combined for nine goals and seven assists a season ago and represent Long Beach on the 2026 Preseason All-Big West Team. Head coach Mauricio Ingrassia enters his 23rd season at the helm, leading Long Beach to the NCAA tournament seven times and an Elite Eight run in 2011, the farthest NCAA tournament run of any Big West team in women's soccer history.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS (PAC-12)
Fresno State enters 2026 as one of seven new members of the revamped Pac-12 Conference. The Bulldogs are led by first-year head coach Gabriel Bolton, who arrives with an extensive resume built over 21 seasons leading Stanislaus State — including eleven postseason appearances and seven consecutive NCAA berths from 2010 through 2016, capped by the 2014 NCAA West Region Championship.
Fresno State comes into 2026 without significant offensive firepower, having graduated its top four point producers from a season ago, including 2025 leading scorer Alexis Campbell. To offset those losses, the program welcomes eight transfers — among them Alexis Dueker and Daisy Torres, both of whom the Gaels faced last season during their time at San Jose State in a 2-0 Saint Mary's home victory on August 28th.
Kickoff for Sunday's home opener with Fresno State is slated for 1:00 p.m., with the game being streamed live on ESPN+. Tickets can be bought at the gate 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.
GAMEDAY POLICIES & PROCEDURES: Please note the department's gameday policies, including the use of a clear bag. Additional information on the 'Clear Bag' policy and other gameday protocols can be found HERE or at smcgaels.com.
#GaelsRise
GAME INFORMATION AND COVERAGE
WSOC | Saint Mary's at Long Beach State | George Allen Field
Long Beach, Calif. | August 12th | 7:00 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
WSOC | Saint Mary's vs. Fresno State | Saint Mary's Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | August 16th | 1:00 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
2025 Season Recap…
2025 was a truly historic WCC season for Saint Mary's, a season in which the Gaels set a program record with 24 points in conference play and finished one point behind conference champions Pepperdine. Though the Gaels controlled their destiny down to the final day of conference play, a 1-1 draw to rival Santa Clara was enough to give Pepperdine the edge and send the Waves to the NCAA tournament. With the most wins in the WCC a season ago and the only team in the conference to go undefeated at home, head coach Theresa Romagnolo continues to build this Gaels program into one of the elite women's soccer programs on the West Coast.
2025 saw a program-record four All-West Region selections, two of whom will return to the Gaels squad in 2026. As the most decorated Gael of 2025, Kate Plachy became the second Gael ever to win WCC Goalkeeper of the Year (Taylor Poland, 2020) and was named to the All-West Region First Team and WCC First Team. Savannah Schwarze returns for her fifth year after an impressive 2025 season, starting all 17 games she appeared in, recording a team-high five assists, and earning All-WCC Second Team and WCC All-Academic Team Honorable Mention.
All-WCC Preseason Team and Poll…
Leading the charge for the Gaels on the All-WCC Preseason Team were goalkeeper Kate Plachy and forward Ashlyn Vaughn. Starting all 18 matches and allowing only 11 goals all season, Plachy's dominance in front of the net solidified her as WCC Goalkeeper of the Year and All-WCC First Team honors in 2025. After a breakout freshman campaign in which she tallied three goals and three assists, including a stunner against LMU that featured on SportCenter's Top-10, Vaughn looks to lead this Gaels attack in 2026 and finish what they started in 2025.
After a second place finish in 2025, the Gaels were picked to finish fourth in the WCC Preseason Coaches Poll with 60 points. Conference champions Pepperdine were picked first with 81 points, while Portland and Santa Clara tied for second with 61 points each. Denver was picked to finish seventh in its inaugural season in the WCC after officially joining from the Summit League earlier this summer.
19 Returners for 2026 Season…
Saint Mary's will enter the 2026 season with 19 total returners including three of its five leading goal scorers from 2025. Standout freshman Ashlyn Vaughn netted three goals in her first collegiate season while Savannah Schwarze and then first year Gael Brooklyn Smith combined for six goals on the season.
The backline and defensive side of the ball was one of the highlights for the Gaels last season and they'll look to be one of the best defensive teams again in the WCC with key returners in Molly Silva, Aleiyah Schexnayder, Anna Emperador, Madison Casado, Maddie Lucas and 2025 WCC Goalkeeper of the Year Kate Plachy. Plachy, Schexnayder, Silva and Lucas return as the top four minute leaders from 2025 with each eclipsing 1500 minutes and starting in all 18 games. The group will be pivotal once again in the team's defensive success and a group that allowed just 0.61 goals per game for eighth best in the country in 2025.
Series History…
The Gaels last took on Long Beach State on the road in 2011, when they suffered a difficult 6-0 defeat in their only other road matchup against the Beach. The Gaels last hosted the Beach in 2010 in a narrow 1-0 victory, and currently lead the all-time series against the Beach 4-1-0.
Saint Mary's and Fresno State last met in 2021 at Bulldog Soccer Stadium, a contest that ended scoreless through two overtime periods. The Gaels will look to record their first victory over the Bulldogs since 2018, when a 53rd-minute goal from midfielder Anyssa Dominguez secured a 1-0 result at Saint Mary's Stadium. The Gaels lead the all-time series against the Bulldogs 3-2-1.
ABOUT THE BEACH (BIG WEST)
Long Beach State enters 2026 picked to finish seventh in the Big West preseason poll after a difficult 2025 campaign in which they finished 2-4-4 and eighth place in the conference. The Beach are led by senior forwards Radisson Banks and Cherrie Cox, who combined for nine goals and seven assists a season ago and represent Long Beach on the 2026 Preseason All-Big West Team. Head coach Mauricio Ingrassia enters his 23rd season at the helm, leading Long Beach to the NCAA tournament seven times and an Elite Eight run in 2011, the farthest NCAA tournament run of any Big West team in women's soccer history.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS (PAC-12)
Fresno State enters 2026 as one of seven new members of the revamped Pac-12 Conference. The Bulldogs are led by first-year head coach Gabriel Bolton, who arrives with an extensive resume built over 21 seasons leading Stanislaus State — including eleven postseason appearances and seven consecutive NCAA berths from 2010 through 2016, capped by the 2014 NCAA West Region Championship.
Fresno State comes into 2026 without significant offensive firepower, having graduated its top four point producers from a season ago, including 2025 leading scorer Alexis Campbell. To offset those losses, the program welcomes eight transfers — among them Alexis Dueker and Daisy Torres, both of whom the Gaels faced last season during their time at San Jose State in a 2-0 Saint Mary's home victory on August 28th.
Kickoff for Sunday's home opener with Fresno State is slated for 1:00 p.m., with the game being streamed live on ESPN+. Tickets can be bought at the gate 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.
GAMEDAY POLICIES & PROCEDURES: Please note the department's gameday policies, including the use of a clear bag. Additional information on the 'Clear Bag' policy and other gameday protocols can be found HERE or at smcgaels.com.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
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