Thursday, August 20
Moraga, CA
5:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
vs
UC Davis
#17 Faith Gunter: 2 GP, 180 MP this season
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
WSOC | Saint Mary’s Continues Homestand Against UC Davis and No. 14 Georgetown
8/18/2026 10:01:00 AM | Women's Soccer
MORAGA, Calif. — The Saint Mary's women's soccer team is headed into week two of the 2026 regular season following an action-packed win over Fresno State in the Gaels' home opener. The victory extended the Gaels' unbeaten streak to eight games and they will look to build on that momentum in their upcoming matchups with the Aggies and Hoyas starting on Thursday.
GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
WSOC | Saint Mary's vs. UC Davis | Saint Mary's Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | August 20th | 5:00 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
WSOC | Saint Mary's vs. No. 14 Georgetown | Saint Mary's Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | August 23rd | 1:00 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Action-Packed 4-0 Home Opener…
Saint Mary's put on a show for fans during the 2026 home opener, recording four goals from three different players. Freshman Brianna Jurasek made her presence known, recording her first two goals in her first collegiate appearance. Ashlyn Vaughn and Brooklyn Smith also joined in on the action and found the back of the net to score their first goals of the season. Graduate student Savannah Schwarze tallied three assists and now ranks tied for third all-time with 19 assists over her five seasons with Saint Mary's.
The result brings Saint Mary's to an eight-game unbeaten streak which they will look to extend in the week to come.
Jurasek Scores Brace in Collegiate Debut…
True freshman Brianna Jurasek did not make the trip down to Long Beach on Wednesday but made her season debut on Sunday, netting a pair of goals in her 36 minutes of action off the bench. The Sonoma native became the first true freshman to record a brace since Sydney Middaugh scored two goals in a 2-0 win over Pacific during her freshman season back in 2023.
Jurasek got the scoring started with a header off a long free kick in the 38th minute to put Saint Mary's up 1-0. She then scored the goal of the game with an electric left-footed volley in the 84th minute to put the bow on a 4-0 victory for the Gaels. With 17 games left, Jurasek could become the first true freshman to record multiple braces in the same season since Jordan Marada had two of her own during the 2010 campaign.
Series History…
Over the past ten years, the Gaels have gone 5-1-1 against the Aggies and enter Thursday's matchup on a two-game winning streak in the series. Saint Mary's earned a 1-0 victory over UC Davis last season, following another 1-0 win over the Aggies in 2023.
Last season was Saint Mary's first-ever matchup against then No. 16 ranked Georgetown. The Gaels came away with a statement 2-0 road win. Saint Mary's will look to make it two-for-two against the Hoyas when the two sides meet again on Sunday, with Georgetown entering Sunday's contest ranked no. 14 in the nation.
ABOUT THE AGGIES (1-1-0, 0-0-0 Big West)
Last season, UC Davis went 3-12-4 in the Big West. After joining the Mountain West prior to the 2026-2027 season, the Aggies were picked to finish eighth in their first official season in the conference.
Just last week, UC Davis faced the Fresno State Bulldogs, ending the matchup with a 2-0 win. The first goal came from forward Jaycee DeFazio in the 12th minute and defender Kiley Fehrenbacher doubled the Aggies' advantage in the 56th minute. UC Davis also faced Sacramento State in their season opener but fell to the Hornets 1-0.
Kat Mertz is entering her second season at the helm of the Aggies and brings plenty of familiarity with the Mountain West, having previously led UNLV to three consecutive conference championships and two NCAA tournament appearances.
ABOUT THE HOYAS (1-0-0, 0-0-0 Big East)
The Hoyas are coming off of an impressive 16-4-3 season, which included a perfect 10-0 record in Big East play and an appearance in the Big East Championship where Georgetown ultimately fell 2-0 to Xavier. Georgetown went on to earn a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the third round before falling to eventual national champion Florida State.
So far this season, the Hoyas have faced just one opponent and added their first tally to the win column with a 4-1 victory over Fordham. Midfielder Lizzie Heller and forward Abigail Droner accounted for all four Georgetown goals, with two apiece to solidify the win.
Dave Nolan is heading into his 23rd season as the head coach for the Georgetown women's soccer program. During his time leading the Hoyas, the team has made thirteen NCAA tournament appearances and two College Cup appearances in a three-year span.
Saint Mary's will first host UC Davis on Thursday evening with kickoff slated for 5:00 p.m. and will then gear up for the matchup against Georgetown on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+ and tickets can be purchased 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.
#GaelsRise
GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
WSOC | Saint Mary's vs. UC Davis | Saint Mary's Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | August 20th | 5:00 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
WSOC | Saint Mary's vs. No. 14 Georgetown | Saint Mary's Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | August 23rd | 1:00 PM
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Action-Packed 4-0 Home Opener…
Saint Mary's put on a show for fans during the 2026 home opener, recording four goals from three different players. Freshman Brianna Jurasek made her presence known, recording her first two goals in her first collegiate appearance. Ashlyn Vaughn and Brooklyn Smith also joined in on the action and found the back of the net to score their first goals of the season. Graduate student Savannah Schwarze tallied three assists and now ranks tied for third all-time with 19 assists over her five seasons with Saint Mary's.
The result brings Saint Mary's to an eight-game unbeaten streak which they will look to extend in the week to come.
Jurasek Scores Brace in Collegiate Debut…
True freshman Brianna Jurasek did not make the trip down to Long Beach on Wednesday but made her season debut on Sunday, netting a pair of goals in her 36 minutes of action off the bench. The Sonoma native became the first true freshman to record a brace since Sydney Middaugh scored two goals in a 2-0 win over Pacific during her freshman season back in 2023.
Jurasek got the scoring started with a header off a long free kick in the 38th minute to put Saint Mary's up 1-0. She then scored the goal of the game with an electric left-footed volley in the 84th minute to put the bow on a 4-0 victory for the Gaels. With 17 games left, Jurasek could become the first true freshman to record multiple braces in the same season since Jordan Marada had two of her own during the 2010 campaign.
Series History…
Over the past ten years, the Gaels have gone 5-1-1 against the Aggies and enter Thursday's matchup on a two-game winning streak in the series. Saint Mary's earned a 1-0 victory over UC Davis last season, following another 1-0 win over the Aggies in 2023.
Last season was Saint Mary's first-ever matchup against then No. 16 ranked Georgetown. The Gaels came away with a statement 2-0 road win. Saint Mary's will look to make it two-for-two against the Hoyas when the two sides meet again on Sunday, with Georgetown entering Sunday's contest ranked no. 14 in the nation.
ABOUT THE AGGIES (1-1-0, 0-0-0 Big West)
Last season, UC Davis went 3-12-4 in the Big West. After joining the Mountain West prior to the 2026-2027 season, the Aggies were picked to finish eighth in their first official season in the conference.
Just last week, UC Davis faced the Fresno State Bulldogs, ending the matchup with a 2-0 win. The first goal came from forward Jaycee DeFazio in the 12th minute and defender Kiley Fehrenbacher doubled the Aggies' advantage in the 56th minute. UC Davis also faced Sacramento State in their season opener but fell to the Hornets 1-0.
Kat Mertz is entering her second season at the helm of the Aggies and brings plenty of familiarity with the Mountain West, having previously led UNLV to three consecutive conference championships and two NCAA tournament appearances.
ABOUT THE HOYAS (1-0-0, 0-0-0 Big East)
The Hoyas are coming off of an impressive 16-4-3 season, which included a perfect 10-0 record in Big East play and an appearance in the Big East Championship where Georgetown ultimately fell 2-0 to Xavier. Georgetown went on to earn a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the third round before falling to eventual national champion Florida State.
So far this season, the Hoyas have faced just one opponent and added their first tally to the win column with a 4-1 victory over Fordham. Midfielder Lizzie Heller and forward Abigail Droner accounted for all four Georgetown goals, with two apiece to solidify the win.
Dave Nolan is heading into his 23rd season as the head coach for the Georgetown women's soccer program. During his time leading the Hoyas, the team has made thirteen NCAA tournament appearances and two College Cup appearances in a three-year span.
Saint Mary's will first host UC Davis on Thursday evening with kickoff slated for 5:00 p.m. and will then gear up for the matchup against Georgetown on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+ and tickets can be purchased 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.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's SoccerMF
/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's SoccerSunday, August 16
Wednesday, August 12
Friday, November 07
Tuesday, November 04
