Saturday, September 26
Moraga, CA
1:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
vs
San Francisco
#9 Andre Insalaco: 9 GP/4 GS, 318 MP, 1 G, 9 SH this season
Photo by: Varun Aravind (@vflicks04)
MSOC | Gaels Host Dons in Bay Area Showdown to Kick Off WCC Play
9/23/2026 4:06:00 PM | Men's Soccer
MORAGA, Calif. - The Saint Mary's men's soccer team will kick off West Coast Conference action this week, hosting Bay Area rival San Francisco on Saturday, September 26 at 1 p.m. The Gaels are riding a season best four-match unbeaten streak and will look for their first conference opening victory since the 2021 season.Â
Saturday's match can be streamed live on ESPN+ and tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets. Additional game coverage and information can be found below:
GAME INFORMATION AND COVERAGE
MSOC | Saint Mary's vs. San Francisco | Saint Mary's Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | Sept. 26 | 1 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Gaels Extend Unbeaten Streak to Four After 2-2 Draw with UC Davis…
Saint Mary's kept its positive momentum going last Saturday with a 2-2 draw to UC Davis, extending its season best unbeaten streak to four matches. The unbeaten streak is the longest since a six-game unbeaten stretch back in 2023. Luke Schaefer scored his third goal as a Gael with a thunderous header attempt in the 13th minute to put Saint Mary's up 1-0.Â
UC Davis knotted the game in the 57th minute only for the Gaels to retake the lead in the 76th minute off of a corner kick goal from sophomore midfielder Rafael Suarez. The goal would go down as the first of his collegiate career as the Folsom native logged all 90 minutes and made numerous challenges in the midfield for a hard fought performance. The lead would slip away yet again though, as the Aggies tied the game for good with a goal in the 83rd minute off of a long throw-in attempt, splitting the points in the Gaels' final non-conference tune-up. Â
Kobey and Rochelle Among Team Stat Leaders…
Through nine matches, Cameron Kobey and Talan Rochelle stand as some of the team's stat leaders with quality starts to their 2026 campaigns. Returning midfielder and Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Watchlist selection Kobey leads the Gaels with a career-high four goals, and is one of three players to start all nine games this season. The Chandler, Arizona product has been a vital part of the team's midfield and attacking group and possesses elite one-v-one abilities to create opportunities out of the blue. He also has two assists on the season and was named Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Week after his two goal and two assist week against Air Force, No. 12 Creighton and Omaha back on September 13.Â
In the assist category, first-year Gael Talan Rochelle leads the team with a career high three assists this season. Rochelle transferred in from former WCC foe Gonzaga and has filled an immediate role in the outside back position. Rochelle has also started all nine games for the Gaels and recorded his third assist of the season in the team's latest 2-2 draw against UC Davis, whipping in a cross from the left side of the box that found the head of Schaefer for the match's opening goal. Rochelle ranks second on the team with 739 minutes played and will continue to be a box-to-box threat for the Gaels this season. Â
Conference Season Commences; Teams Race for First Ever WCC Tournament…
The 2026 West Coast Conference season is upon us as nine teams will fight for the top four spots to participate in the inaugural WCC Tournament, starting on November 11. The regular season champion will act as the No. 1 seed and will serve as the tournament host for all three games. Both semifinal matches will be played on November 11 with the championship match slated for Saturday the 14.Â
San Diego has won the regular season title four years running and currently rank No. 19 in the nation to act as the league favorites. Denver will also enter its first year of the WCC and is riding a current seven-year NCAA Tournament streak with consecutive appearances dating back to 2018. The Gaels will look to make some noise and seek their first postseason appearance since 2019. Additional conference tournament information can be found at wccsports.com. Â
Series History…
Saint Mary's and San Francisco have been battling it out since the late 70's and will meet for the 59th time in its series history. The Dons hold a winning record of 31-20-7 and are riding a two-match win streak dating back to the 2024 season. The Gaels' last victory came in a 3-0 road rout in 2023, while their last home victory was a 3-1 win in 2020.Â
ABOUT THE DONS (4-4-1, WCC)
San Francisco has been a rising program in recent years in the WCC and enters the start of conference play at 4-4-1. The Dons started the season off with a pair of ranked results, including a scoreless draw with No. 14 UNC Greensboro and a 3-2 road win over No. 15 Kansas City, a regular participant in the NCAA Tournament. The Dons average a little over two goals per game and have had boom offensive performances against the likes of Kansas City (3), UC Davis (6) and Cal (3). Against like opponents, USF is a combined 2-2 with wins over UC Davis and Air Force while suffering defeats to Creighton and Marist.Â
David Raphael leads the Dons offensive attack after being named to the preseason watchlist and scoring eight goals a season ago. Through eight games this season, Raphael leads the team with six goals and three assists including a pair of goals in his last two contests. Isaiah Easley is in his third season on the Hilltop and after missing the 2025 season, he ranks second on the team this year with four goals and a pair of assists. Chris Brown is in his sixth season with the Dons after taking over in 2021 and owns an overall record of 34-35-15 prior to the start of the 2026 season. Brown and the Gaels go way back as he was a nine-year assistant under Adam Cooper. Brown had two stints with the Gaels from 2011-16 and 2019-21 where he specialized with the keepers, coaching All-Americans Remi Prieur and Anders Engebretsen. Â Â
Saturday's match can be streamed live on ESPN+ and tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets.Â
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
Â
Saturday's match can be streamed live on ESPN+ and tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets. Additional game coverage and information can be found below:
GAME INFORMATION AND COVERAGE
MSOC | Saint Mary's vs. San Francisco | Saint Mary's Stadium
Moraga, Calif. | Sept. 26 | 1 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Gaels Extend Unbeaten Streak to Four After 2-2 Draw with UC Davis…
Saint Mary's kept its positive momentum going last Saturday with a 2-2 draw to UC Davis, extending its season best unbeaten streak to four matches. The unbeaten streak is the longest since a six-game unbeaten stretch back in 2023. Luke Schaefer scored his third goal as a Gael with a thunderous header attempt in the 13th minute to put Saint Mary's up 1-0.Â
UC Davis knotted the game in the 57th minute only for the Gaels to retake the lead in the 76th minute off of a corner kick goal from sophomore midfielder Rafael Suarez. The goal would go down as the first of his collegiate career as the Folsom native logged all 90 minutes and made numerous challenges in the midfield for a hard fought performance. The lead would slip away yet again though, as the Aggies tied the game for good with a goal in the 83rd minute off of a long throw-in attempt, splitting the points in the Gaels' final non-conference tune-up. Â
Kobey and Rochelle Among Team Stat Leaders…
Through nine matches, Cameron Kobey and Talan Rochelle stand as some of the team's stat leaders with quality starts to their 2026 campaigns. Returning midfielder and Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Watchlist selection Kobey leads the Gaels with a career-high four goals, and is one of three players to start all nine games this season. The Chandler, Arizona product has been a vital part of the team's midfield and attacking group and possesses elite one-v-one abilities to create opportunities out of the blue. He also has two assists on the season and was named Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Week after his two goal and two assist week against Air Force, No. 12 Creighton and Omaha back on September 13.Â
In the assist category, first-year Gael Talan Rochelle leads the team with a career high three assists this season. Rochelle transferred in from former WCC foe Gonzaga and has filled an immediate role in the outside back position. Rochelle has also started all nine games for the Gaels and recorded his third assist of the season in the team's latest 2-2 draw against UC Davis, whipping in a cross from the left side of the box that found the head of Schaefer for the match's opening goal. Rochelle ranks second on the team with 739 minutes played and will continue to be a box-to-box threat for the Gaels this season. Â
Conference Season Commences; Teams Race for First Ever WCC Tournament…
The 2026 West Coast Conference season is upon us as nine teams will fight for the top four spots to participate in the inaugural WCC Tournament, starting on November 11. The regular season champion will act as the No. 1 seed and will serve as the tournament host for all three games. Both semifinal matches will be played on November 11 with the championship match slated for Saturday the 14.Â
San Diego has won the regular season title four years running and currently rank No. 19 in the nation to act as the league favorites. Denver will also enter its first year of the WCC and is riding a current seven-year NCAA Tournament streak with consecutive appearances dating back to 2018. The Gaels will look to make some noise and seek their first postseason appearance since 2019. Additional conference tournament information can be found at wccsports.com. Â
Series History…
Saint Mary's and San Francisco have been battling it out since the late 70's and will meet for the 59th time in its series history. The Dons hold a winning record of 31-20-7 and are riding a two-match win streak dating back to the 2024 season. The Gaels' last victory came in a 3-0 road rout in 2023, while their last home victory was a 3-1 win in 2020.Â
ABOUT THE DONS (4-4-1, WCC)
San Francisco has been a rising program in recent years in the WCC and enters the start of conference play at 4-4-1. The Dons started the season off with a pair of ranked results, including a scoreless draw with No. 14 UNC Greensboro and a 3-2 road win over No. 15 Kansas City, a regular participant in the NCAA Tournament. The Dons average a little over two goals per game and have had boom offensive performances against the likes of Kansas City (3), UC Davis (6) and Cal (3). Against like opponents, USF is a combined 2-2 with wins over UC Davis and Air Force while suffering defeats to Creighton and Marist.Â
David Raphael leads the Dons offensive attack after being named to the preseason watchlist and scoring eight goals a season ago. Through eight games this season, Raphael leads the team with six goals and three assists including a pair of goals in his last two contests. Isaiah Easley is in his third season on the Hilltop and after missing the 2025 season, he ranks second on the team this year with four goals and a pair of assists. Chris Brown is in his sixth season with the Dons after taking over in 2021 and owns an overall record of 34-35-15 prior to the start of the 2026 season. Brown and the Gaels go way back as he was a nine-year assistant under Adam Cooper. Brown had two stints with the Gaels from 2011-16 and 2019-21 where he specialized with the keepers, coaching All-Americans Remi Prieur and Anders Engebretsen. Â Â
Saturday's match can be streamed live on ESPN+ and tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets.Â
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
Â
Players Mentioned
MF
/ Men's SoccerF
/ Men's SoccerF
/ Men's SoccerMF
/ Men's SoccerSaturday, September 19
Sunday, September 13
Thursday, September 10
Thursday, September 10
