Saturday, September 26
Denver, CO
6:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
6-1-4, 0-1-0
1
at
2
Denver
2-5-2, 1-0-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Mary's (CA) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Denver | 0 | 2 | 2 |
WSOC | Gaels Fall To Denver In WCC Opener To End Historic Run
9/26/2026 8:43:00 PM | Women's Soccer
DENVER, Colo. - Saint Mary's women's soccer lost its WCC opener 2-1 to the Denver Pioneers, the Gaels' first loss of the 2026 season. After falling behind in the 57th minute, the Gaels quickly responded with a Molly Silva free kick goal in the 60th minute, but would concede in the 75th minute and fall 2-1 to the Pioneers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gaels and Pioneers battled from the get-go, forcing goalkeeper Kate Plachy into action early on while the two squads exchanged blows. Ashlyn Vaughn was the first Gael to test Pioneers keeper Jaidin Kinch, who played in just her second collegiate match for the Pioneers. Vaughn took on three defenders alone, and nearly gave the Gaels an early lead in the 16th minute before a Kinch save. Elizabeth Vega forced Kinch into action once again in the 27th minute, as Kinch made an acrobatic save before a Brooke Fairbanks shot nearly snuck into the bottom corner. The Gaels would record just four shots in the half, but found themselves level with the ten shots of Denver at the halfway mark thanks to Plachy's four first-half saves.
The second half started nearly identical to the first, with back-and-forth play from both sides before an opening goal from freshman Reese Morgan in the 57th minute for her first goal of the season. The Gaels quickly found themselves in a great position with a free kick from the top of the box, when defender Molly Silva stepped up and curled a shot into the bottom left corner for her second goal of the season to bring the Gaels level in the 60th minute. The back-and-forth play continued from both sides, as Plachy was forced into action for a season-high eight saves in the match, including a tremendous stop in the 75th minute that Maeve Morgan capitalized on to give the Pioneers the game-sealing goal.
GAME NOTES
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's women's soccer returns to action on Friday, October 2 at 4:00 p.m. for its WCC home opener against the San Francisco Dons. Tickets can be purchased HERE, with the match available to stream on ESPN+.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gaels and Pioneers battled from the get-go, forcing goalkeeper Kate Plachy into action early on while the two squads exchanged blows. Ashlyn Vaughn was the first Gael to test Pioneers keeper Jaidin Kinch, who played in just her second collegiate match for the Pioneers. Vaughn took on three defenders alone, and nearly gave the Gaels an early lead in the 16th minute before a Kinch save. Elizabeth Vega forced Kinch into action once again in the 27th minute, as Kinch made an acrobatic save before a Brooke Fairbanks shot nearly snuck into the bottom corner. The Gaels would record just four shots in the half, but found themselves level with the ten shots of Denver at the halfway mark thanks to Plachy's four first-half saves.
The second half started nearly identical to the first, with back-and-forth play from both sides before an opening goal from freshman Reese Morgan in the 57th minute for her first goal of the season. The Gaels quickly found themselves in a great position with a free kick from the top of the box, when defender Molly Silva stepped up and curled a shot into the bottom left corner for her second goal of the season to bring the Gaels level in the 60th minute. The back-and-forth play continued from both sides, as Plachy was forced into action for a season-high eight saves in the match, including a tremendous stop in the 75th minute that Maeve Morgan capitalized on to give the Pioneers the game-sealing goal.
GAME NOTES
- Kate Plachy recorded a season-high eight saves in the match, bringing her career total to 145 and passing Anna Dellis for eighth all-time among Gaels in saves.
- Molly Silva scored her second goal of the season after scoring just one in her previous three seasons as a Gael. Silva remains the only Gael defender to score this season.
- All four Gael defenders played the full 90 minutes, including an eighth consecutive match of 90 minutes played for graduate student Anna Emperador.
- Ashlyn Vaughn and Brooke Fairbanks led the way for the Gaels with two shots each, while four other Gaels recorded a shot in the match.
- The Gaels ended their historic start to the 2026 season after recording eight consecutive shutouts and reaching an unbeaten streak of 16 matches, both going down as new program records.
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's women's soccer returns to action on Friday, October 2 at 4:00 p.m. for its WCC home opener against the San Francisco Dons. Tickets can be purchased HERE, with the match available to stream on ESPN+.
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
D
/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's SoccerGK
/ Women's SoccerD
/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's SoccerF
/ Women's SoccerTeam Stats
SMC
DEN
Goals
1
2
Shots
8
17
Shots on Goal
3
10
Saves
8
2
Corners
3
5
Fouls
6
8
Scoring Plays
Reese Morgan (1)
Assisted By: Kacey Harvey
GOAL by DEN Morgan, Reese Assist by Harvey, Kacey.
56:21
Molly Silva (2)
GOAL by SMC Silva, Molly.
59:01
Maeve Morgan (1)
GOAL by DEN Morgan, Maeve.
74:40
Game Leaders
def
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
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