Wednesday, September 30
Portland, OR
5:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
at
Portland
#7 Talan Rochelle (left), #19 Cyrus Shafie (right)
Photo by: Varun Aravind (@vflicks04)
MSOC | Gaels Head to Pacific Northwest for Week Two of WCC Action; Take on Portland and Seattle U
9/28/2026 3:54:00 PM | Men's Soccer
MORAGA, Calif. - The Saint Mary's men's soccer team will take its five-match unbeaten streak on the road this week, taking on Portland on Wednesday, September 30 and then Seattle U on Saturday night in search of its first West Coast Conference victory of the season.Â
The Gaels are 1-3-1 on the road this season but pulled off an unbeaten weekend on their most recent road trip with a wild 3-3 draw against No. 12 Creighton followed by a 2-1 victory over Omaha for their first road win of the year. Both games this week will be streamed live on ESPN+ and additional match information can be found below or at smcgaels.com. Â
GAME INFORMATION AND COVERAGE
MSOC | Saint Mary's at Portland | Merlo Field
Portland, Ore. | Sept. 30 | 5 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
MSOC | Saint Mary's at Seattle U | Championship Field
Seattle, Wash. | Oct. 3 | 7 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Make it Five; Gaels Extend Unbeaten Streak to Five Games in 1-1 Draw to USF…
Saint Mary's defended home field on Saturday in its WCC opener and came away with a 1-1 draw to Bay Area rival San Francisco. The Gaels extended their season-long unbeaten streak to five games for their longest unbeaten streak since 2023. That season, Saint Mary's went on a stretch of six unbeaten and finished the 2023 campaign with eight wins.Â
The Gaels found themselves playing from behind yet again, as the Dons scored the opening goal in the ninth minute to go up 1-0. Saint Mary's settled in nicely though to produce some quality chances, including a rifled left-footed volley from Andre Insalaco in the 23rd minute. The Gaels would break through in the 39th minute off of a long free kick goal that found the head of sophomore forward Henry Beatty. Fellow sophomore Tommy Davis got the start in goal and made a pair of saves as well as some crucial clearances to help see out the 1-1 draw to kick off conference play. Â Â
Using Your Head; Henry Beatty Scores Second Goal of Season as Equalizer with Dons…
Henry Beatty scored his second goal of the season on Saturday with a tremendous lunging header attempt to equalize for the Gaels in a 1-1 draw against San Francisco. Both goals for the sophomore forward have come via the header, as he also put a header home as the game-tying goal in a thrilling 3-3 draw with No. 12 Creighton earlier this month. Beatty has been a spark plug at the nine position off the bench for Saint Mary's, providing a burst of energy and a different playing style compared to the likes of Schaefer and Insalaco. He has now played in nine of the ten matches this season, good for a new career high. Freshman center back Eemil Laamanen also got credit for his first collegiate assist in the 1-1 draw and leads the team with 891 minutes played this season. Â Â
Series History…
Saint Mary's enters the week with an all-time record of 18-28-5 against the Pilots, with its last victory coming in 2021. Portland has been one of the faces of the WCC, qualifying for four of the last five NCAA Tournaments. The Gaels will look for their first win at Merlo Field since 2020 after tying the Pilots 2-2 in their last trip to Portland in 2024.Â
Saint Mary's and Seattle U will meet for just the fourth time in program history, as the Gaels hold a record of 1-1-1 against the Redhawks. The Gaels hosted the Redhawks in the WCC opener a season ago and pulled off a 1-1 draw for a team that was receiving votes in the national preseason poll that year. This will be Saint Mary's first trip to Championship Field in Seattle, with the previous three matchups all being played at home dating back to 1978.Â
ABOUT THE PILOTS (3-3-2, 1-0-0 WCC)
The Portland Pilots were ranked No. 6 in the NCAA Preseason United Soccer Coaches poll and were picked to win the WCC after a 14-win season and a trip to the Elite Eight in 2025. The Pilots have been one of the best west coast teams in the country over recent years but found themselves winless through four games to start the 2026 season. After a season opening draw with Cal, the Pilots lost three in a row to surpass their loss total from a season ago. Since then though, they have responded with a four-match unbeaten streak that has included three wins and a scoreless draw to No. 23 Oregon State. They also started WCC play on the right foot with a dominant 4-0 win over LMU last week.Â
Joe Highfield and David Ajagbe lead the team offensively with three goals apiece this season, as the duo were one of four Pilots named to the All-WCC Preseason Team. Highfield also leads the group with four assists this season while senior midfielder Diego Rosas has two after being named the 2025 WCC Midfielder of the Year. The Pilots certainly tout a talented roster and, despite a tough start to the season, seem to be trending in the right direction as they are on the hunt for their first regular season title since 2016. Â
ABOUT THE REDHAWKS (3-3-2, 0-0-1 WCC)
Seattle U will start its two-game week in Stockton to take on Pacific Wednesday night before returning home to Championship Field to host Saint Mary's on Saturday. The Redhawks were a highly talented soccer program prior to joining the West Coast Conference and are working towards returning to the top of the conference after just a four-win season in 2025. After an 0-2 start, the Redhawks rattled off three straight wins in dominant fashion, outscoring their opponents 16-2 in wins over Cal State Fullerton, UC Davis and Western Michigan. They did return to planet Earth over the last two weeks though, with draws to Lindenwood and Santa Clara in their WCC opener, as well as a 3-1 defeat to Oregon State in between.
With some of those boom scoring games, Seattle is averaging nearly two and a half goals per game and is led by Alex Notzka who has six on the season, tied for most in the WCC. Aidan Fong follows with three goals and two assists while Allen Saye Blegay Jr leads the team with three assists primarily off the bench for the Redhawks. Nate Daligcon returns as the head coach for Seattle U, spending a combined 14 seasons with the program and ten as an assistant before being promoted in 2023. Daligcon has a combined 31 wins over his four seasons as head coach of the Redhawks.Â
Both matches can be streamed live on ESPN+ and additional game coverage and information can be found at smcgaels.com. Â 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
The Gaels are 1-3-1 on the road this season but pulled off an unbeaten weekend on their most recent road trip with a wild 3-3 draw against No. 12 Creighton followed by a 2-1 victory over Omaha for their first road win of the year. Both games this week will be streamed live on ESPN+ and additional match information can be found below or at smcgaels.com. Â
GAME INFORMATION AND COVERAGE
MSOC | Saint Mary's at Portland | Merlo Field
Portland, Ore. | Sept. 30 | 5 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
MSOC | Saint Mary's at Seattle U | Championship Field
Seattle, Wash. | Oct. 3 | 7 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Make it Five; Gaels Extend Unbeaten Streak to Five Games in 1-1 Draw to USF…
Saint Mary's defended home field on Saturday in its WCC opener and came away with a 1-1 draw to Bay Area rival San Francisco. The Gaels extended their season-long unbeaten streak to five games for their longest unbeaten streak since 2023. That season, Saint Mary's went on a stretch of six unbeaten and finished the 2023 campaign with eight wins.Â
The Gaels found themselves playing from behind yet again, as the Dons scored the opening goal in the ninth minute to go up 1-0. Saint Mary's settled in nicely though to produce some quality chances, including a rifled left-footed volley from Andre Insalaco in the 23rd minute. The Gaels would break through in the 39th minute off of a long free kick goal that found the head of sophomore forward Henry Beatty. Fellow sophomore Tommy Davis got the start in goal and made a pair of saves as well as some crucial clearances to help see out the 1-1 draw to kick off conference play. Â Â
Using Your Head; Henry Beatty Scores Second Goal of Season as Equalizer with Dons…
Henry Beatty scored his second goal of the season on Saturday with a tremendous lunging header attempt to equalize for the Gaels in a 1-1 draw against San Francisco. Both goals for the sophomore forward have come via the header, as he also put a header home as the game-tying goal in a thrilling 3-3 draw with No. 12 Creighton earlier this month. Beatty has been a spark plug at the nine position off the bench for Saint Mary's, providing a burst of energy and a different playing style compared to the likes of Schaefer and Insalaco. He has now played in nine of the ten matches this season, good for a new career high. Freshman center back Eemil Laamanen also got credit for his first collegiate assist in the 1-1 draw and leads the team with 891 minutes played this season. Â Â
Series History…
Saint Mary's enters the week with an all-time record of 18-28-5 against the Pilots, with its last victory coming in 2021. Portland has been one of the faces of the WCC, qualifying for four of the last five NCAA Tournaments. The Gaels will look for their first win at Merlo Field since 2020 after tying the Pilots 2-2 in their last trip to Portland in 2024.Â
Saint Mary's and Seattle U will meet for just the fourth time in program history, as the Gaels hold a record of 1-1-1 against the Redhawks. The Gaels hosted the Redhawks in the WCC opener a season ago and pulled off a 1-1 draw for a team that was receiving votes in the national preseason poll that year. This will be Saint Mary's first trip to Championship Field in Seattle, with the previous three matchups all being played at home dating back to 1978.Â
ABOUT THE PILOTS (3-3-2, 1-0-0 WCC)
The Portland Pilots were ranked No. 6 in the NCAA Preseason United Soccer Coaches poll and were picked to win the WCC after a 14-win season and a trip to the Elite Eight in 2025. The Pilots have been one of the best west coast teams in the country over recent years but found themselves winless through four games to start the 2026 season. After a season opening draw with Cal, the Pilots lost three in a row to surpass their loss total from a season ago. Since then though, they have responded with a four-match unbeaten streak that has included three wins and a scoreless draw to No. 23 Oregon State. They also started WCC play on the right foot with a dominant 4-0 win over LMU last week.Â
Joe Highfield and David Ajagbe lead the team offensively with three goals apiece this season, as the duo were one of four Pilots named to the All-WCC Preseason Team. Highfield also leads the group with four assists this season while senior midfielder Diego Rosas has two after being named the 2025 WCC Midfielder of the Year. The Pilots certainly tout a talented roster and, despite a tough start to the season, seem to be trending in the right direction as they are on the hunt for their first regular season title since 2016. Â
ABOUT THE REDHAWKS (3-3-2, 0-0-1 WCC)
Seattle U will start its two-game week in Stockton to take on Pacific Wednesday night before returning home to Championship Field to host Saint Mary's on Saturday. The Redhawks were a highly talented soccer program prior to joining the West Coast Conference and are working towards returning to the top of the conference after just a four-win season in 2025. After an 0-2 start, the Redhawks rattled off three straight wins in dominant fashion, outscoring their opponents 16-2 in wins over Cal State Fullerton, UC Davis and Western Michigan. They did return to planet Earth over the last two weeks though, with draws to Lindenwood and Santa Clara in their WCC opener, as well as a 3-1 defeat to Oregon State in between.
With some of those boom scoring games, Seattle is averaging nearly two and a half goals per game and is led by Alex Notzka who has six on the season, tied for most in the WCC. Aidan Fong follows with three goals and two assists while Allen Saye Blegay Jr leads the team with three assists primarily off the bench for the Redhawks. Nate Daligcon returns as the head coach for Seattle U, spending a combined 14 seasons with the program and ten as an assistant before being promoted in 2023. Daligcon has a combined 31 wins over his four seasons as head coach of the Redhawks.Â
Both matches can be streamed live on ESPN+ and additional game coverage and information can be found at smcgaels.com. Â 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
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/ Men's SoccerGK
/ Men's SoccerF
/ Men's SoccerD
/ Men's SoccerSaturday, September 26
Saturday, September 19
Sunday, September 13
Thursday, September 10
