Monday, September 7
Moraga, CA
1:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
1-4-1, 0-0-0
2
vs
2
Air Force
0-2-3, 0-0-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Saint Mary's (CA) | 2 | 0 | 2 |
#12 Rafael Suarez: 57 MP, 2 SH vs. Air Force
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
MSOC | Gaels End Labor Day Weekend with 2-2 Draw to Air Force
9/7/2026 4:53:00 PM | Men's Soccer
MORAGA, Calif. - The Saint Mary's men's soccer team concluded Labor Day Weekend with a 2-2 draw to Air Force on Monday afternoon. The Gaels jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first half, but the Falcons were able to split the points with a goal in the 58th minute and a late one in the 79th minute to leave California with a point.
SMC forward Luke Schaefer scored his second goal of the season to tie teammate Cameron Kobey for the team lead. True freshman Alex Bandrauk made his collegiate debut off the bench and scored the second goal of the match to double the Gaels lead in the 43rd minute. He became the first Gael true freshman to score his first career goal in his collegiate debut since program great Bastian Toelhoej did so in his debut back in 2022. Second-year keeper Tommy Davis also got credit for his first start of the 2026 season in what was just his second appearance as a Gael dating back to last season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Saint Mary's dictated the early portion of the match, creating chances and controlling the tempo. The Gaels finally broke through in the 33rd minute off a breakaway from Luke Schaefer who chipped one past the Air Force keeper for his second goal of the season. The lead would double just ten minutes later, this time off of a corner kick for the Gaels. Ryan Firestone swung in a left-footed ball from the stadium side corner that found the head of Cameron Kobey on the back post. Kobey was too deep on the post to have a shot, so he headed the ball back across the box and found another header, this time from Alex Bandrauk. The freshman had a glancing header flicked over the keeper on the near post to give Saint Mary's a 2-0 lead and score his first collegiate goal.
The Gaels went into the break outshooting the Falcons 10-7, but Air Force would respond in a big way, scoring two second half goals to tie the game and earn a hard fought point on the road. The Falcons would take advantage of two free kick opportunities just outside the left side of the penalty box and make both count. The first came off of a flurry of chances from the initial ball in; first a header off the cross bar and then a blocked header attempt immediately after. The deflection would fall to a Falcon on the back post who rifled in a first-time shot to make it 2-1 in the 58th minute.
The Gaels weathered the storm, and even had some chances of their own, finishing the match with a season high 16 shot attempts. Air Force would finally find the equalizer though in the 79th minute off a stellar volley from outside the 18-yard box. The Falcons free kick taker would elect to have a shot but saw it blocked by the Gaels' wall. The rebound would fall to the Air Force captain as he fired his one-time volley off the bottom right post and in to tie the match.
Saint Mary's would get credit for its first tie of the 2026 campaign and still has three non-conference matches remaining before the start of West Coast Conference play. They will head to Nebraska this week to take on Creighton and Omaha, starting with the Blue Jays on Thursday, September 10.
GAME NOTES
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will head back to the midwest for its final two road non-conference matches taking on Creighton and Omaha. The Gaels will first battle the Blue Jays on Thursday, September 10 at 5:00 p.m. pacific time with all the action streamed live 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
SMC forward Luke Schaefer scored his second goal of the season to tie teammate Cameron Kobey for the team lead. True freshman Alex Bandrauk made his collegiate debut off the bench and scored the second goal of the match to double the Gaels lead in the 43rd minute. He became the first Gael true freshman to score his first career goal in his collegiate debut since program great Bastian Toelhoej did so in his debut back in 2022. Second-year keeper Tommy Davis also got credit for his first start of the 2026 season in what was just his second appearance as a Gael dating back to last season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Saint Mary's dictated the early portion of the match, creating chances and controlling the tempo. The Gaels finally broke through in the 33rd minute off a breakaway from Luke Schaefer who chipped one past the Air Force keeper for his second goal of the season. The lead would double just ten minutes later, this time off of a corner kick for the Gaels. Ryan Firestone swung in a left-footed ball from the stadium side corner that found the head of Cameron Kobey on the back post. Kobey was too deep on the post to have a shot, so he headed the ball back across the box and found another header, this time from Alex Bandrauk. The freshman had a glancing header flicked over the keeper on the near post to give Saint Mary's a 2-0 lead and score his first collegiate goal.
The Gaels went into the break outshooting the Falcons 10-7, but Air Force would respond in a big way, scoring two second half goals to tie the game and earn a hard fought point on the road. The Falcons would take advantage of two free kick opportunities just outside the left side of the penalty box and make both count. The first came off of a flurry of chances from the initial ball in; first a header off the cross bar and then a blocked header attempt immediately after. The deflection would fall to a Falcon on the back post who rifled in a first-time shot to make it 2-1 in the 58th minute.
The Gaels weathered the storm, and even had some chances of their own, finishing the match with a season high 16 shot attempts. Air Force would finally find the equalizer though in the 79th minute off a stellar volley from outside the 18-yard box. The Falcons free kick taker would elect to have a shot but saw it blocked by the Gaels' wall. The rebound would fall to the Air Force captain as he fired his one-time volley off the bottom right post and in to tie the match.
Saint Mary's would get credit for its first tie of the 2026 campaign and still has three non-conference matches remaining before the start of West Coast Conference play. They will head to Nebraska this week to take on Creighton and Omaha, starting with the Blue Jays on Thursday, September 10.
GAME NOTES
- Luke Schaefer scored his second goal of the season and is now tied for the team lead along with teammate Cameron Kobey
- True freshman Alex Bandrauk scored his first collegiate goal in his collegiate debut today, tallying 29 minutes of action off the bench
- Bandrauk became the first Gael true freshman to score in his collegiate debut since Bastian Toelhoej did so in 2022
- Tommy Davis made his second career start and first of the season for the Gaels
- Cyrus Shafie got his first start of the 2026 season, tallying 42 minutes of action
- Saint Mary's outshot Air Force 16-13; 16 shots would go down as a new season high
- The Gaels also had a season high eight corner kicks in the match
LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Mary's will head back to the midwest for its final two road non-conference matches taking on Creighton and Omaha. The Gaels will first battle the Blue Jays on Thursday, September 10 at 5:00 p.m. pacific time with all the action streamed live 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
F
/ Men's SoccerGK
/ Men's SoccerD
/ Men's SoccerMF
/ Men's SoccerF
/ Men's SoccerMF
/ Men's SoccerMF
/ Men's SoccerTeam Stats
AF
SMC
Goals
2
2
Shots
13
16
Shots on Goal
2
6
Saves
4
0
Corners
7
8
Fouls
14
14
Scoring Plays
Luke Schaefer (2)
GOAL by SMC Schaefer, Luke.
32:13
Alex Bandrauk (1)
Assisted By: Cameron Kobey , Ryan Firestone
GOAL by SMC Bandrauk, Alex Assist by Kobey, Cameron and Firestone, Ryan.
42:14
Hector Orozco (1)
GOAL by AF Orozco, Hector.
57:47
Tucker Kern (2)
GOAL by AF Kern, Tucker.
78:39
Game Leaders
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Monday, September 07
Friday, September 04
Sunday, August 30
Thursday, August 27
