SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Saint Mary’s women’s soccer team continued its strong opening to the 2026 season as the Gaels extended their unbeaten streak to 15 consecutive matches in a 2-0 win over San Jose State on Sunday. Defender Molly Silva opened the scoring, while forward Ashlyn Vaughn added her sixth goal of the season to seal the two-goal shutout victory. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Gaels wasted no time as senior captain Molly Silva scored the opening goal, her first of the season, in the 12th minute of action off a free kick. Silva fired the shot to the top right of the net, where Spartans goalkeeper Paige Frye got a hand on it but could not keep it out to give Saint Mary’s the early 1-0 advantage. 

Throughout the opening half, Ashlyn Vaughn created multiple dangerous chances, finishing the game with four shot attempts. The sophomore’s persistence paid off in the 37th minute when she found the back of the net. Penelope Correa fed the ball to Brianna Jurasek, who then found Vaughn just inside the 18-yard box. Vaughn fired the shot past Frye to double the Gaels’ advantage heading into the halftime break. 

Coming out of the break, the Spartans seemed to find their footing, limiting the Gaels to just four shots after tallying 11 in the opening 45 minutes. However, it wasn’t enough as goalkeeper Kate Plachy made five saves in the second half to finish with six total and preserve the shutout. Full 90-minute efforts from Anna Emperador, Aleyiah Schexnayder, Molly Silva, Madison Casado, and Maddie Lucas helped the Gaels see out the 2-0 victory for their sixth of the season. 

GAME NOTES


The Gaels built on their recently established program-record unbeaten streak, extending it to 15 consecutive matches to bring their 2026 record to 6-0-3. 
Saint Mary’s returned to their shutout ways, recording its eighth clean sheet of the season after opening the year with a program-record seven straight. 
Molly Silva recorded her first goal of the season and played the full 90 minutes for the seventh time this season. 
Penelope Correa recorded her second assist of the season and has now recorded an assist in back-to-back matches.
Kate Plachy recorded a season-high six saves, surpassing her previous high of five set in her first appearance of the season against USC. She now has 15 saves across five appearances. 

LOOKING AHEAD

Saint Mary’s will return to action on Sunday, September 20, as the team travels to Utah to take on Utah State, with kickoff slated for 12:00 p.m. More information regarding the matchup can be found on smcgaels.com.

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