Gaels Hold CSUMB and CSUM Scoreless in Saturday Double Header

By AJ Clement

Moraga, Calif. —The Saint Mary's Gaels (4-1-0) defeated both Cal State Monterey Bay (3-1-0) and Cal Poly Maritime (0-4-0)in their first home contests of the 2026 season at the Saint Mary's Stadium. This hot start continues the momentum they gained last season as they went undefeated to win the title. 

As the first match opened up against CSUMB, the Gaels tested the Otters with immediate pressure. While met with resistance, the scoring opened in the 4th minute with a Ryleen Castro try, setting the tone for the rest of the match. Aubrey Blas scored in the 9th minute extending the Gaels' lead to 10-0 at the half. 

In the second half, Saint Mary's heated up even more, scoring three more tries uncontested before the final whistle, including one by Torie Rapadas tallying the score to 27-0. She credits captains Aubrey Blas and Ryleen Castro for the teams success thus far. For Rapadas, the home opener is an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of the team and pride in representing the Gaels. "We have a lot of girls here from a lot of places around the world. I'm from Guam, for example. We're representing where we're from and, you know, wearing our school colors proud".

As the second match began against Cal Poly Maritime, the Gaels were looking to start with the same intensity that they left off with in the first match. Once again, it did not take long for the Gaels to get past the Keelhaulers, as Chidera Animalu scored an early try. The as the first half came to a close Daniela Jimenez scored a try in the final minute. The second half saw the Gaels maintain control of possession and tempo, continuing to apply pressure on both sides of the ball. Strong defensive work limited the Keelhaulers' opportunities, allowing the Gaels to comfortably close out the match with another dominant performance. The Gaels pushed the final score to 25-0, including a Sona Chilingarian try in the 15th minute.

Chilingarian points to team chemistry for her success in both matches. "I have teammates that really support me and we all just want to have fun and we all have each other's backs." She looks forward to getting closer with teammates and continuing to build trust and resilience on the field throughout the season.

Up Next: The Gaels are headed to Vallejo on February 28th to The Gaels are headed to Vallejo on February 28th to take on both CSUMB and CSUM, looking to carry their recent momentum into another strong showing and continue building consistency as the season progresses.