Men's Soccer Off to California for a Pair

Friday, September 15 • Hayward, Calif. • Pioneer Stadium
#20 St. Mary's (2-1-1) at Cal State East Bay (3-0-1) • 1 p.m. CT/11 a.m. PT

Sunday, September 17 • San Francisco • CCSF Soccer Field
#20 St. Mary's at Academy of Art (0-2-2) • 3 p.m. CT/1 p.m. PT
 

Go West Young Man: St. Mary's travels to California for a pair of matches over the weekend, playing at Cal State East Bay on Friday at 1 p.m. (CT)/11 a.m. (PT) before taking on the Academy of Art at 3 p.m. (CT)/1 p.m. (PT) on Sunday. This is the team's first trip to California since the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

In The Rankings: Despite last week's loss and draw, the Rattlers remain nationally-ranked, coming in at #20 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. It is the 12th consecutive poll in which the Rattlers have been in the top-25 and the 27th time in school history.

Foley On Fire: Fifth-year senior Cian Foley has scored all four goals in the 2023 season and was named the first Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week after scoring three in the first two matches. Foley leads the nation with two game-winning goals, is sixth with four goals and 23rd with 2.00 points per game. His four goals already ties for last season's lead (Dani Gimena and Lewis Wilson), while his eight points matches his offensive output from the 2022 season. 

Series History: This will be the first-ever meeting against both Cal State East Bay and the Academy of Art. The Rattlers are 0-1 all-time against teams from the state of California, losing in a penalty shootout to Cal State LA in the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 in 2019. Cian Foley and Jose Llano were both freshmen on that team with Foley playing 18 minutes.

Oh Captain, My Captain: Seniors Cian Foley and Dani Gimena have been named captains for the 2023 season. The pair have combined to play in 122 matches with 18 goals and 10 assists. 

Splitting Time: Both sophomore GK Johnny Thurbin and senior GK Andre Schlaefli have been in goal for 180 minutes this season. Thurbin has allowed one goal and made seven saves for an 87.5 save percentage, while Schlaefli has surrendered two goals and made nine saves for an 81.8 save percentage. The pair both rank in the top 50 in the nation in save percentage, with Thurbin leading the league and ranking 23rd, while Schlaefli is third in the Lone Star and 43rd in the country.

Keeping It Clean: The Rattlers lead the Lone Star Conference and rank fifth in the nation in fewest fouls per game at 5.50. StMU ranks just ahead of Midwestern State at 5.60 (6th nationally) and Eastern New Mexico at 7.25 (8th).

It's An Honor: Both senior goalkeeper Andre Schlaefli and junior defender Andrick Ferrer were named the Lone Star Conference Preseason Players of the Year. The pair were both First-Team All-Conference and All-Region selections a season ago, while Schlaefli was the Goalkeeper of the Year in the league and went on to win All-American Third-Team honors by D2CCA.