Columbia
St. Mary's
Women's Soccer Heads West for Pair of California Contests
9/2/2026 1:30:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Lions face Saint Mary's Thursday before visiting Cal Sunday
Kickoff against the Gaels is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST and kickoff against Cal is set for 4 p.m. EST.
HOW TO FOLLOW
All Columbia home games and all Ivy League contests will be streamed via ESPN+. Both of the California games will also be streamed on ESPN+. Thursday's game against St. Mary's can be found HERE. Sunday's game against Cal can be found HERE.
Live stats for Thursday's game will be available via St. Mary's website, HERE. Live stats for Sunday's contest against Cal can be found on their website, HERE.
Follow @CULionsWSOC on X and Instagram for live updates and results during every match.
LAST TIME OUT
The Lions earned their first win of the 2026 season on Sunday afternoon, defeating La Salle, 2-1, at McCarthy Stadium in Philadelphia.
Columbia controlled much of the offensive pressure in the opening half and broke through in the 41st minute when Maya Nuwayhid curled a corner kick directly into the net for the first goal of her collegiate career. The Lions carried the 1-0 advantage into halftime before doubling their lead in the 64th minute on a La Salle own goal.
The Explorers cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 80th minute before goalkeeper Samantha Mahoney came up with the biggest sequence of the afternoon. La Salle was awarded a penalty kick in the 83rd minute, but Mahoney denied the initial attempt. The ball remained in play and took an unusual bounce back toward goal, forcing Mahoney to quickly recover and make a second consecutive save to preserve the lead and help the Lions lock down the win.
SCOUTING ST. MARY'S
The Gaels enter Thursday's contest unbeaten at 3-0-2 and receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll. Saint Mary's has yet to allow a goal this season, posting five consecutive shutouts to open the 2026 campaign. The Gaels' unbeaten start includes a scoreless draw against then-No. 14 Georgetown and a 1-0 road victory over USC on Sunday.
Saint Mary's is coming off a strong 2025 campaign in which the Gaels finished 12-2-4 overall and 7-1-3 in West Coast Conference play. The Gaels finished second in the WCC, while head coach Theresa Romagnolo was named WCC Coach of the Year and goalkeeper Kate Plachy earned WCC Goalkeeper of the Year honors.
Ashlyn Vaughn leads the Gaels with three goals this season. Saint Mary's enters Thursday riding an 11-match unbeaten streak dating back to last season, while its five consecutive shutouts to begin the year are a program record.
ROSTER - SCHEDULE - STATS
SCOUTING CAL
The Golden Bears enter the week with a 1-2-2 record after earning their first win of the season with a 2-1 victory over LMU on Saturday. Miriam Hils opened the scoring in the 33rd minute before Elhom Khursand converted a penalty kick in the 72nd minute to secure the victory. Cal will host Cal Poly on Thursday before welcoming the Lions to Edwards Stadium on Sunday.
Cal is coming off an 8-3-8 campaign in 2025, finishing 4-2-4 and eighth in the ACC. The Golden Bears earned draws against both No. 1 Virginia and No. 7 Florida State during conference play and narrowly missed a spot in the ACC Tournament. Cal was picked to finish 10th in the 2026 ACC Preseason Coaches Poll.
Senior forward Soleil Dimry headlines Cal's returning group after scoring four goals, including three game-winners, last season. Defensively, Malia McMahon anchors an experienced back line, while Stanford transfer Alyssa Savig has taken over in goal for the Golden Bears this season.
ROSTER - SCHEDULE - STATS
Columbia will honor the memory of Rocco B. Commisso '71SEAS '75BUS throughout the 2026 season with a commemorative patch featuring his initials, "RBC," on its kits. Commisso, who passed away on Jan. 16, 2026, at age 76, was a standout Columbia men's soccer player, longtime supporter of Columbia Athletics and accomplished business leader.
A three-year All-Ivy League honoree as both a defensive and offensive player, he helped lead the Lions to winning records in each of his four seasons. As co-captain of the 1970 team, he helped guide Columbia to its first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Commisso went on to become a successful entrepreneur, founding Mediacom Communications in 1995 and building it into one of the nation's largest cable television providers. He remained closely connected to soccer throughout his life, including ownership roles with the New York Cosmos and Italian Serie A club ACF Fiorentina.
Columbia returns home next week for a New York City matchup against Fordham at Rocco B. Commisso Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 10.
The Lions' full 2026 schedule can be found HERE.
For the latest on the Columbia women's soccer program, follow @CULionsWSOC on X, Instagram, Facebook at Facebook.com/ColumbiaWSoccer and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
