Saint Mary's men's soccer hosts Bay Area rival San Francisco at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at Saint Mary's Stadium in Moraga to open West Coast Conference play.

The Gaels (2-4-3) carry a season-best four-match unbeaten streak into the conference opener, according to SMC Athletics. Saint Mary's hasn't won a conference opener since 2021. The Gaels haven't reached the postseason since 2019.

Sophomore midfielder Cameron Kobey leads the attack with a career-high four goals and two assists through nine matches. Kobey earned Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Week honors for his play against Air Force, No. 12 Creighton and Omaha in mid-September. Against Creighton, the Gaels erased a three-goal deficit in the final 20 minutes to tie 3-3. Kobey scored from the penalty spot and added an assist in that comeback.

Transfer Talan Rochelle, who came to Moraga from Gonzaga, leads the team with three assists and has started all nine games. He ranks second on the squad with 739 minutes played.

Saint Mary's drew UC Davis 2-2 on Sept. 19 in its final nonconference tune-up. Luke Schaefer headed in the opener in the 13th minute off a Rochelle cross, and sophomore Rafael Suarez scored his first collegiate goal in the 76th minute. UC Davis equalized twice, the second time in the 83rd minute off a long throw-in.

The Dons (4-4-1) have been scoring freely. Forward David Raphael leads USF with six goals and three assists through eight games and has scored in each of his last two matches. Isaiah Easley adds four goals and two assists in his return after missing the 2025 season.

USF head coach Chris Brown spent nine years as an assistant under Saint Mary's head coach Adam Cooper, now in his 21st season. Brown coached at SMC from 2011 to 2016 and again from 2019 to 2021 before taking over the Dons program.

Saturday marks the 59th meeting between the programs.

USF holds a 31-20-7 series edge and has won the last two matchups dating to 2024. Saint Mary's last win in the series came on the road in 2023; its last home win in the series came in 2020.

This season's WCC features nine teams competing for four spots in the inaugural WCC Tournament, which begins Nov. 11. San Diego, the four-time defending regular-season champion ranked No. 19 nationally, and newcomer Denver, riding a seven-year NCAA Tournament streak, headline the field.

Saturday's match streams live on ESPN+.