Amelia Severn Scores Four Goals, Matches Gonzaga Bulldogs Women's Soccer Record in 5-1 Win
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Gonzaga Bulldogs women’s soccer midfielder Amelia Severn (14) celebrates after scoring a goal against South Florida at Luger Field. Credit: Gonzaga Athletics [/caption]
There was plenty of optimism for Amelia Severn’s junior year, but no one could have predicted how she would start her 2026 season.
Coming off a First-Team All-WCC campaign where Severn tallied 10 goals and five assists, she introduced herself to the revamped Pac-12 in grand fashion Wednesday night at Luger Field, scoring four goals in Gonzaga women’s soccer season opener. She even mixed in an assist, as she was involved in all of GU’s goals during a 5-1 victory over South Florida. In the first year of a new conference, a feeling-out process is evident for players and coaches. But even as the teams compete outside of the Pac-12, Severn certainly put the league on notice, just one game into the new season.
The compelling part of Severn’s performance is deciding which element was more impressive: her scoring all four of her goals within the match’s first 40 minutes or the fact that each was sequenced differently. Regardless of how Severn’s absurd ‘haul’ unfolded, she matched a Gonzaga record for most goals in a single game, set by the program’s all-time leading scorer, Sara Streufert (44). Severn’s magical night marked the first time a Zag had notched a four-goal game since Streufert in 1998. She has also scored the eighth-most goals in school history, now totaling 18 in her career.
So, how did it feel to achieve something so few soccer players in history have?
“It’s awesome. I’ve really worked hard to get to this moment,” Severn said to broadcaster Greg Talbott after the match. “…All the credit to [her teammates] because I was just there to finish it off, but a lot of it was team goals.”
Severn wasn’t just being a good teammate when she said she benefited from her fellow Bulldogs, although she still did a phenomenal job finishing plays.
No better way to kick off the @pac12 Era than by making history. Amelia Severn becomes the first Gonzaga player to score 4 goals in a game since 1998... and she did it all in the first half!! Oh, and added an assist alongside it. What a performance. @zagwsoccer pic.twitter.com/pjl6zBrjKt— Steven Karr (@SKarrG0) August 13, 2026
The action started in the third minute, when sophomore Samantha Snorsky slipped behind the defense. She received a long pass from beyond midfield, and as she often did last season, streaked down the left sideline with loads of space around her. Snorsky beat the angle of a closing Ava Rightmire and fired off a close-range left-footed shot. USF’s Regan Kelly rotated as a last line of defense, so Snorsky’s attempt deflected off Kelly’s forearm, and the goalkeeper, Gaby Rourke, was there to recover the ricochet.
Even though Kelly’s contact with the ball was inadvertent, it was clearly an uncalled handball in live action. Snorsky was adamant about the violation, hopping repeatedly, motioning to the referees for a whistle, and lowering her head in disbelief as play continued.
About 120 seconds ticked off the clock before officials finally convened to review the play. And after a five-minute delay, a penalty kick was rightfully awarded to the Zags, setting the stage for Severn’s first score.
Initially standing right behind the ball, Severn took a few leaps to her left before running to kick. Rouke assumed a shot was coming right, but it instead took a low trajectory in the other direction, and GU was on the board for the first time in 2026.
In the ensuing minutes, Gonzaga created a set piece and a corner kick, constantly living in Bulls territory. At 11’, South Florida was working to get back across midfield, but senior defender Makayla Werner stole the ball and kicked it back where it came from. It was a perfect storm for Severn, who simply raised her right leg to make contact with the ball, and it was suddenly ahead to the forward Snorsky. And even with three Bulls encircling her, Snorsky outran them to the right before flipping it back through the left side past Rourke for the second Bulldogs goal.
A few minutes later, another miscue by Kelly led to the Zags’ third score. She and freshman Kelli Chapple were racing for a loose ball, but Kelly gave a slight shove, resulting in a foul and a Bulldogs set piece.
Severn took charge, setting up straightaway atop the penalty arc. USF created a wall of defenders, but the Shoreline, WA, native served it beautifully over their heads and into the back left corner of the net, over the outstretched arm of Rourke.
Another South Florida foul occurred in the 16th minute, this time up the right sideline. The free kick didn’t immediately create a scoring chance for GU, but they managed to hold possession. Senior Emily Tood was pushed into the corner, then crossed the ball before she ran out of play. There to receive it was freshman Sienna Jenson, who fought for position at the edge of the 6-yard box before dishing it to a slowly cutting Severn.
She wasted no time, setting up before the pass arrived and before her defender could catch up, chipping it up and over a leaping Rourke for her third score of the night. So before a quarter of the game was over, Gonzaga led 4-0.
The Zags’ offensive pressure was palpable, as they forced eight shots and four corner kicks in the first half. It also meant minimal action for their keeper, junior Sydney Head, who was surprisingly making her second career start instead of senior Michaela McCollum. The Bulls struggled mightily to set up their offense to begin the game, but finally got something going at 33’.
After being unable to penetrate the Bulldogs’ backline, USF midfielder Reese Rupe remained glued to the ball-handlers after passes, forcing GU to go backwards in its own territory. Rupe’s pressure led to an errant pass from Chapple that South Florida’s Amelia Macklin retrieved before Werner could get there, and only Macklin and Head were in the box. The latter slid forward for a save, but Macklin nonchalantly slipped it past, and the Bulls converted their first shot attempt of the match to make it 4-1.
But Gonzaga regained its four-goal advantage seven minutes later, as they had numbers on a fast break after a steal. And it was the ideal matchup for GU, which had arguably its two most promising players streaking through the middle of the pitch, Severn and Snorsky. Senior Shila Rasoul dumped it off to Brooke Metcalfe on the right sideline, who kicked the ball ahead to a waiting Snorsky at the top of the arc.
From there, it was a two-man game that is growing in dangerousness.
“Me and [Snorsky] built a great connection last year but…it’s growing even more… So we were able to build connection in the spring, and then we were just really excited to get into it in the fall,” Severn said.
“[Snorsky’s] an amazing player, and I think we both, sort of, like to do our own thing, and I like to let her do her own thing, but we know we have to support each other,” she explained. “I think last year, it took us a little bit to get a connection going, but now I know, ‘Hey, give her the ball with space’; she can take it, and I can be there for the follow.”
Like a basketball player setting a screen, Snorsky passed the ball to her left as Severn came flying behind her. It was a pristine pass, just out of reach of the Bulls’ backline, and leaving space for Severn to fire a strong strike into the back of the net.
The second half of the match was a lot less eventful, with neither side scoring again after Severn’s fourth score. However, USF did a much better job of controlling the tempo, outshooting the Zags 10-7 in the final 45 minutes. In the process, Head logged seven saves, resembling a brick wall in the net to deter any hope of a Bulls comeback.
Gonzaga head coach Katie Benz had excellent roster retention overall in the offseason, yet the program still took a major loss in Katelyn Rigg, who transferred to Minnesota for his senior season after spending the last three years in Spokane. The Olympia, WA. native scored eight goals in 2025 – the most on the team behind Severn – so a noticeable void was left in her wake.
Of the 27 players on the roster, 18 are returning, maintaining strong chemistry that fueled the Zags’ 6-3-2 WCC record last year. That type of continuity is rare in this age of college athletics, and the athletes immediately capitalized on their unique combination of talent and rapport.
“Having chemistry coming into it, having experience like [a senior in McCollum], [senior Olivia Lester], [Snorsky] on her second year, that is awesome, and we can just build off it.”
Severn is obviously slated to be a major component of the team’s offense, but Snorsky is also expected to take a year-two leap. She scored just one goal as a freshman, but notched a team-high nine assists to take home WCC Freshman of the Year honors. Both players, along with Werner, were named to the Pac-12 Preseason Impact list. Those two got off to a fast start in 2026, but a newcomer is also on the radar for a key role.
One of the Bulldogs’ two transfer additions, junior forward Sophia Schlicklin, can also contribute admirably. Following two productive years at SIU Carbondale, where she became the first First-Team all-conference player in program history, Schlicklin can surely help the Zags after accumulating 17 points last season.
GU went 2-6 in non-conference action in 2025 and is looking to play a better brand of soccer this season before their first taste of Pac-12 play. But that will be no small task, as it’s next scheduled to face Oregon and Arizona within four days, before taking on New Mexico, Washington, and Seattle U on the road.
Getting a victory to kick the year off was imperative for this Zags group, but flushing the result and focusing on their next opponent will be just as important.
“We haven’t had great starts to seasons the past two years, and I think we really wanted to get off to a flying start,” Severn said. “…This game, South Florida, was on our minds all summer; it’s this game and this game only, and now we’re on to Oregon, and we are focusing on that.”
“Going 1-0, one at a time…I think our goal this year, or at least my goal this year, is just to stay present and focus on each day, getting better and each day maintaining what we’re doing.”
