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.