Nov. 12, 2002
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University men's soccer team won its third consecutive match Tuesday evening in Buck Shaw Stadium, defeating the University of San Francisco by a score of 4-1. The win was the eighth straight win for the Broncos (9-6-1, 2-3-0 WCC) over the Dons (10-8-0, 3-3-0 WCC) who have managed only two goals against Santa Clara since the 1993 season.
The game started off a little slow as both teams tried to adjust to the soft and muddy conditions that lingered at Buck Shaw following the heavy rain last week. After a few early shots on goal by the Broncos, Jamil Walker gave SCU a 1-0 lead at the 23:02 mark as he bent a shot around the USF netminder into the upper right corner of the goal from the top of the penalty box.
Just over five minutes later Walker continued his torrid scoring when he powered home a shot off a breakaway set up by a perfect pass from Kellen Gilmore. The pass led Walker perfectly behind the defense to where he beat Mark Muleady low for the 2-0 lead.
The Broncos kept the pressure on the San Francisco defense as they scored their third goal of the night when Jeff Scott notched his second of the year from six yards out. Scott handled the Walker deflection pass, that originally was sent by Jason Pan, and slid it under Muleady for the 3-0 lead, which the Broncos maintained heading into halftime.
Less than nine minutes into the second half the Broncos capitalized again as Jason Cunliffe re-directed a Devin Skrade shot, beating Muleady for a 4-0 lead. The Dons showed some heart following the goal as they tallied their lone goal of the match at the 64:58 mark when Ben Stuart beat Kent Harkness after the ball deflected off two Santa Clara players. Stuart's goal was his second of the year and was the final score in the game by either team.
Walker's two goals give him 14 on the season, which moves him into fourth place on the SCU single-season scoring list. They also give him 21 for his career, ranking him seventh all-time for career goals at Santa Clara.
The Broncos will conclude their regular season Saturday evening in Buck Shaw Stadium when they host 11th-ranked Loyola Marymount at 7:30 p.m. The match will be critical to the Broncos' postseason chances, as they are one win away from 10 wins overall and a .500 mark in conference play.
