Sept. 2, 2003
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This Week: Loyola Marymount Tournament
Santa Clara's 15th-ranked men's soccer team will face off against No. 7 Creighton and No. 9 SMU this weekend in the Loyola Marymount Tournament in Los Angeles, Calif. The Broncos will take on the Blue Jays in game one of the tournament, Friday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. at Sullivan Field on the LMU campus. Sunday's game against the Mustangs will take place at 11:30 a.m.
Santa Clara vs. Creighton
Friday afternoon's contest between Creighton and Santa Clara will mark only the second time that the two schools have met in men's soccer. The first meeting came during the 1994 season when the Broncos and Blue Jays played to a 1-1 overtime tie at Creighton. The Blue Jays enter the contest with a 1-0-1 record and the nation's No. 7 ranking by Soccer America. They played to a 0-0 tie against Butler in their season opener before defeating No. 15 Furman by a 3-1 score. Both games were played as part of the Diadora Challenge hosted by Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska.
Santa Clara vs. SMU
The Broncos and Mustangs have met four previous times entering this weekend's contest with SCU holding a 3-1-0 all-time advantage. Santa Clara defeated SMU 3-0 in the first meeting between the two school during the 1973 season in Buck Shaw Stadium. SCU again defeated the Mustangs at home in 1993, this time by a 1-0 margin. The return visit to SMU in 1994 did not go as well for Santa Clara as the Mustangs picked up a 2-0 victory. The last time these two schools met was during the 1998 season in Buck Shaw Stadium, where the Broncos handed the Mustangs a 1-0 loss. SMU enters the LMU Tournament with a perfect 1-0-0 record, having defeated Florida International by a score of 4-2. Their meeting with UT-Dallas that was scheduled for September 1 was cancelled.
Cochrane Tabbed as a M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Award Finalist
Santa Clara University junior defender Ryan Cochrane was tabbed as one of 15 players to watch this season for the M.A.C Hermann Trophy that is presented annually to the top collegiate soccer player in the country. A preseason All-American selection prior to the start of the 2003 season, Cochrane is one of only four defenders on the Hermann Trophy watch list. He is also one of only two players from the West Coast on the list, joining UCLA midfielder Aaron Lopez Jr. A nominating committee consisting of conference representatives from each Division I conference will select a final ballot of the top 15 candidates in early November. The winners of the award are selected through voting by Division I collegiate coaches who are members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The winners will be announced in conjunction with the NCAA Men's College Cup in Columbus, Ohio, in December.
Santa Clara Breaks Into Top-25 Poll
The Santa Clara University men's soccer team earned its first ranking of the season on Tuesday when Soccer America released their poll with the Broncos at No. 15. The ranking comes just one day after SCU picked up its second shutout of the season and improved to 2-0-0 on the year with a 1-0 vitory over Fresno State. The Broncos were not among the top-25 in the magazine's preseason poll, but were in those receiving votes in the NSCAA Coaches' Poll.
Last Week: Broncos Pick Up Pair of Shutout Victories
Santa Clara opened up the season with a 2-0 victory over Alabama A&M in the first game of the UC Irvine Tournament on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore Kelechi Igwe assisted on both goals that were scored by Will Weatherly and Keith DeVey. Just two days later Igwe scored the only goal of the game, giving the Broncos a 1-0 victory over FSU on day two of the UCI tourney.
Broncos Picked Second in WCC Coaches Poll
The Santa Clara University men's soccer team was picked to finish second in the West Coast Conference during the 2002 season in a poll of the league's seven head coaches. The Portland Pilots are the slim favorite, edging out both San Diego and Santa Clara by one point. As a sign of parity in the conference, four different teams received first place votes. The WCC finished the 2002 season with a #6 RPI ranking. San Diego and Santa Clara tied for the second spot in the poll, each with two first place votes. Following the top three are San Francisco, Loyola Marymount, Gonzaga and Saint Mary's.
Head Coach Cameron Rast
Cameron Rast took over the helm of his Alma Matter in 2002, becoming only the sixth head coach in the 34-year history of the program. He guided the BroncosAs a player from 1988-91, Rast scored 17 goals and assisted on 20 others. He was the team captain in 1989, leading the Broncos to a 20-0-3 record and the school's only men's NCAA National Championship. A knee injury forced Rast to sit out much of his junior season in 1990, but he returned to form his senior year in 1991. He and the Broncos returned to the national championship game, this time claiming the second-place trophy. Rast earned his second All-America honor, as did his twin brother and fellow Bronco defender Matt. In 1991, Rast was a finalist for both the Hermann Award and the Missouri Athletic Club Award, both given to the nation's top collegiate men's player. During his eight years as an assistant, Rast helped produce 67 All-West Coast Conference selections, seven All-Americans, five WCC Defenders of the Year, one WCC player of the year and numerous players that went on to a career in professional soccer. The Broncos amassed a record of 101-42-14 with five WCC titles and seven NCAA Tournament appearances. The height of Santa Clara soccer came in the late '90's when Rast helped guide the Broncos to back-to-back College Cup appearances in 1998 and '99. In his first year at the helm of the program, Rast guided the Broncos to a 10-6-1 overall record and a 3-3-0 mark in the WCC. He had six players earn All-WCC honors and one honorable mention All-American selection in Ryan Cochrane.
England Trip a Springboard Into 2003 Season
As allowed by the NCAA, every four years a team can fundraise for a preseason trip overseas that can include games. Prior to the start of the 2003 season the Broncos made their way across the Atlantic Ocean for a 12-day soccer trip to England. While there the Broncos posted a 4-0 record against various club teams in the England area. SCU also had an opportunity to train a few times at one of the Manchester United training facilities. They also attended Man U's season opening game against Bolton. Heading into the trip head coach Cameron Rast said, "We will have an advantage of additional preseason games to prepare us for what lies ahead. There really is nothing like the environment in Europe to inspire the passion in our players to get our season off to the right start."
Up Next: USF/Diadora Classic
Santa Clara will conclude both its regular season and the WCC season next week at home as they host the University of San Francisco Tuesday night and Loyola Marymount Saturday evening. Both matches are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. starts, with Saturday night's contest having a special pregame ceremony for the outgoing seniors, Scott McLain and Jamil Walker.