Sept. 16, 2003
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This Week: Santa Clara adidas Classic
Santa Clara's seventh-ranked men's soccer team will host the annual Santa Clara adidas Classic Presented by Marriott this weekend in Buck Shaw Stadium. The Broncos will face the Otters from Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday night before taking on the Colonials from George Washington on Saturday night. Both games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The University of San Francisco is the fourth team involved in the tournament and will take on GW on Thursday and CSUMB on Saturday. Both of those games are slated to begin at 5 p.m.
Santa Clara vs. Cal State Monterey Bay
Thursday night's game with the Otters will mark the first occasion that the two teams have met on the soccer field. CSUMB enters the week with a 2-3-0 overall record and will take on San Jose Christian College on the 16th prior to playing in the SCU adidas Classic.
Santa Clara vs. George Washington
The Broncos and Colonials will also meet for the first time on the soccer field when they square off in the final game of the adidas Classic Saturday evening. George Washington enters the tournament with a 1-4-0 overall record, having lost its last two games by identical 3-2 scores to both UMBC and George Mason. Arnar Johannsson is the points leader on the team with six, all of which have come off three goals. As a team the Colonials have scored only seven goals while giving up 10 in their five matches.
Last Week: SCU Remains Unbeaten with Win and Tie
Santa Clara won the first game of the USF/Diadora Classic on Friday, defeating Holy Cross by a score of 1-0. Redshirt freshman Keith DeVey scored the Broncos' lone goal, his second of the season, while the defense posted its fifth shutout of the season. Sunday's championship match with Cal ended in a 0-0, double-overtime tie in Berkeley. The Broncos outshot the Bears by a 18-5 margin, but could not capitalize on their numerous chances. Netminder Steve Cronin notched his fourth shutout of the season and the team's fifth, lowering his goals-against average to 0.19 and the team's down to 0.16 in 2003.
In the Rankings
The Santa Clara University men's soccer team fell one spot in the NSCAA Coaches' Poll and Soccer America Poll, falling to No. 7 and No. 8, respectively. The Broncos hold the No. 11 spot in the College Soccer News poll while maintaining the 14th spot in the Soccer Times poll. The NSCAA also produces a Regional Poll that the coaches vote on, which has the Broncos in the No. 2 spot in the Far West Region, trailing only the defending National Champions and second-ranked UCLA Bruins.
Steve Cronin Named WCC Player of the Week
For the second consecutive week, a SCU men's soccer player has been tabbed as the West Coast Conference Player of the Week. Following Ryan Cochrane's selection the previous week, goalkeeper Steve Cronin garnered the award on September 15 for his efforts in the USF/Diadora Classic. The junior from Fair Oaks, Calif., posted a pair of shutouts in the tournament, including one against No. 21 California in the championship match. He made three saves in the two games and lowered his goals-against average on the season down to 0.19.
Around the WCC
Three teams were ranked in top-10 of the Far West Region by the NSCAA/Adidas coaches poll. Santa Clara, the highest ranked WCC team in all four of the national polls, ranked #2 in the Far West Region, behind the top-ranked UCLA Bruins. Gonzaga checked in at #8 and Loyola Marymount was ranked #10. It was the first time that Gonzaga has been ranked since 2001, when they spent six weeks in the poll.
Scoreless Streak Snapped
Santa Clara's defense had put together a consecutive scoreless streak of 427 minutes dating back to the 2002 season. The streak spanned six games and the Broncos were 5-0-1 during the streak. That streak was snapped in the 23rd minute of the Broncos 3-1 win over No. 4 SMU in the LMU Fall Classic on September 7. Santa Clara gave up it first goal of the season 2003 season to SMU but did not allow another goal as the Broncos rallied for the victory.
Igwe off to Fast Start
Sophomore Kelechi Igwe has gotten off to a very fast start through the first six games of the 2003 season. The forward from neaby Belmont, Calif., has scored one goal and assisted on three others for a team-leading five points on the year. As a freshman he recorded four goals and two assists for 10 points.
DeVey and Weatheryly Share Goal Scoring Lead
Junior Will Weatherly is showing that his sophomore season was no fluke. The midfielder from Bellevue, Wash., has already tallied two of the seven goals scored by the Broncos this season. In his second year on the Mission Campus, Weatherly netted five goals and one assist for a total of 11 points, which was the second-highest total on the team in 2002. He scored the first goal of the 2003 season, which proved to be the game-winner against Alabama A&M. He also added the insurance goal in the Broncos' 3-1 win over then No. 4 SMU. Redshirt freshman Keith DeVey has been the team's most consistant player dating back to Spring practice according to head coach Cameron Rast. His hard work in the Spring has paid off as the forward from Maui has tallied two goals, one of which was the game-winner in the Broncos' 1-0 victory over Holy Cross.
Fall Sports Excelling at SCU
Santa Clara University has three of its fall sports currently ranked in the top-20 of their respective coaches' polls. The men's soccer team is currently the highest-ranked of the three, holding the No.7 spot in the NSCAA Poll. The Bronco women's soccer team is currently ranked 12th in the same poll, while the Santa Clara Volleyball team holds the No. 17 ranking the AVCA Poll.
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.
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.
Up Next: San Jose State and UMKC Tournament
Santa Clara play three times next week in the span of six days. The Broncos will face cross-town rival San Jose State on Tuesday night, September 23 at 7 p.m. in Spartan Stadium. From there the Broncos will travel to Kansas City, Mo., to take part in the UMKC Tournament. SCU will face No. 20 Tulsa on Friday the 26th at 12:30 p.m. before taking on UMKC on Sunday at 11 a.m. All times listed here are Pacific.