Santa Clara's Interactive Virtual Guide

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Needing to win both games this weekend for a shot at repeating as West Coast Conference men's soccer champions, Santa Clara University heads to the Northwest to face Gonzaga University Friday, then the University of Portland on Sunday. Both games are scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Sunday marks the end of the 2011 regular season.

Although every tiebreaking scenario is difficult to decipher, Santa Clara does know that if they can sweep and St. Mary's College loses or ties one of their two games this weekend, the Broncos will most likely win the title. Entering the week, five of the WCC's seven schools were still mathematically eligible to finish first. However, San Diego's victory over LMU Wednesday was a major setback for the Lions, while USD increased its point total to 19, which now leads the league.

Week #11 - Nov. 7, 2011-Nov. 13
SANTA CLARA (9-5-4; 5-4-1 WCC) @ GONZAGA (4-11-2; 2-7-1 WCC)
Friday, Nov. 11, 2011 • 1 p.m.
Game #19 • Road Game #7 • Spokane, Wash.
Watch Live

SANTA CLARA @ PORTLAND (10-6-2; 5-4-1 WCC)*
Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011 • 1 p.m.
Game #20 • Road Game #8 • Portland, Ore.
Watch Live (FREE)

*Portland will host USF Friday, Nov. 11

WEEKLY NOTES
* Cameron Rast is in his tenth season as Santa Clara head coach (112-58-38)
* Santa Clara needs two wins for a shot at repeating as WCC Champs
* If SCU sweeps and SMC ties or loses one of its games, the Broncos will most likely win the title
* Last season, after a slow start, the Broncos went unbeaten in 12 straight and closed out the regular season by losing just once in 14 outings to win the WCC title in dramatic fashion vs. Gonzaga at home on the final Sunday of league play
* The Broncos have clinched its 23rd winning season in 25 years
* Santa Clara has been ranked as high as No. 18 nationally this season
* SCU has won 3-straight, most recently beating SMC at home 2-1 on 'Senior Day'
* GK Larry Jackson has started in last 4; matched a career-high with 7 saves vs. USD (Oct. 30) and made a game-saving PK stop against SMC (Nov. 6)
* Former Oregon HS Player of the Year Erik Hurtado leads the WCC in shots (77), points (17) and assists (7) 
* Santa Clara has already beaten both UP and GU this season, shutting out those teams at Buck Shaw
* SCU is 5-6-1 all-time at GU and 5-7-4 all-time at UP

WCC STANDINGS (pts)
San Diego 6-4-1 (19)/9-8-1
Saint Mary's 5-3-2 (17)/6-6-5
Santa Clara 5-4-1 (16)/9-5-4
Portland 5-4-1 (16)/10-6-2
LMU 5-5-1 (16)/7-11-1
San Francisco 4-5-1 (13)/6-9-2
Gonzaga 2-7-1 (7)/4-11-2

REMAINING SCHEDULE
Friday, Nov. 11
Santa Clara @ GONZAGA 1 p.m.
Loyola Marymount @ ST. MARY'S 2 p.m.
San Francisco @ PORTLAND 7 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 13
San Francisco @ GONZAGA 12 noon
San Diego @ ST. MARY'S 1 p.m.
Santa Clara @ PORTLAND 1 p.m.

Tiebreaking scenarios to determine automatic qualifier for NCAA Tournament:
Only games between the tied teams in regular season Conference games will be considered in the tiebreaker. In the event of a tie involving more than two teams, the tiebreaking procedure will be used until one team is removed from the deadlock. Once a team is removed the tie, the remaining ties are broken by reverting back to the first step in the procedure.

a) Head-to-head results against the other tied team(s)
b) If a tie still exists, compare the goal differential in WCC games
c) If a tie still exists, compare the goals scored in WCC games
d) If a tie still exists, compare the goal differential in WCC games in descending order of finish
e) If a tie still exists, a coin toss may be used to determine the automatic qualifier

Head-to-head results against the other tied team(s) as of 11/10/11
San Diego (6-4-1)
vs. Gonzaga 1-1-0/vs. LMU 2-0-0/vs. Portland 1-1-0/Saint Mary's 0-0-1/vs. San Francisco 1-1-0/vs. Santa Clara 1-1-0
Saint Mary's (5-3-2)
vs. Gonzaga 2-0-0/vs. LMU 1-0-0/vs. Portland 0-2-0/vs. San Diego 0-0-1/vs. San Francisco 1-0-1/vs. Santa Clara 1-1-0
Portland (5-4-1)
vs. Gonzaga 1-0-1/vs. LMU 1-1-0/vs. Saint Mary's 2-0-0/vs. San Diego 1-1-0/vs. San Francisco 0-1-0/vs. Santa Clara 0-1-0
Santa Clara (5-4-1)
Gonzaga 1-0-0/LMU 0-1-1/Portland 1-0-0/Saint Mary's 1-1-0/San Diego 1-1-0/San Francisco 1-1-0
LMU (5-5-1)
vs. Gonzaga 1-1-0/vs. Portland 1-1-0/vs. Saint Mary's 0-1-0/vs. San Diego 0-2-0/vs. San Francisco 2-0-0/vs. Santa Clara 1-0-1
San Francisco (4-5-1)
vs. Gonzaga 1-0-0/vs. LMU 0-2-0/vs. Portland 1-0-0/vs. Saint Mary's 0-1-1/vs. San Diego 1-1-0/vs. Santa Clara 1-1-0
Gonzaga (2-7-1)
vs. LMU 1-1-0/vs. Portland 0-1-1/vs. Saint Mary's 0-2-0/vs. San Diego 1-1-0/vs. San Francisco 0-1-0/vs. Santa Clara 0-1-0

Goal differential in Conference games as of 11/10/11 
Portland +6, USF +3, Saint Mary's +2, LMU +1, Santa Clara +1, San Diego +0, Gonzaga –12
Goals scored in Conference games as of 11/10/11
Portland 18, LMU 14, Saint Mary's 14, San Francisco 13, San Diego 13, Santa Clara 12, Gonzaga 10
Goal differential in Conference games in descending order of finish as of 11/10/11
Saint Mary's +2, Portland +6, Santa Clara +1, San Diego +0, LMU +1, USF +3, Gonzaga –12

HEAD COACH CAMERON RAST (10th-year)
Since taking over the Bronco men's soccer program nine years ago, SCU alumnus and Hall of Famer Cameron Rast has led his alma mater to six NCAA tournaments and four West Coast Conference Championships. He was a former All-America player on SCU's 1989 co-National Championship team and U.S. Olympic Team captain in 1992. He spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at SCU from 1994-2001. Last year, in 2010, his ninth year as SCU head coach, the Broncos won the WCC title. Rast has reached the 100-win milestone as a head coach and has moved into third place all-time in WCC coaching victories. The announcement of Rast being named the 2010 WCC 'Coach of the Year' marked the fourth time he has earned the honor. The Broncos advanced into the NCAA College Cup Final Four in 2006. He owns a 112-58-38 career record and is 60-16-22 all-time at SCU's Buck Shaw Stadium.

OFFENSIVE STANDOUT ERIC MASCH NAMED WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Santa Clara University senior forward Eric Masch (San Jose, Calif./Bellarmine Prep) was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week for Nov. 7. Masch has led the Broncos to three-straight wins, scoring the initial Bronco goal in each victory. On Wednesday, Nov. 2 at USF, Masch sparked an improbable three-goal comeback win for SCU on the road against rival USF. Masch's goal put SCU on the board in the second half, the first of three unanswered scores which allowed the Broncos a key win. Doing it again on Sunday, Nov. 6 against St. Mary's, Masch scored his fourth goal of the year - and third in three games - to tie things up with SMC in the first half. SCU would go on to win 2-1 in a game they had to claim to remain in the race for the WCC title.

MASCH ALSO MAKING AN IMPACT OFF THE FIELD
Masch not only had a big impact on the field last week, but he is making a difference off the field as well. The two-time All-WCC honoree and also an All-WCC Academic honoree, Masch is helping to organize a Clothing Drive in conjunction with San Jose's Sacred Heart Community Service, where fans brought winter clothes to donate to the cause during Sunday's match.

QUOTABLE
"Headed into the final weekend of WCC play, and we have done some heavy lifting," said Santa Clara head coach Cameron Rast. "What I mean by that is we knocked off then-league leaders  University  San Diego, University  of  San Francisco and St. Mary's College all in succession.  While we do not control our destiny we have given ourselves the chance to win a WCC title and advance to the NCAA tournament."

LAST TIME OUT AGINST UP AND GU
Santa Clara 1, Portland 0 (Sept. 30)
Santa Clara 2, Gonzaga 0 (Oct. 2)

HURTADO DRAWS BIG PRAISE FROM WCC
Erik Hurtado was named the West Coast Conference 'Player of the Month' for September. The junior forward was terrific during the month, earning back-to-back WCC 'Player of the Week' honors on Sept. 12 and 19. From Aug. 27 through Sept. 30, Hurtado totaled 40 shots, 12 points, four goals and four assists, which were all league-bests. Hurtado netted goals in four of five matches from Sept. 2 through 16, scoring against No. 6 UCLA, No. 14 Cal and tallied a career-high eight-shots in a 2-0 win over Cleveland State.

"What's unique about Erik is that he's just so explosive," Santa Clara head coach Cameron Rast has said about Hurtado. "His ability to accelerate and the power in his game make (opponents) focus so much time and energy on him, defending him, worrying about him, because he can do things that most other collegiate players cannot."

BRANDON ZIMMERMAN EARNS NATIONAL HONORS
Brandon Zimmerman, a senior midfielder from Pasco, Wash. was named to TopDrawerSoccer.com's National Team of the Week (Oct. 2). Zimmerman bended-in the decisive goal in Santa Clara's pivotal 1-0 victory over Portland in both team's WCC opener on Sept. 30. Zimmerman, an All-WCC honoree in each of his three seasons at SCU, anchors the Bronco midfield. The Portland victory was followed by a 2-0 shutout win over Gonzaga on Oct. 1.

PLAYING UP IN NON-CONFERENCE
Making the Broncos 4-1-3 non-conference record in 2011 that much more impressive, is considering who they played. The Broncos faced one of their toughest pre-conference tests in recent memory. Both UCLA and California advanced into the NCAA College Cup tournament's final eight last year, while New Mexico, Harvard and Stanford have been perennial NCAA qualifiers. New Mexico enters the week 9-0-2.

HURTADO/KLASILA NAMED WCC PLAYER'S OF THE WEEK
Through the first five weeks of play in 2011, the Broncos garnered three West Coast Conference 'Player of the Week' awards. On September 19, SCU junior attacker Erik Hurtado earned the honor of the second-straight time (Sept. 12 & Sept. 19). Hurtado, who continues to lead the league in most every offensive category, has emerged as an early candidate for the league's Player of the Year. His second award came after scoring and assisting in SCU's 4-2 road win at then-No. 14 Cal. Klasila drew recognition as the WCC Player of the Week on Aug. 29 after he shutout Stanford in the season-opener for both teams at Buck Shaw Stadium.

BRONCOS AND THE MLS
Not only does the San Jose Earthquakes of the MLS rent out Santa Clara's Buck Shaw Stadium to call home, the Broncos have had a storied history of future professionals wearing the SCU uniform. SCU was ranked among the top NCAA programs producing MLS talent, according to MLSsoccer.com. Santa Clara is tied for second all-time among schools on the West Coast, producing 17 players who have been drafted by MLS clubs, including Mehdi Ballouchy, drafted second overall in 2006.

MYKELL BATES NO. 8 PRO PROSPECT AMONG COLLEGE SENIORS
Santa Clara senior co-captain Mykell Bates was listed as the nation's No. 8 best pro prospect among college seniors according to TopDrawerSoccer.com. The online publication is showcasing Joe Mauceri's observations on 'Joe's Big Board', a listing of the top 100 prospects for professional soccer in the college senior class.

ERIC MASCH TABBED FOR LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Santa Clara University final-year student-athlete Eric Masch has been selected as a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The award recognizes the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. From the list of 30 candidates, a national media committee will select ten finalists for the 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in early October.

HOME SUCCESS
Contributing to the Broncos' strong soccer tradition is the team's home field advantage at Buck Shaw Stadium. Under Rast, the Broncos have gone 57-16-21 at home since he took over as head coach in 2002. The team is 286-82-40 all-time when playing at home, dating back to the program's first year of soccer in 1967.

THE WCC'S BEST TEAM (2010 CHAMPIONS)
The Broncos won the 2010 WCC Championship by posting a 7-1-4 conference record. No other WCC program has won more games (127) over the past decade or more WCC titles (5) than Santa Clara. Rast has been honored as the league's 'Coach of the Year' four times in his nine seasons and in the past three years, SCU is 36-17-16 against league opponents.

2011 PRESEASON AT US OLYMPIC TRAINING CENTER
Shortly after initiating its preseason training for the 2011 season, the Broncos traveled to Southern California for a week to practice at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.

BATES, HURTADO NAMED 2011 PRESEASON ALL-WCC
Mykell Bates and Erik Hurtado were among ten student-athletes around the league named to the 2011 Preseason All-West Coast Conference Team. Hurtado has emerged as one of the nation's most dangerous scorers. The junior from Beaverton, Ore., was named a 2010 All-WCC First Team player and garnered National Player of the Week honors last November by College Soccer News (CSN). Bates was also named an All-WCC First Team honoree in 2010. The senior and three-year starting defender from Roseville, Calif., led the team in minutes played (1,852) as a sophomore and is serving as team captain for the second straight year.

2011 Preseason All-West Coast Conference Team
Name School Yr, Pos.
Mykell Bates SCU SR D
Roger Downes LMU SR D
Steven Evans POR SO MF
Doug Herrick SMC SR GK
Erik Hurtado SCU JR F
Artur Jozkowicz LMU SR F/MF
Ryan Kawulok POR SR D
James Matern GON RSO MF
Stephen Posa USD SR F
Patrick Wallen USD SR F

FINAL WCC STANDINGS (2010)
Place Team WCC Record (Points)/Overall Record
T1. Santa Clara* 7-1-4 (25)/10-6-5
T1. LMU 8-3-1 (25)/12-6-2
3. Portland 6-3-3 (21)/9-4-6
4. San Diego 6-4-2 (20)/9-7-3
5. St. Mary's 6-6-0 (18)/10-8-1
6. San Francisco 2-8-2 (8)/4-12-3
7. Gonzaga 1-11-0 (3)/4-15-0

*Santa Clara claimed tiebreaker and WCC's automatic NCAA Tournament berth

SCU SOCCER TRADITION
1 National Championship
5 College Cup Final Fours
19 NCAA Tournaments
52 Future Professionals
11 WCC Championships
8 Seasons of 15+ wins
4 Teams ranked No. 1 nationally
13 Teams ranked in top 5 nationally
219-82-41 at Buck Shaw Stadium
113-46-26 vs. WCC all-time
36-17-17 vs. WCC in last three seasons
23rd winning season in last 25 years