Men's Soccer Hosts Bay Area Rival Stanford On Saturday

Men's Soccer Hosts Bay Area Rival Stanford On Saturday

SANTA CLARA, Calif.— Come out to Buck Shaw Stadium this Sat., Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. as the Bronco men's soccer team competes in their only home game this month. The Broncos will play host to the Bay Area Classico against cross-town rival, Stanford University.

"I think it's a game that is going to be a real test for us," said Bronco head coach Cameron Rast. "Stanford has shown that they can compete with the best teams in the country. They are looking for their first result, we're looking for our first result and since it's a rivalry game it's not going to be easy for either one of us."

The Cardinal holds an overall record of 0-1-1 in the 2013 season after they competed against No. 13 Maryland and No. 11 Georgetown. Cardinal junior Zach Batteer leads the offense with two out of Stanford's three goals.

Santa Clara and Stanford have matched up at least once in every season since 1973. The all-time series stands in favor of the Broncos by 19-17-7 with Santa Clara victorious over the past two meetings.

Last season when the Broncos and Cardinal met, then freshman Ryan Masch scored twice in the first half and senior goalkeeper Larry Jackson had eight saves in the game at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium in Palo Alto, Calif.

"They are one of our biggest rivals," said Bronco senior co-captain Mark Daus. "In the years that I've been here we have kind of struggled up until we play Stanford and then there is sort of a change in momentum for us. We're looking forward to getting out there to compete and turning the page in our season."

2013 Season Review Thus Far
Santa Clara is pegged to win the West Coast Conference as voted by WCC head coaches in preseason polls and predicts senior Mark Daus and Sophomore Ryan Masch to gain All-WCC team honors.

The Broncos are off to a slow start as they fell in their first two matches against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and top 20 ranked University of Washington, making their record 0-2-0.

Senior Carlos Montes notched the men's first goal of the season in the Broncos home opener vs. SIUE. Montes leads the Broncos in shots (5) and shots on goal (4).

Freshman Parker Holland saw his first minutes as a Bronco when the men traveled up north to play at Washington. Holland was able to tally up his first collegiate goal that game against former Bronco goalkeeper, Ryan Herman.

Live Coverage
If you can't make it out to the Buck Shaw Stadium to watch the Broncos vs. Cardinal game be sure to follow the game live at Game Tracker.

2012 Season In Review
The 2012 season notched the Bronco's 24th winning season in 26 years with a record of 11-6-2. The Broncos just narrowly missed getting into the NCAA tournament.

The men placed second in the West Coast Conference while senior Erik Hurtado was named the WCC Player of the Year and Jackson was named WCC Goalkeeper of the Year. Daus earned honors on the All-West Coast Conference First Team and senior Murphy Campbell, junior Montes and freshmen Matt Escobar and Masch gain All-WCC Honorable Mention honors. Sophomore Max Ornstil and Masch were named to the All-WCC Freshman Team.

Written by Lauren Matheson '13, Sports Assistant