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WATCH | EYEBronco: Preparing for Cal
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Coming off of just its second loss of the 2014 season, the Santa Clara men's soccer team hosts No. 15 Cal in a Bay Area rivalry match in Buck Shaw Stadium this Friday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. The Broncos put their impressive 4-2-1 record to the test against the second nationally-ranked competition they have met this year. The game against Cal will be called on SantaClaraBroncos.com by Aly Wagner '03 and David Gentile.
"Cal is always really solid and super organized, giving us trouble in the past," said Santa Clara head coach Cameron Rast. "Some of the goals we need to execute tomorrow are to play solid, make good decisions and be the team that takes advantage of the few moments they are going to give us."
Against the Bears on Friday, Rast anticipates a tough tactical game. "They don't give you a lot so if you play sharp against them it tends to pull them out of shape. They will be patient and they will wait for the moment you make a mistake. They can be very clinical and score goals and defend well. This match is one we are looking forward to tomorrow."
Santa Clara looks to redeem itself from last weekend's 1-0 loss to Cal State Fullerton on the road. Forward Carlos Delgadillo leads the team with two goals and five points appearing in all seven matches for the Broncos. A San Jose, Calif. native, the freshman posts a .600 shots on goal percentage. Sophomore midfielder Edson Cardona also tallied two goals on the season while attempting 8 shots over the seven Santa Clara games.
With Kendall McIntosh in goal and Benjamin Kucera and Valdemar Andersen holding down the back line, the Bronco defense has proven their strength, limiting opponents to just four goals over seven games and a .053 shot percentage. McIntosh was named West Coast Conference Player of the Week on Sept. 15 for the first time in his career after posting four consecutive shutouts. He has 25 saves on the season with a .862 save percentage in his junior campaign.
Santa Clara is 12-28-9 all-time against Cal. The first meeting between the two Bay Area teams occurred in 1967. Last season, the two teams went head-to-head in Bear territory and ended in a 1-0 overtime victory in Cal's favor.
Cal is ranked No. 15 by the NCAA and has won five consecutive matches. The Bears are coming off of a 4-2 victory over then-No. 11 Delaware and a 2-1 win over SIU Edwardsville. They hold a 4-1-0 record with their lone loss coming from then-No. 22 North Carolina in August. Connor Hallisey leads the team with six goals and five assists. Cal's goalkeeper Justin Taillole has four goals against this season with a .826 save percentage.
After the final non-conference match on Friday, Santa Clara opens WCC competition on Oct. 3 at Loyola Marymount.
GAME NOTES – Fri., Sept. 26 @ 7 p.m.
#15 Cal vs. Santa Clara in Santa Clara, Calif. (Buck Shaw Stadium)
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