SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara looks to continue its run towards a West Coast Conference title Sunday in Los Angeles, one of two must-win games to close out the year for the Broncos, who are aiming to position themselves for a berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Santa Clara (8-7-1; 3-1-1 WCC) will need to beat LMU on the road Sunday at 1 p.m., then return home and knock off front-running San Diego on 'Senior Night' next Saturday. A pair of wins coupled with a San Francisco loss or tie in the city next weekend to LMU would then give SCU the WCC title.
Friday night's tie between USF and San Diego opened the door for the Broncos, tightening the standings atop the league leaderboard, and setting up an exciting finish to the 2015 regular season.
Fans can expect a very competitive game Sunday between SCU and LMU. Last year, both meetings ended in a double-overtime tie. In fact eight of the last 14 have resulted in double overtime draws.
The Broncos should benefit from the return of high-scoring sophomore forward Carlos Delgadillo who scored twice during SCU's weekend sweep over Portland and Gonzaga. Delgadillo had missed the first three WCC matches due to injury. In limited time, he still leads SCU in goals (6), points (13) and shots (25), making him one of the most dangerous forwards in the league.
LMU (8-8-0; 3-2-0 WCC) counters with one of the WCC's stingiest defenses. The Lions earned their seventh shutout of the season in a 3-0 win at Pacific on Nov. 1. Senior Paul Blanchette was the goalkeeper on record for the shutout, giving him seven for the season.
In Santa Clara's backfield, senior goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh continues to anchor the Bronco defense. The three-year starter and All-WCC honoree has posted four shutouts, including two through the first five WCC contests. McIntosh currently ranks fifth all-time on SCU's career saves list with 189. He also owns a 3.72 GPA as a Business Finance major in SCU's Leavey School of Business.
Fans can follow Sunday's match live: GameTracker | Live Stats | Watch.
Santa Clara will honor their seniors next Saturday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. against USD - a match the Broncos are hoping will determine the league champion.
| WCC Standings | WCC | Overall |
| SAN DIEGO | 5-0-1 | 10-4-1 |
| SAN FRANCISCO | 4-1-1 | 6-10-1 |
| SANTA CLARA | 3-1-1 | 8-7-1 |
| LOYOLA MARYMOUNT | 3-2-0 | 8-8-0 |
| SAINT MARY'S |
3-2-0 |
6-9-1 |
| GONZAGA | 1-4-0 | 6-9-1 |
| PACIFIC | 0-4-1 | 1-13-1 |
| PORTLAND | 0-5-0 | 2-11-3 |
Remaining Games:
11/8 - Santa Clara @ LMU
11/8 - Pacific @ Portland
11/8 - St. Mary's @ Gonzaga
11/14 - San Diego @ Santa Clara
11/14 - Portland @ St. Mary's
11/14 - LMU @ San Francisco
11/14 - Gonzaga @ Pacific
