SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara men's soccer faces UC Irvine on Saturday, Sept. 10 in its home opener of the 2016 season. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT at Stevens Stadium.

The Broncos are 2-1-0 all-time against the Anteaters. The most recent matchup came in 2013 when Santa Clara won, 2-1, at UC Irvine.

"I'm looking forward to being at home," head coach Cameron Rast said. "Any time that you're on the road and you play good teams and you're in a battle for results, you realize how important it is to have those home matches. There's just a comfort-level and a confidence that you take when you're at home that should permeate through your team."

Head coach Cameron Rast is looking forward to the team's first home game on Saturday night! #StampedeTogether pic.twitter.com/f1kTyyFd1g

— SCU Men's Soccer (@SCUBroncoSoccer) September 8, 2016

THE BRONCOS

Scoring has not come easy for Santa Clara (2-2), netting just one goal in the first three games. But, the last time out against Cal State Fullerton, the Broncos found more success. SCU scored in the first half for the time all season and then found the back of the net in the 84th minute to win, 2-1.

Junior Satoshi "Yoshi" Chaffin leads the team with three points (assists worth one, goals worth two) on the year, scoring the Broncos opening goal against CSUF and assisting on the game-winning goal. Delgadillo was the receiver of Chaffin's pass, scoring his 15th-career goal and sixth game-winner.

Defensively, at 0.75, the Broncos have the best goals against average in the West Coast Conference. An experienced back line in front of sophomore goalkeeper Dakota Havlick has allowed just 30 shots and three goals after four games.

THE ANTEATERS

UC Irvine (1-3) suffered a home loss to Florida Gulf Coast in its last time out, 2-1. The Anteaters' lone win of the season came at home over Grand Canyon, 1-0.

Giovanni Godoy, Luis Leon and Jose Ortiz scored each of the Anteaters three goals on the season while Mario Ortiz has assisted on two of those goals.

"The Irvine team is a very physical, very good team," Rast said. "So it'll be a tough challenge for us because they can be disruptive but at the same they can play a little bit. It's a good blend to have to fight through."

Senior goalkeeper Elliot Farmer has played every minute of every game for the Anteaters thus far. He has allowed nine goals, made 18 saves and recorded one shutout.

UC Irvine went 5-11-4 in 2015, falling to Cal Poly in the opening round of the Big West Conference Tournament.

Camper Reunion Night: All 2016 men's soccer summer campers will get free entry into the game by wearing their camp t-shirt.

Postgame Autographs: Approximately 10 minutes after the game, join the men's soccer team in the entrance plaza to receive the 2016 Santa Clara Men's Soccer schedule poster and autographs from the team.

Tickets: Season or single-game tickets are available. Click here to purchase online or contact the ticket office weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. at (408) 554-4660 or BroncoTickets@scu.edu. Group discounts are also available through our ticket office sales and service consultants. Gates to Stevens Stadium, as well as its ticket office, are open one hour prior to the start of the match. 

Parking: For weekday matches, the Leavey Center lot, located on Accolti Way off El Camino Real, is free beginning one hour prior to kickoff. Any other parking facility on campus will be subject to normal daily rates or restrictions, including the main structure, located adjacent to Stevens Stadium on Palm Drive. During the weekend, campus parking facilities are free (except for permit required locations). Click here for a campus map and parking restrictions.

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