Posted: Oct 28, 2017
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara men's soccer continues its trip in the Pacific Northwest when it plays at Gonzaga on Sunday in a West Coast Conference match up.
The Broncos lost, 1-0, to Portland on Friday night.
Sunday's match signifies the start of the second half of WCC play for both Santa Clara (2-12-0, 2-2-0 WCC) and Gonzaga (6-7-1, 0-4-0 WCC) in the seven game conference schedule. The Broncos sit in sixth place in the conference standings but are only a game behind in the loss column to the second through fourth place teams.
SERIES HISTORY
Santa Clara is 21-10-3 all-time against Gonzaga with the first meeting coming in 1993. The last meeting between the two programs occurred in 2016 when the Bulldogs defeated the Broncos, 1-0, in the WCC home opener for Santa Clara.
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THE BRONCOS (2-12-0, 2-2-0 WCC)
In its last match against Portland on Friday, head coach Cameron Rast felt the Broncos played one of its best matches of the year, despite being shutout. Santa Clara created plenty of chances, outshooting the Pilots 17-6, including a 6-2 advantage on shots on goal.
Against Portland, the Broncos substituted in just one player, Keanu Mendoza, who logged 33 minutes. The turnaround between the Portland match and the daytime match against Gonzaga will be less than 48 hours.
The Broncos have amassed 10 goals in the four league matches, while allowing eight.
Three of the ten nonconference opponents that Santa Clara faced are currently ranked in the top-20 in the country. They include: No.12 Maryland, No.20 SMU, and No.5 Indiana.
THE BULLDOGS (6-7-1, 0-4-0 WCC)
Gonzaga posted a 6-3-1 record in nonconference play but are 0-4-0 in WCC games.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 3-1 loss against San Francisco on Friday at home, where they are 4-3-1 on the year.
Offensively, Christo Michaelson leads the Zags in goals with four with Sam Olson and Ben White chipping in with three goals apiece. White leads the team in assists with five and has 11 points on the season.
Defensively, the Bulldogs have allowed 20 goals in 14 matches.
Ben Willis has played in all but 5:27 minutes as the goalkeeper with three shutouts to his credit and a 1.39 goals against average while making 47 saves on the year.
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