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Men’s Soccer Loses to Saint Mary’s in Season Opener

Photo: Saint Mary's Athletics
Photo: Saint Mary's Athletics

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Andrew Rotter and Tyler Hardin each tallied a goal in the second half in Saint Mary's 2-0 win over Santa Clara men's soccer on Sunday.  

Rotter's goal came in the 60th minute when he jumped on ball that ran through the Broncos backline, fighting off a defender and slotting it low past the goalkeeper Andreu Cases Mundet.

Six minutes later, Lucas Andrews' shot from just inside the box ricocheted off a Broncos player and landed at the feet of Hardin in front of the goal for a close range shot.

The second half struggles came on the heels of a strong opening 45 minutes for the Broncos who outshot the Gaels 6-0, putting two on the frame and held a 6-2 advantage in the corner kicks.

"The first half was a good half.  We played as well as we wanted to which is a great sign of our capability," said Santa Clara head coach Cam Rast.  

However, SCU could not maintain the first half level of play in the back half.  Playing their first match of the season, the Broncos (0-1) struggled to get their footing in the second half against the Gaels (2-0).

"It was good to get the first game under our belt but we wanted to play the whole match like we did the first half," said Rast.

Ten newcomers made their Bronco debuts in the match including starts by Andreu Cases Mundet, Oladayo Thomas, Jack Murphy, Juan O'Neill and Nicholas Cudini.

"I saw some good performances from the new guys," said Rast.  "Oladayo got a start at center forward and displayed strength and held the ball for us.  He had moments of being dangerous and worked hard.  I was also pleased with Caden Buckley.  Once he settled in, his athleticism showed." 

The match against Saint Mary's will be counted as a nonconference game.  The Broncos will kickoff the seven game West Coast Conference slate on Feb. 28 hosting LMU.  

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