Posted: Sep 11, 2022
THE TEAMS
Santa Clara (1-2-1) vs. Utah Tech (1-3)
MATCH INFO
When: Monday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. PT
Where: Greater Zion Stadium
Live Stats: Sidearm
Video: WAC TV
SERIES HISTORY
Santa Clara is 1-0 all-time against Utah Tech (formerly Dixie State).
The first meeting was a 2-0 win by the Broncos at Stevens Stadium in 2021.
NOTES
- Santa Clara defeated two-time defending WAC Champion and 2021 NCAA Tournament qualifier Grand Canyon on Friday night to pick up their first win of the season.
- Friday's win over the Lopes was the first road contest for the Broncos this fall after opening the year with three-straight home matches where they went 0-2-1.
- SCU opened the season with a scoreless draw against UNLV. It was the first draw in the season opener for head coach Cam Rast who is in his 21st season at the helm. Rast is now 11-9-1 in season openers.
- The last time the Broncos played to a draw in the season opener was in 1994 at Creighton where it was 1-all.
- The loss against UC San Diego in the second game of the year was the first regular season defeat since Sept. 6, 2021 when they fell to then No. 2 Georgetown, 1-0.
- Santa Clara finished last season 12-2-4 overall and 5-0-2 in West Coast Conference to win the WCC Championship for the 13th time and made their 21st appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
- The Broncos return 16 players from last season's squad that advanced to the second round the NCAA Tournament where they lost 2-0 to Kentucky.
- Four returnees garnered All-WCC honors in 2021: Oladayo Thomas (first team), Alejandro Barajas (second team), Joshua Dabora (second team) and Tyrone Kirunda (all-freshman).
- The Broncos opened the 2022 season ranked No. 22 in the United Soccer Coaches poll but fell from the rankings after the loss to UC San Diego.
- SCU lost 12 players from the 2021 squad including five-time All-WCC selection and three-time co-captain Javier Ruiz Duran as well as Julian Bravo who was drafted in the second round by the Portland Timbers in the MLS Super Draft.
- Twelve newcomers dot the roster including five freshmen and seven transfers.
- Eight players made their Bronco debut in the season opener (Felix Schaefer, Herman Aalberg, Adem Hamdaoua, James Redington and Jesse Anamoo were in the starting XI while Bar Hazut, Chase Weiner and Pierce Dyal came off the bench.). Dylan Penn and Brandon Zelaya made their Bronco debuts against Cal State Fullerton.
- Nine of the 16 returnees tallied at least a point in 2021.
- Thomas led the WCC in points (26), goals (nine) and shots (52) while finishing second in assists (eight).
- Thomas and junior defender Damani Osei were named preseason All-WCC.
- Thomas and Osei were also named to the United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch List.
- Osei was called up to the Jamaican Senior Club for the Austria Mini Tournament and missed the Broncos' season opener.
- Santa Clara is 16-4-5 in the last 25 games dating back to the 2020 season.
- In 2021:
- Santa Clara made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.
- Santa Clara won its 13th WCC Championship in the penultimate game of the regular season, beating NCAA qualifier Portland 3-1 (Nov. 6), to earn an automatic NCAA Tournament berth.
- The Broncos finished the WCC season undefeated for the fourth time in program history (1989: 4-0-1, 1994: 5-0-1, 2007: 10-0-2 & 2021: 5-0-2).
- The Broncos finished the regular season (11-1-4) with their highest winning percentage (.813) since 2004 when they were 16-2-4 (.818).
- The lone loss this season was at then No. 2-ranked Georgetown, 1-0.
- From Sept. 17 to Oct. 16, Thomas logged a point in six-straight games (four goals & four assists during the span), tied for the third longest streak in Bronco history alongside Paul Bravo in 1989, before it was snapped against San Diego.
- Seven different Bronco players scored the game-winning goal last fall including Thomas who scored three game winners while Dabora and Eduardo Lopez Perez scored two. Lopez Perez scored the golden goal against Akron in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
- The Broncos conceded just six goals in the first half last season.
- Santa Clara has been to 21 NCAA Tournaments, five College Cups (1989, 1991, 1998, 1999, 2003) and won one National Championship (1989).
- The Broncos have won the West Coast Conference 13 times (1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2021).
- Head coach Cam Rast is in his 21st year as the head coach. He owns a 190-138-56 career record and is Santa Clara men's soccer's winningest coach. A Santa Clara University alumnus, Rast has led his alma mater to eight NCAA tournaments and six West Coast Conference Championships since taking over the Bronco men's soccer program in 2002. A former All-America player on Santa Clara's National Championship team of 1989 and U.S. Olympic Team captain in 1992, Rast spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at SCU from 1994-2001.
�� Season Preview ��
— Santa Clara Men's Soccer (@SCUBroncoSoccer) August 23, 2022
Ready to defend our West Coast Conference Championship. #SCUBroncos #StampedeTogether pic.twitter.com/WWFAmqqRiI
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