Nov. 11, 2000

Santa Clara Coach Mitch Murray

"It is always nice when your seniors are really leaders and impact players. That was definitely the case this year. The three have had a huge impact on the success of the last few years. It is just unfortunate that this year we had such a young team and so many injuries that we weren't able to give them the year that they deserved. They could have easily quit on the year and started thinking about their future. But, to their credit, they didn't. They kept battling. All three showed great leadership, which will help our young guys in the future.

"Michael Goehring was such an anchor in the center of the defense and that is such a difficult position because you have to watch so many angles and lanes. So many times you get isolated and you have to keep your composure. I thought he just got stronger and stronger as the year went on and did a tremendous job.

"Joe Ascolese, as a captain, was a player we asked to play so many positions. That is not easy because you never really get to settle in. He did a tremendous job. When we were struggling for someone to get a hold on the ball and really work hard up front for us, he did a great job. He has been a key to our midfield this year.

"Brett Davis is really the class of the team. He has a lot of confidence on the ball and has great vision. He has put us through so many times and we were rewarded all year with the chances he created for us. He is really been a big part of the improvement in our possession game. He works the ball and holds it against very good teams and very good defenses. I thought he really had an outstanding game today."

On Tonight's LMU Game
"It was a scrappy game. The difficulty was, a minute in they received the red card. A lot of times, believe it or not, it is a disadvantage to the team with 11. It fires-up the team with 10. They have to dig in. They feel they have their backs up against the wall and they get all riled up. On the other side you tense up because you are afraid to make mistakes because you are expected to now dominate with 11. You get a little tentative. They were all fired-up and riled because of it. As we settled down and we started moving the ball, I thought for a good part of the first half and a most of the second half we really possessed it well and created some good chances. Toward the end, we lost a little bit of concentration and balance in our game and it got a little scrappy again.

"In this game, the bottom line is that you have to find ways to win. Sometimes you grind games and sometimes you knock the ball around. The fact that we were practically eliminated after the USD game, our guys could have just quit and we could have lost the last three. But, they came back and won three straight and have given themselves a glimmer of hope to get in (the NCAA Tournament) depending on how many teams they take from the west."

On Kellen Gilmore
"We are very excited about Kellen. We knew coming in that he was a player who we would have to count on this year. By being a freshman, we knew he would have his ups and downs. But, I would have to say that his game has been very consistent all year. He has worked very hard. He is very composed with the ball. We are very excited about the future with Kellen. He definitely did not play like a freshman this year. It was great because he probably had his strongest game of the year today. And, to have the game-winner was so crucial. He really needs to become a scoring threat for us. This should give him a lot of confidence to start looking to go to the goal a little bit more than he had earlier in the year."