Oct. 1, 2008
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara men's soccer team remains on the road this week as the Broncos open the 2008 West Coast Conference schedule against Portland and Gonzaga. The Broncos and Pilots face off on Friday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at Merlo Field, while SCU and the Zags battle on Sunday, Oct. 5 at 2 p.m. at Martin Field.
Follow The Broncos Online
Every Santa Clara home game and most road games are covered live on the Internet via www.SantaClaraBroncos.com. All home games will also feature a live video broadcast as well.
Last Time Out
The Broncos posted their second two-game unbeaten streak of the season and will look to continue it on the road this weekend. SCU tied with South Bay rival San Jose State, 1-1, on Sept. 24 and earned win No. 2 against Bay Area rival Stanford, 1-0, on Sept. 27. Scoring his first goal of the season against the Spartans was M.A.C. Hermann Trophy candidate Stephen McCarthy, while freshman reserve Connor Mitchell netted his second collegiate goal in overtime against the Cardinal.
Bronco Watch
Jeff Cosgriff continues to lead the Broncos with six points (2G, 2A). Senior Brian Martin and freshman Mitchell are tied for second on the squad with four points each (2G). In goal, Kevin Klasila has a 1.38 goals-against average and has collected 10 saves.
Scouting Portland
The Pilots enter the weekend with a 0-1-0 WCC record and a 3-3-2 overall mark. Portland opened league play last weekend against Gonzaga. Pilot players to watch include: Frankie Lopez (6G, 1 A, 13Pts), Bryan Irwin (2G, 1A) and Ryan Kawulok (2G). In goal, Austin Guerrero has a 1.67 GAA average and has collected 30 saves.
Last Time Out vs. Portland
Nov. 18, 2007 - The Broncos posted a 2-1 victory over the then-No. 25 Pilots to complete their unbeaten record in WCC action. Kellen Wantulok and Ross Smith scored for Santa Clara.
All-Time vs. Portland
Friday's contest marks the 33rd meeting of the two programs in a series that Santa Clara leads 16-10-6.
Scouting Gonzaga
The Bulldogs enter the weekend with a 1-0-0 WCC mark and a 4-3-1 overall record. Mitchell Weller scored the game-winning goal against the Pilots last week. Gonzaga players to watch include: Tye Perdido (4G), Ben Funkouser (2G, 2A), Bryan Mullaney (4A). In goal, Scott Barnum has a 1.23 GAA and has 26 saves thus far.
Last Time Out vs. Gonzaga
Nov. 16, 2008 - Chris Sauter scored the game-winning golden goal in double-overtime against Gonzaga to give SCU a 1-0 victory.
All-Time vs. Gonzaga
Sunday's contest marks the 20th meeting of the two programs in a series that Santa Clara leads 10-6-3.
On Deck
Santa Clara closes out its first WCC road swing of the season against Saint Mary's on Oct. 12 in Moraga. Kick off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Saint Mary's Stadium.
Mitchell Named WCC Player of the Week
After helping the Broncos to a 1-0-1 week, Mitchell was named the WCC's men's soccer Player of the Week. Mitchell's goal was scored in the 95th minute of Saturday's contest against Stanford. The golden goal was on a 10-yard cross-goal shot from the right side of the penalty area. Helping set up the play were freshman Brandon Zimmerman and sophomore Jalil Anibaba. Earlier in the week, Mitchell played a role in helping the Broncos to a 1-1 tie with the Spartans of San Jose State.
Assists Leaders
Junior Cosgriff and freshman Zimmerman have been integral in setting up several of the Broncos goals this season. Both midfielders are tied for first on the team with two assists each. Cosgriff help put together Mykell Bates' game-winning goal against UW-Milwaukee and on Mitchell's game-tying goal against then-No. 12 Cal. Zimmerman teamed with Martin for a goal against UIC and then helped out fellow freshman Mitchell against Stanford last weekend.
Saving Del Re
Sophomore goalkeeper Jeremy Del Re saw his first taste of collegiate action this season and with 14 saves thus far, he leads the Broncos in that category. Del Re also earned win No. 1 and his first career shutout this weekend with the Broncos' overtime victory against Stanford. He has a 1-1-1 record this season.
In the WCC
As a team, the Broncos moved up to third place this week with a 2-4-2 record. The Broncos are second in assists and third in the WCC in shots, points, goals and GAA. Ten different Broncos are ranked individually. The highest rankings belong to: No. 3 in Assists - Cosgriff and Zimmerman; No. 4 in Points - Cosgriff; No. 4 in Goals - Mitchell, Cosgriff and Martin.
Conference Wins
Santa Clara broke the school record and the conference record for conference wins in a season in 2007 with 10. The former school record of eight was set in 2004 and equaled in 2006. Prior to 2004, WCC teams played each other only once, so SCU played a maximum of six conference games. The conference record since 2004 was nine wins, set by USF in 2004. The Broncos also finished unbeaten in conference to become just the third Santa Clara team to finish conference play without a loss. The 1989 team went 4-0-1 and the 1994 team went 5-0-1. The 2007 Broncos are the first WCC team to finish the conference season unbeaten since the double round robin format was introduced.
