Nov. 22, 2000
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This Week The roles are reversed this weekend, as Santa Clara (16-6-1) travels to Notre Dame, Ind., for a quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championship. The Broncos will face top-ranked and undefeated Notre Dame on Friday, Nov. 24, at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) on Alumni Field. The Fighting Irish, 22-0-1, advanced to the finals of the 1999 Championship after eliminating an undefeated Santa Clara squad in the semifinals. This will be the second meeting of the teams this year and sixth overall.
NCAA Tournament Santa Clara was extended an invitation to a 12th straight NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid this year. After an injury-plagued regular season, Santa Clara was at full strength for the first round, defeating Cal Poly 3-1 at Buck Shaw Stadium on Nov. 8. That first-round match was the first for SCU since 1997, as the team received byes each of the last two years. Santa Clara then shutout eighth-seeded California in the second round 2-0 on Nov. 11, before pulling off another upset in the third round, topping eighth-ranked Brigham Young 2-1 in overtime on Nov. 18. The Broncos have reached the semifinals of the Championship seven times, and a victory over top-ranked Notre Dame on Friday will send SCU to its fifth straight College Cup.
During the regular season, the Broncos faced 12 of the 47 other teams selected by the NCAA for this year's bracket, and went 7-4-1, outscoring the opposition 23-18. Santa Clara was one of 14 teams from the West Coast and one of three still alive. Additionally, the Broncos are the only remaining team from the four Bay Area squads that were selected to the draw.
Advancing Through the Championship The winner of Friday night's contest will play at the winner of the North Carolina/Connecticut match at the Women's College Cup, hosted by San Jose State University, Dec. 1 and 3. Santa Clara is 6-2-0 vs. UConn, including an overtime victory earlier this season, but only 1-13-0 against the Tar Heels.
The Opponent Top-ranked Notre Dame is 21-0-1 on the season and the only team left undefeated. It's only blemish is a double-overtime tie at UConn on Oct. 22. Santa Clara fell to the Fighting Irish 6-1 earlier this season in South Bend, Ind. Receiving a first-round bye, Notre Dame defeated Michigan 3-1 in the Nov. 11 second round and Harvard 3-0 in the third. UND is 14-0-0 at home this season. The Irish have shut out 15 opponents this season and have yet to allow more than one goal in any match.
Last Match vs. Notre Dame The second-ranked Santa Clara women's soccer team dropped its second straight match, falling to fourth-ranked Notre Dame 6-1 Sept. 8 at Alumni Field, during the first match of the KeyBank Classic in South Bend, Ind.
The defeat marked the first time in six seasons that the Broncos have lost consecutive matches. In September 1994, Santa Clara lost three straight to Loyola Marymount, Stanford and North Carolina.
Tonight's match also marked the first time in 19 matches that Santa Clara has been outshot by an opponent. Notre Dame posted 23 shots on goal while Santa Clara only recorded 10. North Carolina was the last team to outshoot Santa Clara, occurring Sept. 24, 1999.
The loss also marked the most goals allowed by a Santa Clara squad since an 8-0 defeat to UC Davis in 1980. The Broncos have not allowed five goals since 1991, to North Carolina.
"The difference was the depth," head coach Jerry Smith said. "We only had 13 healthy players today. Depth takes over late in the game. We hung with them, but we were spent at the end of the game. The difference was the last 15 minutes when they were a lot fresher."
Santa Clara's lone goal was scored by senior Kathleen Celio, her fourth of the season.
The Classic ranks as the nation's premier regular-season women's soccer tournament and is the only Division I tournament in the 2000 season that features four teams from the NSCAA's top-10 poll: No. 2 Santa Clara, No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 6 Connecticut and No. 10 Stanford.
Notre Dame and Santa Clara have split four previous meetings (2-2-0), including SCU's 4-2 home win in 1999 and ND's 1-0 win in the 1999 NCAA Semifinals.
The Broncos will conclude play at the KeyBank Classic with a match against No. 6 Connecticut on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 11 a.m. CST. The Huskies fell to No. 10 Stanford 3-0 earlier this evening.
Team 1 2 Final Goalie Saves Santa Clara 1 0 1 Gleason 8 Notre Dame 2 4 6 Wagner 5
Goal Summary ND Meotis Erikson (Amanda Guertin) 17:21 ND, 1-0 SCU Kathleen Celio (Veronica Zepeda, Heather Aldama) 20:26 Tie, 1-1 ND Amy Warner (Anne Makinen) 21:57 ND, 2-1 ND Amanda Guertin (Anne Makinen, Monica Gonzalez) 73:13 ND, 3-1 ND Anne Makinen (PK) 80:04 ND, 4-1 ND Kelly Tulisiak (Amy Warner) 86:30 ND, 5-1 ND Kelly Tulisiak (unassisted) 89:06 ND, 6-1
Shots on Goal The loss to Notre Dame marked the first time in 19 matches that Santa Clara has been outshot by an opponent. North Carolina was the last team to outshoot Santa Clara, occurring Sept. 24, 1999. With its 23 shots, Notre Dame became only the fourth team in 10 years to have posted 20 or more shots against Santa Clara:
Year Opponent Opponent Shots Santa Clara Shots Match Outcome 1992 North Carolina 25 5 UNC, 3-0 2000 Notre Dame 23 10 ND, 6-1 1994 Washington 23 18 2-2 Tie (2ot) 1993 North Carolina 22 8 UNC, 3-2 1993 Hartford 22 18 SCU, 2-0
Notre Dame Found the Net The six goals Santa Clara allowed Notre Dame in the Broncos' loss Sept. 8 marked the most goals allowed by a Santa Clara squad since a 8-0 defeat to UC Davis in 1980. The Broncos have not allowed five goals since 1991, to North Carolina.
Rare Consecutive Losses Santa Clara's back-to-back losses to Washington and Notre Dame, Sept. 4 and 8, marked the first time in six seasons that the Broncos have lost consecutive matches. In September 1994, Santa Clara lost three straight to Loyola Marymount, Stanford and North Carolina.
The WCC in the NCAA For the first time since 1996, the WCC has three teams representing the league in the NCAA Tournament. Santa Clara, Portland and San Diego were selected to the postseason. San Diego fell to USC 2-1 on Nov. 8, while Portland has defeated Arizona State and Washington, and will face Penn State in another quarterfinal. The same three teams represented the league in 1996, with Santa Clara and Portland reaching the semifinals.
20-Point Milestone Five Broncos have posted at least 20 points this season, led by freshman forward Kristi Candau, whose 29 points on 11 goals and seven assists leads the team. Senior forward Kathleen Celio adds 24 points to the Bronco totals, on 10 goals and four assists, for her third straight 20-point season. As a junior she had 20, while as a sophomore, Celio recorded 23. Senior forward Megan Horvath and senior forward/defender Heather Aldama are next on the statistics, as each have posted 23. Horvath, who posted 25 points during her freshman campaign, has recorded nine goals and five assists this season. Aldama has registered five goals and 13 assists. Additionally, freshman midfielder Veronica Zepeda has posted 21 points so far into the season, on six goals and nine assists.