Oct. 4, 2001
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This Week
Two of the top five programs in the country will square off for the 27th time as the Broncos and Cardinal aim to claim the title of top women's soccer team in the Bay Area. After participating in the same tournament fields for the last two weeks, the teams will finally meet head to head this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Maloney Field in Palo Alto. Stanford is undefeated in seven matches this season and is currently ranked fourth by the Soccer America, while the Broncos are ranked fifth and carry a 7-1 overall mark. SCU leads the series 13-8-5 and has won four of the last five meetings between the two (they tied 0-0 in 1998), and will try to break Stanford's current 13-match win streak at home.
Wagner Named WCC Player of the Month
Aly Wagner was named the West Coast Conference's Women's Soccer Player of the Month for September after registering seven goals and eight assists to lead the league in both categories. She was named the conference's player of the week on Tuesday for the second time this season after leading the Broncos to two wins over the weekend at the Santa Clara adidas Classic. Wagner was named the most valuable player of the Classic after leading Santa Clara to victories over Southern Methodist and San Diego State. She netted a goal and handed out three assists in the Broncos 5-2 win over SMU and followed that outing with an insurance goal in the 2-0 victory over the Aztecs to claim the tournament title. Wagner was also named the conference player of the week September 10 after a strong showing at the Nike Wake Forest Invitational. At that tournament, Wagner recorded her first career hat trick as the Broncos defeated then-No. 13 Florida State to close out play at the Invitational in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Wagner Moves into WCC Career Points List
Aly Wagner moved into 19th place on the league's career points list, with 68 in 47 matches. This season, she currently leads the league in both goals (7) and assists (8) for 22 points. Although Wagner is still 12 points away from reaching the top 10 in Santa Clara's recordbook in points, she has vaulted to No. 5 all-time in assists with 28. She registered 12 as a redshirt freshman in 1999 and added eight last season.
Fountain of Youth
Early signs have shown the West Coast Conference is full of young playmakers stepping to the forefront in their first year of collegiate soccer. The league's top 10 points lists features seven underclassmen, including three from Santa Clara in Leslie Osborne, Taline Tahmassian and Veronica Zepeda.
Live on the Internet
Santa Clara's match against USF next Friday can be heard on a live Internet audio broadcast on www.SantaClaraBroncos.com. Additionally, that contest can be followed online with a live statistical tracker, also located on Santa Clara's official athletic website. By logging on, fans can receive real-time updated statistics direct from the official scoring computer allowing users to listen to the audio broadcast and keep up with the statistics simultaneously. The features were introduced this season and can be enjoyed for the team's remaining five home contests. Ram Fletcher and Will Saso will share duties as the voice of the Broncos with SCU men's soccer alumni Mark Wojciechowski adding color commentary.
Last Time Out: adidas Classic Wrap Up
The Broncos hosted the sixth annual Santa Clara adidas Classic at Buck Shaw Stadium last weekend. Bronco Aly Wagner was named MVP of the invitational after tallying three goals and three assists in two matches. The Classic opened with Stanford head coach Andy Nelson earning his 100th career victory, defeating San Diego State 2-1. Santa Clara then went on to a 5-2 victory over Southern Methodist.
Stanford improved to 5-2-1 all-time at the tournament after shutting out SMU 4-0 on Sunday while Santa Clara claimed its sixth tournament championship and improved to 12-0-0 all-time in Classic play, topping SDSU 2-0. The Broncos have outscored opponents 58-6 in Classic matches and have notched seven shutouts.
In the Rankings
Santa Clara improves one spot to fifth by Soccer America, and is seventh according to Soccer Times and Soccer Buzz Magazine, and is 10th by NCSAA/adidas. SCU home opponents and 2000 College Cup participants UCLA and Portland are ranked in the top five, while five other Bronco opponents also ranked in the top 25. Stanford is ranked 4th, 6th, 4th, and 7th in those same polls.
Up Next: Conference season begins
With three contests scheduled in response to the national tragedy, the Broncos have been looking to add games to its schedule. Before the Broncos begin conference season next weekend, it will tune up against Fresno State in a midweek showdown on Tuesday. The Broncos will then host San Francisco Dons and their first-year head coach Pamela Kalinoski. That match will be the first of a double-header with the men's team, who will follow the women's 5:30 contest with their own at 8 p.m. against San Diego. The women's team will then conclude the weekend at Gonzaga on Sunday. Although the Zags are winless at 0-7-1, five of the Bulldogs' losses have been by one goal.
Hermann Trophy Semifinalists
Danielle Slaton and Aly Wagner have been named candidates for the 2001 Hermann Trophy, college soccer's oldest and most prestigious player of the year award, the Hermann Foundation and TEAMtalk, Inc., announced in August. Fifteen finalists were named. Wagner was named one of five finalists for last year's honor, while Slaton and former standout Heather Aldama were named semifinalists. Mandy Clemens became the first Bronco to be honored with the Hermann, when she was announced as the 1999 winner. Clemens was only the second SCU player to capture the title of national player of the year. Former standout Brandi Chastain earned postseason honors following the 1990 season as she was named the 1990 ISAA Player of the Year. Three finalists will be announced on December 1and the winners will be named at the College Cup, held December 8 in Dallas, Texas. The Hermann Trophy, soccer's equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, has been given annually since 1988 and is named for Robert R. Hermann, the former Chairman of the Executive Committee of the old North American Soccer League and one of that ground-breaking league's founders.
Head Coach Jerry Smith
In his 15th season as head coach, Jerry Smith (CS Hayward '86) earned his 225th career win Friday night against Southern Methodist. He has compiled an overall record of 226-59-15 (.778) and has coached Santa Clara to 12 straight NCAA Tournament appearances. The winningest coach in the program's history, Smith is fifth on the all-time NCAA coaching victory list. The Broncos have been ranked among the nation's Top 25 every season during Smith's coaching tenure and have finished among the Top 10 in each of the last 12 campaigns. In 1990, Santa Clara finished the season ranked first nationally. Additionally, he has coached 13 All-Americans, 11 U.S. National Team Players, eight Academic All-Americans and five WCC Freshmen of the Year, including last year's selection Veronica Zepeda. He coached 1999 National Player of the Year Mandy Clemens and has been awarded WCC Coach of the Year honors five times.