Oct. 18, 2001
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The nation's top-ranked offense took only seven minutes to break down one of the top three defenses in the country as the third-ranked Santa Clara University women's soccer team handed second-ranked UCLA its first loss of the season in a 3-0 victory tonight at Buck Shaw Stadium.
Santa Clara improves to 12-1 overall, while the Bruins fall to 11-1. Santa Clara now leads the all-time series 3-0 and have yet to allow a goal to the Bruins in the series, with a 2-0 win in 1994 and a 7-0 win in the third round of the 1999 NCAA Tournament.
Senior defender Danielle Slaton--who was recognized at halftime tonight for her honor as this year's Black Issues in Higher Education Junior Sports Scholar of the Year-- passed a short corner kick in the seventh minute to junior midfielder Aly Wagner on the right side. Wagner returned the ball quickly to Slaton for a high lobbing shot that bounced off the left post and past the keeper for the game-winner. It marked Slaton's first goal of the season.
Each team registered six shots in the first half, but Santa Clara ran up five shots in the first 10 minutes of the second period and added an insurance goal in the 55th minute. Wagner took a pass from freshman defender Holly Azevedo across the top of the goal box, trapped it and kicked it in to the near side of the net.
"When you get into tight games, it's set plays that can make a difference," Santa Clara head coach Jerry Smith said. "Danielle's first goal was off a corner kick, one of Aly's was off a corner kick. You need to be able to execute in those situations. At the same time, we've given up some goals on defensive corner kicks and tonight we were rock-solid in that area. I think we really came through really well."
Wagner added her 12th goal of the season in the 70th minute off another Bronco corner kick, this one from the left side into the net. Bruin goalkeeper CiCi Peterson got a hand on the ball but could not stop its momentum. Peterson finished with five saves on the night.
Bronco freshman Alyssa Sobolik earned her fourth shutout of the season and improved her record to 8-1.
The Broncos return to West Coast Conference action on Sunday at seventh-ranked--and currently undefeated--Saint Mary's. That match will begin at noon in Moraga.