Women's Soccer Gears Up for College Cup Rematch against Florida

Sept. 17, 2002

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This Week
The Broncos will continue the regular season by ending a six-match road trip in the Bay Area, taking part in the Stanford Nike Invitational in Palo Alto. Santa Clara opens the tournament on Friday against Florida, which will be a rematch of the 2001 College Cup semifinal that propelled SCU into its first National Championship contest. That game will begin at 5 p.m. at New Maloney Field. The Broncos will close out the Invitational at 11 a.m. on Sunday against Oklahoma. It will be SCU's first meeting against the Sooners.

Catching the Broncos on TV
Santa Clara's match against Florida will be broadcast live on Sunshine Network at 5 p.m. Pacific Time. The announcers will be Brian Webber and Heather Mitts. The Broncos will make one more regular season appearance on the television, as Action Sports Cable Network will air SCU's November 3 contest against West Coast Conference rival and 2001 College Cup Participant Portland.

Three Former Players Named to WUSA All-Star Squad
The Women's United Soccer Association unveiled the rosters for the teams that will compete in the 2002 WUSA All-Star Game in Portland, Ore., on Saturday. Headlining the starters for the squads are two Santa Clara University alumni: for the South All-Stars is 2002 WUSA Defensive Player of the Year Danielle Slaton of the Carolina Courage, while the North will be led by 1999 World Cup standout Brandi Chastain. Additionally, 1999 SCU graduate Kylie Bivens was selected as a reserve for the South team.

These players' selections make Santa Clara University the only college in the nation to have a WUSA, MLS, NBA and MLB All-Star this year. Bronco alumni Joe Cannon of the San Jose Earthquakes, Steve Nash of the Dallas Mavericks, and Randy Winn of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays were selected to their respective all-star teams earlier this summer.

The match will be broadcast live nationally on PAX TV at 1 p.m. Pacific Time.

Wagner Moving Up WCC Charts
With one goal this past weekend, Aly Wagner has moved into sole possession for ninth on the West Coast Conference career points list, at 106. Wagner has also broken into the WCC top 15 career goal scorers with 33. She is also fifth on the league's list for career assists, with 40.

In the Rankings
With a loss to a top-10 opponent, Santa Clara fell just a few spots. Soccer Times, Soccer America Magazine and Soccer Buzz Magazine list SCU sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, while the NSCAA/adidas poll ranks the Broncos 10th. Ten Bronco opponents are ranked, including Florida, this weekend's opponent. The Broncos have already faced four ranked foes and will also take on Portland, UCLA, USC, Tennessee and Pepperdine.

More National Team Call Ups
Just as the Broncos are gaining the three sophomores they lost at the start of the season to the U.S. U19 National Team, SCU may not have the services of two very key starters. Senior midfielder Aly Wagner has been called up to the full National Team as one of 28 players to train for four days in Long Island, N.Y., before the USA opens the 2002 Nike U.S. Women's Cup against Russia on Sept. 29. The training will serve a dual purpose for Heinrichs, who will choose 18 players to represent the USA in the tournament, but will also be using the time to evaluate her pool in preparation for the 2002 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup, which will serve as the USA's qualification tournament for the 2003 Women's World Cup in China. The Women's Gold Cup, which also serves as the Regional championship, will be held from Oct. 27-Nov. 9, 2002 at four venues on the west coast of the United States and Canada. Fellow senior midfielder Devvyn Hawkins could also miss matches and weeks of training later in the season should she be called up as well.

Season/Match Tickets On Sale
Season and individual match tickets for Santa Clara University's nationally recognized soccer teams are on sale through the Department of Athletics' official website www.SantaClaraBroncos.com, and the athletic ticket office at 408-554-4660, between the hours of 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

In conjunction with its exclusive Internet partner, Official College Sports Network, the athletic department has developed an online ticket application that provides fans with the ability to purchase season tickets, family plans, individual matches or an all-sports pass via the official athletic website. A men's and women's soccer season ticket package that includes the remaining 18 home matches is available for the adult price of $60 each, while a family plan provides a family of five admission to each game for the low price of $100. Youth (12 and under) and senior (over 65-years-old) season tickets are also available for $30. Single games are priced at $7 for adults, $5 for youths and seniors and $2 for non-Ruff Riders SCU students as well as members of Bronco Kidz. Single match team passes are also available for $35.

Up Next: Broncos Return Home for adidas Classic
Santa Clara is pairing with adidas for the third straight year to host one of the finest tournaments in collegiate soccer. The Santa Clara/adidas Classic, which annually features some of the nation's finest teams, is heading toward its seventh tournament. Nike was the team's previous sponsor, hosting the annual invitational from 1996 through 1999. This year, the Broncos will host Stanford, Montana and Tennessee, with the Cardinal making its fourth trip to the Classic. Stanford is 5-2-1 all time in this tournament, while the Grizzlies and Volunteers will be making their first trip to Buck Shaw.

Santa Clara has won all six of the previous Classic championships, most recently last season with victories over Southern Methodist and San Diego State. The Broncos are 12-0-0 all-time in Classic play, outscoring opponents 58-6 in those matches and notching seven shutouts.

Wagner #7 Replica Jersey T-Shirts On Sale
Exclusive Offer! Get your replica jersey/t-shirt of national player of the year Aly Wagner. This item will only be available at Buck Shaw Stadium and online at Santa ClaraBroncos.com this fall. Fans from as far east as New York, as far north as South Dakota and as far south as Georgia have already placed their orders. Limited quantities available. Available in Youth and Adult sizes. Order today!

New Coaching Staff
Jerry Smith will lead his 2002 squad with three new assistants, as Mike Smith joins the Broncos from the Oregon Youth Soccer Association as SCU's first assistant. The athletic department created a new full-time second assistant position and brought in Erin Hussey from Northwestern, while former San Jose CyberRay Janine Szpara will join the staff as the goalkeeper coach.

Final Thoughts
"One of the secrets to our success is continual improvement through the season," head coach Jerry Smith said. "There are some things in place that might indicate that we'll have a slow start to our season, but I'm confident because of the approach we've taken with our team in terms of improvement over winning in the first half of the season, at some point we're going to get to a point where we're one of the top teams in the country and put ourselves in a position to go to the NCAA Tournament, to win some games and return to the final four. While we've never gone after the championship at the risk of not improving as a team, having had a taste of that this past year, it certainly is something we hope to be able to accomplish this upcoming season."

Bronco Bios: Player of the Year Candidate Aly Wagner
As a Senior in 2002: A team captain... named a preseason All-American by Soccer Buzz and Soccer America magazines... has started all four contests she has played... missed game at Cal Poly, due to bruised tailbone suffered at California... earned all-tournament team honors at the Notre Dame Classic... scored twice against Clemson... also named to Soccer America's Team of the Week... is ninth on the West Coast Conference career points list, at 106... also broke into the top 15 career goal scorers with 33, tying former Bronco Kathleen Celio.... is also fifth on the league's list for career assists, with 40... has been called up to the U.S. National Team for participation in the Nike Women's Cup at the end of the month...

Bronco Bios: Preseason All-America Veronica Zepeda
As a Junior in 2002: Named a preseason All-American by Soccer Buzz Magazine... will be slowed by leg injuries during the early season... earned all-tournament team honors at the Notre Dame Classic... has started twice and seen action in all five contests... earned first goal of the season against Clemson...

Bronco Bios: Preseason All-America Devvyn Hawkins
As a Senior in 2002: A team captain... named a preseason All-American by Soccer America Magazine... is one of four players that has started all five contests... was called up to join the National Team, but sprained right ankle during practice on Sept. 2, and declined National Team offer...

Bronco Bios: Micaela Esquivel
As a Freshman in 2002: Made first collegiate start against Stanford and is one of four players that has started all five contests... despite never playing fullback, starts on the right side... earned first collegiate goal against Notre Dame, gathering a loose ball off a corner kick at the top of the arc and chipping a shot in...

Bronco Bios: Kristi Candau
As a Junior in 2002: A team captain... earned all-tournament team honors at the Notre Dame Classic... scored twice against the Fighting Irish and added the game-winning goal against Clemson... has four starts and has seen action in all five contests...

Bronco Bios: Megan Kakadelas
As a Sophomore in 2002: Missed the match against Stanford while with the U.S. U19 National Team, winning the first-ever FIFA U19 World Championship in Canada... earned all-tournament team honors at the Notre Dame Classic... scored the game-winner in her Bronco debut against Notre Dame and assisted on Candau's first score... has seen action in all four contests since joining the squad, with two starts... added the game-winner at Cal Poly...