July 14, 2003
NEW ORLEANS - The U.S. Women's Soccer National Team earned a close 1-0 win over Brazil on Sunday at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans, as Santa Clara was represented by two past Broncos and one current player. The lone goal of the match came in the 90th minute by second-half substitute Tiffeny Milbrett.
Former Santa Clara All-Americans (and No. 1 WUSA draft picks in consecutive years) Aly Wagner and Danielle Slaton each earned playing time against Brazil. Additionally, current junior standout Leslie Osborne was called up to the full National Team last week for the first time in her career, and was named to the 20-woman roster. Osborne's opportunity to hear her first cap was postponed when she did not see playing time in the match against Brazil. She will soon travel to Denmark to play in the Nordic Cup with the U.S. Under-21 National Team.
In the past six years, the U-21s have amassed a 68-10-16 record and advanced to the championship game of the prestigious Nordic Cup all six years, winning five titles. The U-21s set their sights on Northern Europe every summer where the Nordic Cup has established itself as the premier international competition for U-21 women.
Osborne could still be called up for the U.S. National Team's last two matches before the Women's World Cup, as the final roster has not been set yet: on Sept. 1 against Costa Rica (8 p.m. PT on ESPN2) at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles and on Sept. 7 against Mexico (10 a.m. PT on ESPN) at Spartan Stadium in San Jose.
Santa Clara, with the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, will aim for its 10th overall appearance in the College Cup with the start of the 2003 season. The Broncos' 20-match schedule features 12 programs that advanced to last year's NCAA Championship, including four of the top eight seeds. The Broncos will host eight of those matches at Buck Shaw Stadium. The season kicks off against UCLA at 7 p.m. on Friday, August 29. Last season, the Bruins were ranked third when the Broncos upset them in overtime in Los Angeles. Santa Clara is 4-0 against UCLA in the all-time series between the schools.