Sept. 17, 2003
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This Week
College Sports Television, the first 24-hour college sports television network, will televise all four games of the 2003 Santa Clara adidas Classic, presented by Marriott, this weekend at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Classic opens with 11th-ranked Stanford (3-2) vs. second-ranked Notre Dame (6-0) at 5 p.m. (Pacific Time) on Friday, while 12th-ranked Santa Clara (2-1-3) hosts Georgia (0-0-0) in the nightcap at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, Georgia plays the Cardinal in the first game at 11 a.m., while Santa Clara hosts the Fighting Irish at 1:30 p.m.
More on CSTV
CSTV recently announced plans broadcast between 10-15 matches during the season each Monday as part of its Soccer Game of the Week. The package will feature many of the top men's and women's teams. In addition to Games of the Week for soccer, volleyball, football and hockey, College Sports Television will air additional games throughout the week, as well as selected special presentations of field hockey, men's water polo and cross-country.
The network will televise live regular season and championship events across a broad spectrum of men's and women's college sports, including football, basketball, baseball, soccer, ice hockey and lacrosse. Dedicated to offering the widest variety of college athletics, College Sports Television will provide the most in-depth sports coverage of 1,200 universities and colleges involving 360,000 student-athletes across all of the major conferences at every level of college sports.
Live on the Internet
Santa Clara's entire home schedule returns to the Internet, as a live audio broadcast is available for a third season on www.SantaClaraBroncos.com. Additionally, Buck Shaw contests can be followed online with a live statistical tracker, also located on SCU'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. Ram Fletcher and SCU men's soccer alumni Mark Wojciechowski return as the voices of the Broncos.
Zepeda a "Player to Watch" for M.A.C. Hermann Trophy
Veronica Zepeda has been named to the "watch list" of players considered among the top candidates for the 2003 Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top players in NCAA Division I soccer. The Riverside, Calif., native is a preseason All-America candidate, and opened the season against third-ranked UCLA with a goal.
The M.A.C.'s Hermann Trophy is college soccer's version of the Heisman Trophy. Past recipients include former Broncos Mandy Clemens and Aly Wagner. Clemens won both the Hermann Trophy and MAC Player of the Year awards in 1999, while Wagner became the honoree to have the distinction of receiving the newly-unified award.
The Schedule
Santa Clara is currently aiming for its 10th overall appearance in the College Cup. 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.
In the Rankings
Santa Clara opened the 2003 season ranked in the top five in all four polls. Soccer America and Soccer Times currently list the Broncos 10th, while Soccer Buzz tabs SCU 12th. The NSCAA/adidas poll dropped the team to 18th. The Broncos have a total of nine ranked teams on the schedule and will bring six of the top 25 to Buck Shaw Stadium.
Overtime Experience
Three of Santa Clara six matches have gone the distance, double overtime. All three were against ranked opponents: third-ranked UCLA, No. 23 California, and seventh-ranked Penn State.
A Look Ahead: Home Contests vs. USC and Cal Poly
The Broncos will remain at home through next weekend, hosting USC and Cal Poly. Santa Clara is undefeated against Cal Poly, with a 10-0-2 advantage in the all-time series. The Broncos have only faced the Women of Troy on three occasions and hold a slim 2-1 edge in the series. USC's victory came last season, a 1-0 win in Los Angeles.
Osborne Climbing Career Charts
Junior Leslie Osborne is steadily climbing both the Santa Clara and West Coast Conference recordbooks. The midfielder from Menomonee Falls, Wis., currently ranks ninth on the SCU career assists list with 30, and is tied for 11th on the league all-time listing with former Portland player Erin Misaki. Add in 25 career goals and Osborne has 80 points in her two-plus seasons, tied for ninth on the Broncos' career points list.
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 17 home matches is available for the adult price of $65 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.
Four Former Broncos, U.S. Begin World Cup this Weekend
Four former Santa Clara standouts will represent the United States this weekend at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2003. Earlier this month, U.S. Women's National Team head coach April Heinrichs named Kylie Bivens, Brandi Chastain, Danielle Slaton and Aly Wagner as four of the 20 players who will play in their home country on women's soccer's grandest stage.
"Having coached all four players, I know how hard they worked prior to attending Santa Clara, while they were here, and since they've left the University," Bronco head coach Jerry Smith said. "There's no doubt that all four deserve to be on the World Cup roster and I couldn't be any more proud or happier for them. I'm also very honored that the Santa Clara women's soccer program could play a role in the development of the players they've become."
Bend it Like Beckham
There's a Santa Clara University twist in the smash-hit soccer movie Bend It Like Beckham. Starring Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightly (Star Wars: Episode 1--The Phantom Menace), this critically-acclaimed film tells the story of 18-year old Jess' dream to play soccer professionally like her hero, Manchester United star, David Beckham. Bend It Like Beckham may inspire you to chase your own dreams! Check out www.foxsearchlight.com/bendit for more details and look for Bend it Like Beckham coming to a theatre near you.