Sept. 21, 2004
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This Week
Santa Clara is pairing with adidas for the fifth straight year to host one of the finest tournaments in collegiate soccer: the Santa Clara adidas Classic. The tournament is heading toward its ninth season, as Nike was the previous sponsor, hosting the annual invitational 1996-99. This year, the Broncos will host No. 15 Stanford, Marquette and Denver in an event presented by Bank of Santa Clara. The Cardinal is making its sixth trip to the Classic and is 7-3-2 all time in this event. The Golden Eagles and the Pioneers will be making their first trip to Buck Shaw.
adidas Classic History
Notre Dame won the 2003 event, while in 2002, Stanford became the first team other than SCU to win the team championship. The Broncos are 15-1-0 all time in Classic play, with sixth tournament titles. Santa Clara has outscored opponents 70-10 in those matches with eight shutouts.
adidas Classic Promotions
Friday night is designated Faculty and Staff Night, while there will also be a U.S. Youth Soccer giveaway as fans leave the stadium. After Sunday's contest, fans will have a chance to meet their favorite players up close, as the team will participate in a post-match autograph session.
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. SCU men's soccer alumni Mark Wojciechowski and Ram Fletcher return as the voices of the Broncos.
Osborne Named WCC Player of the Week
Leslie Osborne was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week for Sept. 20 for her performances in two matches this past weekend at the Stanford Nike Classic. The Menomonee Falls, Wis., native scored two game-winning goals to lead the Broncos to the co-championship at the tournament. She converted a penalty kick in the 48th minute to lead SCU over 19th-ranked Yale and hand the Bulldogs their first loss this season. Osborne then added a penalty kick in the 24th minute against Cal State Fullerton. As a holding midfielder, she was an integral part of the defense that held Yale to only one shot on goal.
The Schedule
Santa Clara will aim for its 10th overall appearance in the College Cup with the start of the 2004 season. The Broncos' 20-match schedule features 10 programs that advanced to last year's NCAA Championship, including three of the top eight seeds. The Broncos will host five of those matches at Buck Shaw Stadium.
In the Rankings
Santa Clara opened the 2004 season ranked in the top five in all four polls. This week, the Broncos are ranked as follows: Soccer America placed the Broncos ninth, while Soccer Buzz and Soccer Times listed SCU 13th. The NSCAA/adidas poll ranked Santa Clara 15th. The Broncos have already played four of the nine nationally-ranked squads on the slate. Santa Clara will play three Pac-10 opponents consecutively: No. 20 Stanford, No. 12 UCLA and No. 14 California. In West Coast Conference play, Santa Clara will face fifth-ranked Portland and No. 12 Pepperdine.
CSTV to Televise Portland Match
College Sports Television, the first 24-hour college sports television network, will televise the Broncos' Sunday, October 24 match against Portland at Buck Shaw Stadium. The broadcast will be tape-delayed to Thursday, October 28 at 5 and 8:30 p.m. Joe Beninati will call all the action on CSTV Soccer, while Tom Stone will provide expert analysis.
College Sports TV, the fastest-growing independent cable network, is available to more than 20 million homes nationally on cable and satellite. The network is available on Comcast, Time Warner and Adelphia cable systems, among others, and is also available on DirecTV (channel 610). For information on CSTV availability in particular markets, consumers can log on to www.collegesports.com/getcstv or call their cable or satellite operator.
A Look Ahead: Broncos Take on Pac-10 Teams
Santa Clara will remain at home for a Thursday, Sept. 30 showdown with Bay Area rival Stanford, currently ranked 15th nationally. The Broncos will then head to Southern California to take on another Pac-10 program, ninth-ranked UCLA, on Sunday, Oct. 3.
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, College Sports Online, 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.