Sept. 11, 2005
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - It was no wonder that starting goalkeeper Meagan McCray lost her voice by halftime. She was doing everything possible to help the Santa Clara University women's soccer team avoid an upset in the championship game of their own tournament.
The Novato, Calif. freshman registered four saves and held Cal State Fullerton scoreless for the first 45 minutes of the match before succumbing to a sore throat to help lead the fifth-ranked Broncos to a 1-0 victory over the Titans and claim the adidas Classic title Sunday afternoon at Buck Shaw Stadium.
Sophomore Kendall Doherty connected on a one-time shot off a pass from Jordan Angeli from 10 yards in front of the penalty box in the 47th minute of the match for the game-winner.
"I am so happy for Kendall," said head coach Jerry Smith after the game. "She scored her first goal for us today and it turned out to be the game-winner."
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Make sure to attend Friday's huge doubleheader. The Bronco women face third-ranked UCLA at 5:30 p.m., while the men host area rival Stanford afterward.
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Earlier in the day, Notre Dame defeated Gonzaga by a 4-1 margin to take second place in the event.
Santa Clara sophomore forward Jordan Angeli was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after scoring two goals against Notre Dame on Friday and assisting on the only goal of the match against Fullerton.
Angeli was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Brittany Klein, Lauren Zealear and Julie Ryder, who came on for McCray at halftime and registered four saves of her own.
Also on the all-tournament team were Gonzaga's Jamie Blanche and Nanda McCormick, Fullerton's Erica Pryor and Lisa Kosena as well as Ashley Jones, Carrie Dew and Jen Buczkowski.
Defensively, the Broncos started the game slower than normal leading Smith to make several substitutions early in the match. Three freshmen entered the game, along with junior Elyse Shelger, in the 18th minute to add energy to the SCU lineup.
"The danger of coming out a little flat after playing such a tough, physically exhausting game like we did on Friday was certainly a real one for us today," said Smith, who's squad has not allowed an offensive goal during the run of play in five matches. "I thought at the beginning of the game that the starters were struggling a bit. This was only the second time this season we have played a match on Friday then turned around and played on Sunday.
"We inserted some players early in the game and I thought our freshman played particularly well. Danielle Potts received a lot of playing time and did well at both left back and center back. Meagan McCray played well before she lost her voice during the first half and we were forced to substitute her. Hayley Siegel and Courtney Lewis also played well as freshmen in a tough situation."
The stingy SCU defense, which is allowing just 0.40 goals per game so far in 2005, prevented any of Fullerton's eight shots on goal from reaching the back of the net. A highlight for preseason All-America goalkeeper Julie Ryder was a fingertip effort that pushed a hard shot by Fullerton's Lauryn Welch just over the crossbar in the 82nd minute of the game.
"Both of our goalkeepers played very well today and Julie, in particular, made several critical saves after having such a great game on Friday," said Smith. "She is playing just outstanding and is living up to her preseason All-America recognition."
Fullerton outshot Santa Clara by a 14-9 margin in the game and forced five corner kicks to SCU's three. The Titans pressured the Broncos throughout the game and had several chances to tie the score as the clocked approached the 90:00 mark.
"Fullerton really played well and I have to give them a lot of credit," said Smith. "They were well-organized and put a lot of pressure on us. It took a total team effort on our part to close out the win."