Oct. 28, 2007
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The eighth-ranked Santa Clara women's soccer team lost a tough battle to No. 6 Portland Sunday afternoon at Merlo Field in Portland, Ore. The Pilots topped the Broncos, 2-0. With the loss, SCU falls to 10-5-3 on the season and 2-3-0 in West Coast Conference action, while Portland improved to 13-3-0 and remains undefeated in league play with a 3-0-0 record.
"I'm very proud of my team's performance at the start of the game," said head coach Jerry Smith. "For the first 30 minutes we were the aggressors and had good control of the game. Yet at the end, Portland was the more aggressive team. They are a very good team and are well coached. The way our schedule is laid out is partially to blame for the outcomes this season. We have had tough and long road trips and rest is something we haven't really had too much of. For us to rebound next weekend, we need to rest."
The Pilots came out strong in the first half, yet the Broncos defense and goalkeeper Meagan McCray did a solid job in holding Portland off. Sophomore Kiki Bosio attempted the first shot of the afternoon for the Broncos in the 23rd minute, however the ball went high. After gaining possession, Portland applied heavy pressure on SCU's defense. Yet, freshmen Maxine Goynes and Anessa Patton provided excellent play for the Broncos in the back to hold off the Pilots advances. With less than a minute left in the half, Michelle Enyeart's shot from 12 yards out into the lower right corner of the goal put the Pilots on the board, 1-0.
In the second half, freshman Kendra Perry tried her had at tying the score but her shot was blocked by a Portland defender. A penalty kick was awarded to the Pilots after Chioma Iqwe and Enyeart got tangled with one another. Angie Woznuk converted the penalty kick to increase Portland's lead to 2-0. Santa Clara fought hard to come back on shots from senior Meagan Snell and Patton, but was unsuccessful.
Santa Clara plays their final regular season road game on Sunday, Nov. 4 against the Dons of San Francisco. Kick off is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Negoesco Stadium.