Sept. 3, 2008
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The No. 12 Santa Clara women's soccer team travels to Southern California to take on 2007 National Champions, No. 1 USC, and No. 21 Cal State Fullerton.
On Friday, Sept. 5 at 3 p.m. the Broncos will take on the Women of Troy, who are ranked No. 1 in both the NSCAA and Soccer America rankings, and No. 7 in this weeks Soccer Buzz national rankings. Two days later they will travel to No. 21 Cal State Fullerton to take on Titans, who are also ranked No. 24 by Soccer Buzz and the NSCAA national polls. Kick off is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 7.
Last Week for Women's Soccer
Last week the Broncos traveled to South Bend, Ind. to play in the Inn at Saint Mary's Soccer Classic hosted by Notre Dame. On Friday, Aug. 29 SCU defeated then No. 10 West Virginia, 2-1, in a second overtime victory. Sophomore midfielder and WCC Player of the Week, Kendra Perry scored the game-winning goal in the 101st minute of play off an Anessa Patton assist. Perry also scored an unassisted goal in the 50th minute, to tie the game 1-1. It was the Livermore, Calif. native's first collegiate goal.
On Sunday, the Broncos fell, 2-0, to the then No. 5 Fighting Irish. Despite the loss, goalkeeper Meagan McCray had a standout game, tallying nine saves on 11 shots.
Kiki Bosio, Lexi Orand and Kendra Perry were named to the Inn at Saint Mary's Soccer Classic All-Tournament Team.
Follow the Game Online
Every Santa Clara home game and most road games are covered live on the Internet via www.SantaClaraBroncos.com. All home games will also feature a live audio broadcast as well.
Midfielder Kendra Perry Named WCC Player of the Week
The West Coast Conference named sophomore midfielder Kendra Perry WCC Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 1. Perry scored the game winning goal for the Broncos against then No. 10 West Virginia at the Inn at Saint Mary's Soccer Classic in South Bend, Ind. on Friday, Aug. 29. The goal came in the 101st minute of play off an Anessa Patton assist.
"She played over 100 minutes on Notre Dame's very wide field," said head coach Jerry Smith. "She fought through her body telling her to rest and made the run to make the game winning goal."
The Livermore, Calif. native not only scored the game winning goal, but also scored Santa Clara's only goal in regulation and her first collegiate goal. The second half unassisted goal came in the 50th minute when she scored off a rebound from a free kick save.
This is the first time the 2007 WCC All-Freshman Team recipient has been honored as the WCC Player of the Week.
Bosio, Orand and Perry Named to All-Tournament Team
Forwards Kiki Bosio and Lexi Orand, and midfielder Kendra Perry were named to the Inn at Saint Mary's Soccer Classic All-Tournament Team. Bosio, Orand and Perry started in both games and had standout performances. Perry scored the game-winning goal against then No. 10 West Virginia in the second overtime period.
Scouting No. 1 USC
USC enters this weekend's match with a 2-1 overall record, and the top spot in the national rankings. They are ranked No. 1 in both the NSCAA and Soccer America rankings, and No. 7 in this week's Soccer Buzz national rankings. The 2007 National Champions return home from a weekend in Portland, Ore. to host their first home match of the season.
The Women of Troy shutout Portland State, 2-0, on Saturday, Aug. 30. Nini Loucks and Ashli Sandoval scored both goals in the second half, and Sandoval assisted on Loucks goal in the 57th minute. On Monday, they got their first loss to No. 9 Portland, in a 1-0 overtime defeat.
Leading Southern California is freshman midfielder Sandoval, who has an assist and a goal in their first three games.
In their last meeting, USC upset Santa Clara, 1-0, in the 2006 NCAA first round. The Trojans lead the all-time series, 3-2.
Scouting Cal State Fullerton
No. 21 Cal State Fullerton hosts the Broncos for their first game on their home turf. The 3-1 Titans are nationally ranked, No. 21 by Soccer America, and are No. 24 in the NSCAA and Soccer Buzz polls.
Fullerton is coming off winning the California Invitational hosted by UC Berkeley. In game one, they defeated then No. 19 California, 3-2 in an overtime victory. Scoring for the Titans were Christina Murillo and Tamara Dewey in the second half, and Jenae Gibbons in the 100th minute of play. Two days later they shutout Saint Mary's, 2-0. Gibbons was named tournament MVP, and Dewey and Erica Peschken were named to the All-Tournament Team.
In their last meeting the Broncos defeated Fullerton in a 3-2 overtime victory. Defender Katherine Reynolds scored the game-winning goal in the 92nd minute. SCU leads the all-time series 4-0-1.
On Deck
The Broncos will return to Northern California for the Stanford Invitational. They will take on UNC Greensboro on Friday, Sept. 12 at 4:30 p.m. On Sunday, Sept. 14 they will take on perennial powerhouse and rival North Carolina, who is ranked No. 2 by Soccer America, No. 3 in the NSCAA polls and No. 4 by Soccer Buzz.