SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Coming off of a two-win weekend, Julie Johnston of Santa Clara women's soccer was named WCC Player of the Week and Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Week on Monday. Johnston is currently ranked No. 5 among Upperclassmen and No. 1 in the WCC according to Top Drawer Soccer.
Santa Clara took down CSU Northridge 1-0 in overtime on Sept. 21 with Johnston scoring the game-winner and Washington State 3-0 on Sept. 23 where Johnston scored the first goal of the game. Johnston recently returned to the team after winning the U-20 World Cup and Bronze Ball as the captain of the U.S. squad in Japan.
"It's an honor and exciting to be recognized for your hard work," said Johnston. "I knew coming back to the team what my role would be and I wanted to come back and help as much as possible. Scoring goals was one area I knew I could help. The team has made it easy for me to come back and do what I've wanted to do. They've been great at setting me up to score so without them this wouldn't be possible."
"Since Julie has been back we've seen the impact that great leaders have on teams," said Santa Clara head coach Jerry Smith. "Everybody is a little sharper when Julie is in training and a little sharper when Julie is out there on game day. The other thing you see is that Julie steps up and fills the void when the team needs something whether that is scoring a goal, making a great pass, being a great defender or showing some mental toughness. Julie is a great leader because she can play anywhere and play all the different roles. Whatever the team has needed, Julie has provided it for us and been a great example of what leaders do for their program."
Despite only playing in four games, Johnston is tied for second on the team with two goals and two assists as well as six points. In seven games without Johnston the Broncos scored nine goals. In the four games since her return the team has matched that total while only allowing three.
Santa Clara is 6-2-3 overall with wins over No. 15 Cal and Washington State and ties with No. 23 Georgetown and No. 15 San Diego State. The Broncos are outshooting their opponents 170-128 while scoring 18 goals.