SANTA CLARA, Calif. – With non-conference play in the rearview mirror, Santa Clara women's soccer kicks-off its West Coast Conference slate with a pair of games in Southern California this weekend. The Broncos will play at No. 8 Pepperdine Fri., Oct. 3 at 3 p.m. and at LMU on Sun., Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. Last week Santa Clara topped CSUN 1-0 and Long Beach State 2-1 on the road. The Broncos are 7-4-0 headed to the conference season.
"We feel that the quality of opponents that we played in our non-conference schedule challenged us and prepared us for our conference season," said Santa Clara head coach Jerry Smith. "We feel good about how we were playing at the end of the non-conference season and we're optimistic for the start of WCC play. We experimented with some formations and personnel combinations and we found what works well for us. We hope that our two big wins on the road last week can give us some momentum headed into this weekend."
Santa Clara has outscored opponents 15-13 on the season and outshot team 116-113. Opponents have a 61-54 edge in shots on goal.
Sofia Huerta is tops in the WCC with nine goals and 19 points. She also leads the Broncos with 40 shots and 23 shots on goal. Brittany Ambrose is second on the team with three goals with all being game-winners. Kat McAuliffe is second on the team with eight points and leads with four assists. Anjel Brown has added the other Bronco goal while six players have one assist each. Andi Tostanoski has allowed 13 goals for a 1.19 GAA. She has made 46 saves for a 7.80 save percentage and has four shutouts.
Pepperdine is 9-1-1 on the year and 5-0-0 at home. The Waves only loss came to then-No. 1UCLA in Honolulu, Hawaii 2-0. Last week they topped UCS 2-1 and Cal State Fullerton 1-0 on the road.
"Pepperdine is an outstanding team," said Smith. "They are very stingy defensively and aren't going to make a lot of mistakes. They won't cause goals against themselves so we're going to have to be a good offensive team and earn the goals we score. Lynn Williams is one of the best forwards in the country so we'll have to do a good job on her. They are a very complete, hard-working, and organized team so this will be a great test for us."
The Waves have outscored teams 18-6 and hold a 144-102 edge in shots. They have the lead over opponents in shots on goal at 67-44. Pepperdine has dominated the first half, outscoring teams 9-1.
Lynn Williams leads Pepperdine with seven goals and 17 points. She has a team-best 60 shots and 24 shots on goal. Colby Carson leads the Waves with five assists and is second with seven points. Taylor Alvarado had scored three goals while Meagan Harbison has found the back of the net twice. Hanna Seabert hasseen the majority of time in net while allowing six goals for a 0.54 GAA. She has made 35 saves for a .854 save percentage and has picked up five solo shutouts and contributed to two more.
LMU enters the week with a 7-2-1 overall mark and a perfect 5-0-0 record at home. Last week the Lions topped UC Irvine 2-1 on the road and came back with a 1-0 win at home vs. CSUN.
"Conference road games are always tough no matter the opponent," said Smith. "Last year we had to grind out a 1-0 win vs. LMU at home and this year we're on the road against a better team. They are having a great year and are off to a great start. I thought we showed grittiness and toughness last weekend and that gives us reason to be optimistic headed into these two games."
The Lions have outscored opponents 15-9 and hold a 126-116 edge in shots. They have a 67-46 lead in shots on goal as well.
Shannon Kent leads the team with four goals and is tied for the team-lead with eight points. Morgan Hilby leads the Lions with four assists and has added two goals for eight points as well. Callie Taylor and Sarah Sanger have each scored twice and five other players have found the back of the net once each. Jocelyn Blankenship leads the team with 27 shot and 17 on goal but hasn't scored. Sophia Leksan has allowed nine goals for a 0.85 GAA. She has made 37 saves for a .804 save percentage and collected four shutouts.
