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VIDEO: Watch Party and Interviews with Smith, Tostanoski
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – For the 25th time in program history, Santa Clara women's soccer is headed to the NCAA tournament. The Broncos, seeded fourth in their bracket and one of 16 seeded teams, will host Long Beach State Saturday at 1 p.m. at Stevens Stadium in the first-round matchup. The prices for tickets are $10 for an adult, $7 for Sant Clara students, children or seniors, and $4 for a group ticket.
Santa Clara (13-5-2, 6-1-2 WCC) finished the season No. 24 in the RPI with three wins over teams in the RPI top-50 (No. 5 Stanford, No. 41 LMU, No. 50 Oklahoma). The Broncos went 6-2-1 at home this year with a win over Stanford. They are undefeated in their last six games overall.
"We're thrilled to be back in the tournament," said Santa Clara head coach Jerry Smith. "Last year was disappointing so we were very excited when we heard our name called. To be in the NCAA tournament is a reward for a lot of hard work by a lot of people. To be one of the 16 seeded teams is a bonus and a credit to our players. There are so many good teams in the country so to be one of the seeded teams is a pleasant surprise."
During the regular season, Julie Vass led Santa Clara with eight goals, including four in the final two games. She added an assist for a team-best 17 points. Grace Cutler scored five goals and added an assist for 11 points. Mariana Galvan scored three goals, all double-overtime game-winners. Megan Crosson finished second in the West Coast Conference with seven assists.
Andi Tostanoski started all 20 games and allowed just 12 goals for a 0.59 GAA. She made 87 saves for a .879 save percentage, which was good for No. 7 in the country. Tostanoski and the Broncos picked up 10 shutouts.
Long Beach State (12-6-3, 6-2-0 Big West) made it to the finals of the Big West Tournament where it fell to Cal State Fullerton. The 49ers had been on a four-game winning streak, prior to their lose in the Big West championship game.
Three years ago Santa Clara and Long Beach State played in the first round of the NCAA tournament with the Broncos hosting and coming away with a 2-1 win. The Broncos are 4-0-0 all-time vs. the 49ers. This is the fifth time in the last six years and the 25th time in the last 27 years Santa Clara has made the NCAA tournament.
The winner of the Santa Clara-Long Beach State game will play either Arizona or Northern Colorado in the second round, the following week.
