Sept. 28, 2003
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The 18th-ranked Santa Clara University women's soccer team shut out previously-undefeated and 25th-ranked Cal Poly 2-0 this afternoon at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Mustangs, which only allowed two goals in their first nine games of the season, ceded two first-half scores as Santa Clara improves to 4-3-3 on the season.
Santa Clara is undefeated against Cal Poly, with an 11-0-2 advantage in the all-time series. Cal Poly is now 9-1-0.
Preseason All-America candidate Leslie Osborne started the Broncos' first scoring drive, finding Lauren Zealear in the lower left corner of the field. She passed to Micaela Esquivel, who found herself with time to set up her shot. She left-footed it into the box, where Tiffany Roberts headed the ball in across the net for the early led.
A Cal Poly foul set up a Bronco free kick just outside the left corner of the box. Senior Kristi Candau, who entered the game less than two minutes prior, hooked the ball around the wall with her shot. Mustang keeper Liz Hill got her hands on it, but could not get a stop and the Broncos had a 2-0 lead at intermission.
The lead held up through the second period, and Bronco netminder Julie Ryder earned her second shut out of the season. Santa Clara out shot Cal Poly 14-6 and took eight corner kicks.
Bree Horvath returned to the starting line-up after missing the past seven matches due to a leg muscle injury, while SCU head coach Jerry Smith rested starters Veronica Zepeda and Marian Dalmy.
"We really concentrated on doing the simple things well," Smith said about his team's play. "We have so much talent, our players want to be entertaining, but today we got back to the work ethic and fundamentals, and played a nice, sound game against a good Cal Poly squad. We rested a couple of starters and it was nice to see our roster depth come in and play really well."
Santa Clara returns to action next weekend in Palo Alto, participating in the Stanford Classic. The Broncos will take on host Stanford on Friday, October 3, at 7:30 p.m., and then play TCU Sunday morning at 11 a.m.
