Oct. 9, 2002
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This Week: San Diego State at Home, Portland on Road to Open WCC Season
Santa Clara men's soccer will take on San Diego State in Buck Shaw Stadium Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. before heading to Portland, Ore., to open its West Coast Conference season against the Portland Pilots at 2:15 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
Santa Clara vs. San Diego State
Santa Clara and San Diego State will meet for the 19th time Thursday evening, with the Broncos holding the all-time series advantage at 10-6-2. Last year the Broncos went to San Diego to open its 2001 season on the road against the Aztecs. Santa Clara came away with a hard fought 1-0, overtime victory that saw Matt Upton record his first collegiate goal in the win. Last year's meeting was the first time the two schools had met since 1993. Before 1993, the two teams played each other every year from 1976 through 1991. The Aztecs last beat the Broncos in 1990, registering a 1-0 victory in San Diego.
Scouting the Aztecs
SDSU enters Thursday night's contest with a 3-6-1 overall record, which includes a 0-4-1 record on the road. Paul Szefler leads the offensive attack, having scored five goals and assisted on one other. Brian Barnes has taken the majority of the minutes between the pipes for San Diego State, having played all but 90 minutes and having a 2.30 goals-against average. As a team the Aztecs have scored 12 goals while their opponents have posted 23 on the season. They recorded their first shutout of the season in their last match, defeating Cal State Fullerton by a 1-0 score.
Santa Clara vs. Portland
Santa Clara and Portland will meet for the 23 time this weekend when the two teams open WCC play in Portland, Ore., at 2:15 p.m. Sunday afternoon. The Broncos trail in the all-time series by a 10-7-5 margin, but do have a 4-1-1 record against the Pilots since the 1996 season. Both teams enter the weekend having been knocked from the Top-25 rankings on Monday. In 2001, the Pilots were the only team to beat the Broncos, who went on to the WCC Championship with a 5-1-0 record in the conference. The loss for Santa Clara came at Buck Shaw Stadium by a 2-1 score. Former Bronco Tony Cota scored for Santa Clara in the 8th minute, but the Pilots got two second half goals, including the game-winner from Nate Jaqua in the 83rd minute to claim the victory.
Scouting the Pilots
Portland enters the week with a 7-4-1 overall record, which includes a 5-0-1 record at home this season. Last week the Pilots dropped a 2-1 match at Oregon State, but rebounded with a 1-1 tie against Washington at home. Nate Jaqua leads the Pilot scoring attack, having scored eight goals and assisted on four others for a team-leading 20 points. Sheldin Maistry trails closely behind with 17 points, which have come on seven goals and three assists. Curtis Spiteri has taken all but 37 minutes in goal for Portland, registering a 1.01 goals-against average to go along with his 39 saves and 6-2-1 record.
Last Week: Broncos Defeat Harvard, Tie Brows at USF/Diadora Classic
Santa Clara played in the 20th-Annual USF/Diadora Classic last weekend, held at Negoesco Stadium on the campus of the University of San Francisco. The Broncos opened up the tournament with a 2-2 tie against Brown University. Kirk Fonseca and Will Weatherly scored goals for Santa Clara who played a the last three minutes of the second overtime a man-down after Kellen Gilmore was assessed a red card. The Broncos concluded their play in the tournament Sunday afternoon with a 2-0 win over Harvard. Jamil Walker scored both of the game's goals in the second half. Despite playing a man-down after an early first half red card was assessed to Zach Knight, the Broncos' defense played a huge roll in the team's second shutout of the season. The win pushed the Broncos' overall record to 5-3-1.
Walker Sets a New Career-High in Goals Scored
Santa Clara senior forward Jamil Walker set a new career-high for single season goals last weekend when he scored his fifth and sixth goals of the year in the 2-0 win over Harvard. Previously, Walker had scored four goals during his sophomore year, and three more during his junior year.
Up Next for the Broncos: WCC Road Trip Continues at Gonzaga
The Broncos will continue its WCC season next weekend on the road in Spokane, Wash. Santa Clara will face the Gonzaga Bulldogs at 2 p.m. on Friday, October 20th. The Bulldogs are idle this week and will not play again until the Broncos come to town. Santa Clara holds the all-time series advantage between the two schools with its 5-3-1 record, including a decisive 3-1 win last year in Buck Shaw Stadium.
