Oct. 17, 2002
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This Week: WCC Road Action Continues at Gonzaga
Santa Clara men's soccer will play only one match this week, a West Coast Conference road match against Gonzaga on Sunday, October 20th at 2 p.m. in Spokane, Wash. The match will be the second WCC match for both teams, both of which have been at home for the Bulldogs and on the road for the Broncos.
Santa Clara vs. Gonzaga
Sunday's meeting between the Broncos and the Bulldogs will be the 10th meeting all-time between the two schools with Santa Clara holding the all-time series advantage at 5-3-1. Last year the Broncos cruised to a 3-1 victory at Buck Shaw Stadium, moving their record at home against Gonzaga to 4-0-1. The last three trips to Spokane for the Broncos have resulted in shutouts with the Bulldogs registering 3-0 wins in 1996 and 2000, and a 1-0 win in 1998. The only time that the Broncos have won on Martin Field came in their first trip to the Gonzaga campus on October 21, 1994, claiming a 1-0 victory and helping the Broncos to a share of the WCC title.
Scouting the Bulldogs
Gonzaga enters the weekend contest with a 2-7-1 overall record and a 0-0-1 mark in the WCC. Their last match was played on October 4, posting a 1-1 tie at home against Saint Mary's to open the WCC season. They are currently on a four-match winless streak, with their last victory coming against Cal Poly by a 3-0 score on September 20. The Bulldogs have scored eight goals as a team in their 10 contests with Connor Quinn, Scotts Yuska, Nick Ascolese and Kari Arnason each having scored twice. Quinn is the team leader in points with six, coming on two goals and two assists. Yuska trails closely behind with five points coming on two goals and one assist. Goalkeeper Mike McCarthy has taken all 919 minutes between the pipes for the Bulldogs, posting a 1.57 goals-against average, allowing 16 goals while making 61 saves.
Last Week: Broncos Defeat SDSU, Lose WCC Opener at Portland
Santa Clara hosted San Diego State in a non-conference tilt last Thursday in Buck Shaw Stadium and came away with a decisive 5-1 victory over the Aztecs. Junior Jamil Walker scored twice while an own goal, Burke Ewers third of the year and Ryan Cochrane's first goal of his career accounted for the other scores. Sophomore transfer Kent Harkness picked up the win in his first start since coming to the Mission Campus from the University of Rhode Island. Sunday afternoon's WCC opener at Portland was a thrilling double-overtime match that ended badly for the Broncos, dropping the match by a 2-1 margin. The Pilots got two goals from Alejandro Salazar for the victory, while the Broncos' only goal came from Jason Cunliffe in the 40th minute of the first half. Harkness got the starting nod once again for the Broncos, making seven saves in over 100 minutes of play.
Up Next for the Broncos: WCC Road Trip Continues at San Diego
The Broncos will continue their WCC season next weekend on the road in San Diego, Calif. Santa Clara will face the San Diego Toreros at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 25th. The Toreros are currently 11-3-0 overall, but are 0-1-0 in league play after dropping its opening match to Loyola Marymount. USD is ranked 12th in the coaches poll, 15th by Soccer America and 16 by Soccer Times. The Broncos and Toreros have met 24 previous times entering next weekend's matchup with the Broncos holding the all-time series edge at 16-7-1. Last season SCU defeated San Diego by a 2-1 score in Buck Shaw Stadium.
