Nov. 18, 2005
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - After a disappointing end to the regular-season, the NCAA Tournament gave the Santa Clara University men's soccer team a chance to start over.
With a gutsy first round shutout over Ohio State Friday night, the Broncos have started their "second season" just like they did their first... with a victory provided by the foot of Peter Lowry.
The sophomore midfielder scored the game-winner in the 47th minute on a world-class free kick from 25 yards out to give Santa Clara a 1-0 victory over the Buckeyes in front of 1,143 fans at Buck Shaw Stadium.
The win advances to Broncos (13-8-2) to Tuesday's 1:30 matchup at seventh-seeded California at Edwards Stadium in Berkeley, Calif. Tickets can be purchased the day of the event only, outside Edwards Stadium, on the corner of Bancroft and Fulton. Adults are $8, seniors and youth are $5, and Cal students with ID are $5.
A total of seven yellow cards, all in the second half, were issued during the physical affair and the Buckeyes committed a game-high 28 fouls, compared to Santa Clara's 17. Santa Clara's Lowry (48'), Jamil Roberts (57') and Jeff Scott (66') were all booked during the match, while OSU's Brent Rohrer (49'), Xavier Balc (51') and Danny Irizarry (61') joined Buckeyes coach John Bluem in gathering yellow cards.
Bronco keeper Kevin Sweeney earned his eighth shutout of the season after stopping four of Ohio State's 10 shots. The San Jose, Calif. native was the beneficiary of a tough Bronco defense that bent on several occasions but did not break.
Just after halftime, Santa Clara earned a free kick when Rohrer fouled Lowry in the middle of the field, approximately seven yards from the top of the penalty area. The Fair Oaks, Calif. native stepped-up and blasted the free kick over the OSU wall, past goalkeeper Ray Burse and into the upper left corner of the goal.
The score was Lowry's fourth of the season and first that wasn't a penalty kick. He scored twice from the spot in SCU's 3-2 victory over then second-ranked UCLA to open the season and a third against Florida International in the Santa Clara adidas Classic.
The Buckeyes put pressure on Santa Clara in the final 10 minutes of the match, earning four corner kicks and taking five shots during that stretch. In the 90th minute, OSU's Antonio Garcia launched a shot from 12 yards in front of goal that sailed just over the crossbar.
Santa Clara moved to 7-1-1 in Buck Shaw Stadium the season and extended its home NCAA Tournament unbeaten streak to six matches, dating back to a regional finals loss to Portland in 1995. The Broncos improved to 10-2-1 in NCAA matches at home since 1973.
