SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara continues its September homestand with games against UC Riverside and Cal State Northridge this weekend. The Broncos are closing in on conference play, which begins Sunday, Oct. 11 at home against storied rival USF.
Before WCC play gets started, the Broncos will play five more non-conference matches, beginning with UC Riverside Friday at 7:30 p.m. and CSUN Sunday at 1 p.m.
Both matches will be held at SCU's newly renovated Stevens Stadium. Friday's match is the second part of an SCU soccer doubleheader. The Bronco women will be hosting the CSUN women at 5 p.m.
Santa Clara (2-4-0) split the first four games of its current seven-game homestand, beating both Wisconsin and Cal Poly and losing to Cal State Fullerton and Seattle. The win over Cal Poly came on Sunday night. Building momentum moving into WCC play will be imperative for this group – along with holding leads.
In the recent matches against both Wisconsin and Fullerton, the Broncos held a second-half lead. An overtime goal by SCU freshman striker Keanu Mendoza allowed SCU to get past the Badgers. However, against Fullerton, not only one, but two late goals proved too much for the Broncos to overcome.
"We have actually played really well at times this year, at a high level," said Santa Clara head coach Cameron Rast. "What we are looking for is consistency. Finishing off games is extremely important for us right now. We have allowed too many second half goals."
SCU's All-WCC goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh blocked a penalty kick in the opening moments Sunday and the defense held the rest of the way for a 1-0 shutout victory over Cal Poly. Alfred "Alfie" Edmonds – a San Jose native who transferred in from Belmont – scored his first goal as a Bronco, which came in the 53rd minute.
Carlos Delgadillo has been the most dangerous player up front for SCU, leading the team with with 10 shots (five on goal) through the first six games.
UC Riverside (3-3-0) comes in with momentum on their side. The Highlanders upset No. 8 UCLA 2-1 in overtime Sunday and routed USF 3-0 last Thursday. UCR's program is on the rise, having equaled its best-ever season in the Big West a year ago by posting a 4-3-3 conference record.
Cal State Northridge (1-3-1) went out and played No. 3 Creighton earlier this month – and Creighton needed a goal in the 89th minute to escape with a win. CSUN is playing three consecutive WCC schools on the road, beginning with St. Mary's Friday, then Santa Clara and visit San Diego next week.
Both games this weekend will be broadcast live. Fans can purchase tickets online or contact the SCU ticket office by calling (408) 554-4660.
