STOCKTON, Calif. – The defending West Coast Conference champion Santa Clara men's soccer opened league play with a scoreless draw against Pacific on Saturday night at Knoles Field.
"It was the second-straight shutout for us while we are working in the backline with some new players," said Broncos head coach Cam Rast. "Being able to get a shutout is a sign of a good team as it's what we need to do to be in every match. However, we need to continue to move forward and find ways to score."
The Broncos (3-2-3, 0-0-1 WCC) nearly got on the board in the 26th minute when Eduardo Lopez Perez's shot beat Pacific's goalkeeper Brian Lanier but it hit the post, in an otherwise even first half.
Both teams tried to find a way through but neither team had a lot of run of play in a fairly even opening 45 minutes. The Tigers (1-7-2, 0-0-1) outshot the Broncos 7-6 as both teams were on target twice.
The second half was a bit more open as Santa Clara and Pacific tried to hold their shape and not give anything away.
Lopez Perez had some good, probing runs but could not convert on a couple of chances.
"Overall, I would say we were on our front foot more but we just couldn't find the results, struggling to find goals," said Rast. "Lalo (Lopez-Perez) got himself in a position to score but it just didn't go our way."
For the game, SCU outshot Pacific 11-10 and also had an advantage on shots on goal with 4-2. Lanier was credited with four saves while Broncos goalkeeper Felix Schaefer had two in their shutout efforts.
NOTES
- Schaefer recorded his fourth clean sheet of the season and the fifth overall for Bronco goalkeepers.
- Santa Clara is 18-4-7 in the last 29 games dating back to the 2020 season.
NEXT UP
The Broncos return to Stevens Stadium to host Gonzaga in the WCC home opener on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Connect with the Broncos on Social Media
Athletics: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Men's Soccer: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
