Sept. 1, 2009
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SANTA CLARA, CA - The Santa Clara University men's soccer team opens its 2009 season tonight against UC Irvine. Kick off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Buck Shaw Stadium at 500 El Camino Real on the Santa Clara campus. The match will be broadcast live on www.SANTACLARABRONCOS.com with Bronco play-by-play announcer Anthony Passarelli on the call.
Led by preseason All-West Coast Conference (WCC) defender Jalil Anibaba the Broncos are in pursuit of their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in seven years. Santa Clara is one year removed from winning back-to-back WCC Championships and advancing to the Third Round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
"We have had a really good preseason and a lot of guys have bought into our system," said Santa Clara Head Coach Cameron Rast. "We have a great energy with our team. The upperclassmen are really anxious to get back to a season that counts, on the record, so we can get back to doing the things we like to do best. We want to play great soccer, dictate the flow and look to win a lot of games."
UC Irvine - also playing its season-opener - is ranked No. 14 in the preseason College Soccer News Top 30. The `Eaters had a break-out season a year ago, posting a 15-2-6 record and winning the Big West Conference Tournament. UC Irvine tied No. 9 UCLA in an exhibition match last week.
