Nov. 8, 2003
SPOKANE, Wash. - The Santa Clara University women's soccer team captured its third straight West Coast Conference title with a 5-1 victory over Gonzaga this afternoon at Martin Field in Spokane, Wash. Freshman forward Tina Estrada scored two goals to lead the Broncos to their seventh overall league championship with an undefeated 6-0-1 conference mark. It marked SCU's fourth undefeated conference season in the league's 12-year history. Santa Clara also improves to 12-3-5 overall. Gonzaga ends its season with its best overall (11-8-0) and league (3-4-0) records in conference history.
Junior Leslie Osborne crossed the ball in to freshman midfielder Tiffany Roberts to score the first goal for Santa Clara in the 16th minute. Roberts' header went past Bulldog goalkeeper Ashley Haugen for Roberts' fourth goal of the season.
Junior Bree Horvath gave Santa Clara the two-goal advantage as she took a shot from seven yards out in the 23rd minute to claim her unassisted goal. Horvath's fifth goal of the season gave the Bronco's a 2-0 lead at intermission.
In second-half action, Gonzaga held off the Santa Clara offense until the 70th minute, when Osborne scored her team-leading 11th goal of the season with a header off of senior forward Kristi Candau's corner kick.
Estrada began her scoring run in the 77th minute, as she found a shot from nine yards out from redshirt freshman midfielder Bonnie Bowman. Just six minutes later, Bowman again found Estrada, who shot from 10 yards out and gained the 5-0 lead. Estrada now has six goals on the season.
Despite the overwhelming offensive attacks of the Broncos, Gonzaga senior Patty Blankenship scored her first collegiate goal in her final collegiate contest from six yards out. Annie Hawkins was credited with the assist as she passed it to an open Blankenship on the left side of the net for the final score, 5-1.
The Broncos dominated the game as they out-shot Gonzaga 17-3, with 11 corner kicks to the Bulldogs' 1. Haugen tallied seven saves for the Zags, while first-half goalkeeper Julie Ryder made one save for the Broncos.
ESPNews will broadcast the selection show for this year's NCAA Championship on Monday, November 10 at 1 p.m. Pacific Time. The Broncos will begin their quest for national bragging rights and aim for their third straight College Cup appearance--and 10th overall--when the NCAA Championship begins the weekend of Nov. 14. Individual schools will host the first through fourth rounds, with the 22nd annual College Cup being hosted by North Carolina State University and the Capital Area Soccer League in Cary, N.C., on Dec. 5 and 7.
