Nov. 13, 2009
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The No. 11 Santa Clara women's soccer team needed an overtime goal in a lopsided match against Michigan State to advance in the NCAA Tournament this evening, but after nearly 30 shots the Broncos finally finished and booked their appearance in Sunday's second round with a 1-0 win.
The performance was dominating by Santa Clara, but the Bronco offense couldn't find the netting until the 92nd minute.
Santa Clara spent a majority of the first half on the attack. Kiki Bosio got off seven shots, four of which were on goal, and was the most threatening player on the field.
Michigan State got a chance early on when the Spartan midfield sprung Lauren Hill with a through-ball. Hill used her speed to push the ball past sophomore goalkeeper Bianca Henninger, but her angle to the goal diminished as her long touch rolled towards the sideline, allowing the Bronco defense to recover in time to gather her attempt back towards the middle of the field near the 18 yard mark.
Bosio had a flurry of five shots from the 10:41 mark to 23:01. Two of her shots were blocked and three were saved, including one team defensive save off the line.
It looked like Santa Clara took the lead in the 25th minute when junior Anessa Patton redirected junior Kendra Perry's shot with her head, but Patton was ruled offside and the goal was called back.
Henninger was not credited with a save in the half, but made several sliding stops on through balls to keep the ball out of danger and punched away one of Michigan State's corner kicks. The Broncos finished the half with an 11-0 advantage in shots.
Santa Clara kept the pressure on the Spartans in the second half, firing off 17 more shots. The Broncos nearly scored in the first minute of the half, but MSU goalie Jill Flietstra made a save on Katherine Reynolds shot and also saved the rebound that freshman Lauren Matheson fired back at her. Another rebound came back out and Kendra Perry put it back, hitting the post. The fourth rebound came to Jenny LaPonte, but LaPonte put it wide.
Santa Clara hardly let the ball into their own defensive end in the second 45, save for a few sequences, and the Spartans were able to get three shots off including one on a free kick. Henninger, like the first half, did not have to make a save, and at the regulation it was still scoreless.
It didn't take the Broncos long in overtime to end their frustrations though, as Patton sent Santa Clara into the second round after taking a through-ball from sophomore Jenny LaPonte and gracefully finishing it into the lower far-post corner for her sixth goal of the year. The goal marked the fifth overtime victory for the Broncos this season.
Santa Clara completed the game with 11 of their 29 shots on goal, while Michigan State finished with only three, none of which found the frame. Henninger earned her sixth shutout of the season as Santa Clara moves on to face Oklahoma State on Sunday at 4 p.m. at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Cowgirls upset No. 21 Southern California, winning a shootout duel 5-4 after the game went 0-0 after 110 minutes.
