SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The No. 10 Santa Clara women's soccer team will wind down the non-conference season this weekend by taking on two Pac-10 opponents. The Broncos will face Oregon at home on Friday night and will travel to Los Angeles to play No. 15 UCLA on Sunday afternoon.
Friday's match will be part of a doubleheader for Bronco soccer, as the men will kick off the festivities at 5:30 p.m. against local rival San Jose State. With the general student population returning this week for the start of school, the Santa Clara Pep Band and Rough Riders will also have a presence at the match, creating one of the best environments in college soccer.
The women's match will start no earlier than 7:30 p.m. and if the men's match does not go into overtime, there will be 30 minutes between the conclusion of the men's game and the start of the women's game.
The Ducks are hovering just over .500 (.556) with a 4-3-2 record. Oregon has played just one top-25 opponent, falling to Oklahoma State, 1-0, in double-overtime at home. The Ducks will be heading to Buck Shaw Stadium after a big weekend at home in which they defeated San Diego State, 2-1, in overtime on Friday night and Butler, 6-1, this past Sunday.
Senior Jen Stoltenberg has been the standout player for Oregon with six goals and four assists. Her classmate Kirstie Kuhns has also been productive with four goals and one assist. Three goalies have seen time for the Ducks, with junior goalies Cody Miles and Lindsay Parlee splitting the majority of the time. Both have given up three goals and have one shutout each, but Miles has played in one more game than Parlee.
The Broncos and Oregon have met just one time prior to Friday's match, with Santa Clara taking the match, 6-0, on Sept. 1, 2000.
UCLA posts a 5-2-1 (.688) record, with losses coming against Northwestern (neutral match) and Colorado (in Boulder). The Bruins tied UC Santa Barbara 1-1 at home in the middle of September. UCLA got a big win over Notre Dame on Sept. 10, defeating the Irish, 2-1, in overtime at home.
Junior Sydney Leroux is the Bruins' top scorer with six goals and one assist for 13 points, but will not play in the match against Santa Clara due to U.S. National Team duties. Newcomer Jenna Richmond also is a dangerous threat with four goals and two assists on the season. In addition, UCLA has 11 players with at least two points. Junior goalie Chante' Sandiford has one shutout in eight starts and carries a GAA of 0.85.
The Broncos lead the all-time series with UCLA, 5-3-2. Sunday will mark the first meeting between the two teams since 2008 (0-0 draw in Santa Clara).
Looking beyond this weekend, Santa Clara will finish non-conference play against another Pac-10 opponent, No. 2 Stanford, on Oct. 3.
GAME SCHEDULE:
Friday
7:30 p.m. PT — vs. Oregon
*game will begin approximately 30 minutes after
the conclusion of the SCU men's game vs. San Jose State
Sunday
1 p.m. PT — at No. 15 UCLA
FRIDAY NIGHT PROMOTIONS: Pizza will be available for all new and returning Rough Riders attending the women's match. The pizza will be located south of the east press box on the upper concourse once it is delivered. New light-up Bronco "swirler" flags will also be distributed to 500 fans at the women's match. After starting lineups are announced, the women's team will also participate in a t-shirt toss before kickoff.
LIVE COVERAGE: Links for Presto Sports PrimeTime live stats and video will be available for the Oregon match. Against UCLA, live stats via CBS College Sports Gametracker and live audio links can be found on the Santa Clara women's soccer schedule page. All links for live coverage can be found on the Santa Clara women's soccer schedule page.
NOTES:
**Jerry Smith is in his 24th season as SCU head coach
(362-110-38)
**Senior Anessa
Patton currently leads the team in scoring with three
goals. The team has had eight different goal scorers this
season
**Goalkeeper Bianca
Henninger (4 shutouts, 0.53 GAA) is currently ranked
24th in goals-against-average in the NCAA and is a
candidate for the 2010 MAC Hermann Trophy
**As a team, Santa Clara is currently ranked 18th in
goals-against-average (0.53) in the NCAA
**The Broncos have played or are scheduled to play eight teams
currently ranked in the NSCAA Top 25
**SCU returned six players named to the WCC's 2009 all-conference
teams
**Allie
Vernon, Kendra
Perry, Lindsey
Johnson and Bianca Henninger have been named team
co-captains
**Henninger and Vernon were named to the 2010 WCC Preseason
All-Conference team
**Bronco greats Brandi Chastain and Aly Wagner have been added to
the coaching staff for 2010
HENNINGER ADDED TO MAC HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST: Santa Clara University junior goalkeeper Bianca Henninger has been named to the 2010 Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Women's Hermann Trophy Watch List, as announced by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Henninger is one of just five goalkeepers among the 45 players selected for the award's preseason watch list. The honor is considered the highest individual award in intercollegiate soccer. The recipients are selected by NCAA Division I coaches who are members of the NSCAA.
FANTASTIC FRESHMEN: Five of Santa Clara's 11 goals this season have been a direct result of the contribution from this year's rookies. Julie Johnston has one goal and three assists, while Sarah Jackson scored the game-tying goal against San Jose State. Five freshmen have started games this season and two others have seen significant time on the field.
MILLER TIME: Junior Bridgett Miller scored her first career goal as a Bronco on Sunday, Sept. 19, lifting Santa Clara to a 1-0 win over Utah.
DOIN' THE MATH: Sophomore Lauren Matheson has figured in four of Santa Clara's 11 goals, scoring two of them and providing a helper twice.
INSIDE THE TOP 10: Santa Clara entered the 2010 season ranked ninth in the nation according to the preseason poll released by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). This week the Broncos reentered the top-10 after being pushed to No. 11 last week.
2010 NSCAA TOP 10 (SEPT. 7, 2010)
1. North Carolina
2. Stanford*
3. Portland*
4. Boston College
5. Notre Dame*
6. Texas A&M
7. Florida
8. Maryland
9. BYU*
10. Santa Clara
*Santa Clara opponents in 2010
SCU HEAD COACH JERRY SMITH: SCU Head Coach Jerry Smith enters his 24th season at the helm of the Santa Clara women's soccer program in 2010. Although he is most known for the development of his players and teams, Smith also produces success and is the winningest women's soccer coach in Santa Clara history, having compiled a record of 362-110-38 (.747) – in fact Smith ranks among the top-5 winningest coaches in NCAA Division I history. Since taking over the head coaching duties at Santa Clara in the spring of 1987, Smith has built the Bronco soccer program into a national power. For 19 consecutive seasons, his Broncos reached the NCAA Tournament prior to 2008 and have consistently ranked among the top 10 teams in the country. He has taken the Broncos to 10 College Cup Final Fours and a national championship in 2001. In addition, his Bronco teams have won nine West Coast Conference titles.
QUOTABLE: "It is going to take a lot of hard work, dedication, and trust in each other and the coaches," said Anessa Patton about what it will take to be successful in 2010. "We are capable of it though … we have to make sure that we are all on the same page. That means that our veterans and returners are going to have to reach out, that much more, to welcome the 12 freshmen that we have coming in."
30th ANNIVERSARY DINNER AND PROGRAM: Join current players, coaches, and alumni for this special anniversary of the SCU Women's Soccer program. Friday, October 08, 2010 at 7:00 PM. CLICK HERE to register.
2010 WCC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. #4 Portland - 49 (7)
2. #8 Santa Clara - 41.5 (1)
3. #14 San Diego - 38.5
4. Pepperdine – 27
5. Loyola Marymount – 26
6. Saint Mary's – 19
7. Gonzaga – 12
8. San Francisco - 11
(First place votes - rankings by NSCAA)
2010 WCC PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
Kendra Chandhoke, Portland
Danielle Foxhoven, Portland
Julie Gallaudet, Loyola Marymount
Bianca Henniger, Santa Clara
Sheridan Jones, Gonzaga
Stephanie Ochs, San Diego
Sophie Schmidt, Portland
Michelle Spacciapolli, Pepperdine
Allie Vernon, Santa Clara
Keelin Winters, Portland
Jackie Zinke, San Diego
BRONCOS ADVANCE INTO NCAA'S THIRD ROUND: After an early-season 2-0 win vs. No. 5 Notre Dame, the Bronco women, who finished the 2009 season ranked No. 10, were awarded for their fantastic play by once again playing in the NCAA College Cup tournament. They beat Michigan State and Oklahoma State at home in the first two rounds. Both games ended in penalty kicks. They ended their season with a battle at No. 1 Stanford, losing 1-0 to the eventual national runner-ups.
FIVE BRONCOS TAKEN IN 2010 WPS DRAFT: Five SCU women's soccer players (four from the Broncos' 2009 roster) were selected in the 2010 Women's Professional Soccer league (WPS) Draft. Jordan Angeli (Boston Breakers – 16th overall), Kiki Bosio (Los Angeles Sol – 22nd overall), Amanda Poach (St. Louis Athletica – 28th overall), Katherine Reynolds (Boston Breakers - #34 overall) and Meagan Snell (Sky Blue FC – 44th overall).
