SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Coming off a thrilling comeback win, No. 24 Santa Clara women's soccer plays two matches this week, including its first road game of the season. The Broncos host Dayton at 7 p.m. on Fri., Sept. 12 before traveling to Berkeley to take on No. 11 Cal Sun., Sept. 14 at 3:30 p.m. The game against Dayton will be called on SantaClaraBroncos.com by Aly Wagner '03 and David Gentile. The game vs. Cal will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Network.
Last week Santa Clara fell to No. 25 Notre Dame 2-0 but bounced back with a come-from-behind 4-3 win over Fresno State. The Broncos are now 3-2-0 on the season.
"We showed a good resiliency and toughness last week in the second half of the Fresno State game," said Santa Clara head coach. "We played poorly against Notre Dame and were down 3-1 at the half against Fresno State so it looked like it could be a horrible weekend. The mood at halftime was that we knew we had an uphill battle but the second half was our best half of soccer this year. We moved the ball with purpose and we had a good speed of play that allowed us to create a number of good scoring chances. Hopefully we can carry that momentum into this weekend."
Santa Clara has outscored opponents 8-7 on the season and outshot foes 59-49. The Broncos have been best in shots on goal at 28-25.
Sofia Huerta, the reigning WCC Player of the Week, leads Santa Clara with six goals and 12 points. Kat McAuliffe is tops on the team with three assists and has added one goal. Her five points is second on the team. Brittany Ambrose scored the game-winner vs. Fresno State for her first goal of the season. Dani Weatherholt and Jenna Roering each have one assist. Andi Tostanoski has started all five games and allowed seven goals for a 1.39 GAA. She has made 21 saves for a .750 save percentage.
Santa Clara is 1-0-0 all-time vs. Dayton with the only meeting coming in 2001. The Broncos won that contest 3-1 at the Stanford/Nike Classic.
Dayton is 2-3-1 on the season and 0-2-1 away on the road. Last week the Flyers fell at Ohio State 4-2 and vs. Indiana 2-1 at the Ohio State Tournament.
"We're excited to play a team we normally don't get a chance to see," said Smith of the matchup with Dayton. "They are a very good team that usually goes to the NCAA Tournament and has quality players and coaches. They are a hard working team that will make us play the whole 90 minutes. We're excited for the challenge."
The Flyers have outscored opponents 15-13 and outshot teams 102-92 with a 41-40 edge in shots on goal.
Nicole Walters and Ashley Campbell are tied for the team lead with four goals each. Walters leads the team in points with 13 and assists with five. Campbell is second on the team with 10 points and tied for second with two assists. Erin O'Malley is the only other Flyer with multiple goals and she has two. Elizabeth James had played all six games in net and allowed 13 goals for a 2.10 GAA. She has picked up 26 saves for a .667 save percentage.
Santa Clara is 16-19-7 all-time vs. Cal with the first meeting coming in 1980. Earlier this season the Bears topped the Broncos 2-1 in overtime on a penalty kick.
Cal is 6-0-0 on the season with the win at Buck Shaw being the Bears' closest contest. Last week they topped Saint Mary's 4-0 on the road and Cal Poly 2-1 at home.
"It's a rarity that we get to play an opponent twice during the regular season, even though it seems like we play Cal twice every year, with one game coming in the NCAA Tournament," said Smith. "This is a great Bay Area rivalry that was a very even first game this year, with Cal being just a bit better. We're looking forward to playing on the road for the first time and seeing if we have some road toughness. It should be a great game on Sunday."
The Bears have outscored opponents 19-3 on the season and are yet to give up multiple goals in a game. They have outshot teams 104-36 and 47-21 in shots on goal.
Taylor Comeau leads Cal with 11 points and three assists while tying for the team lead with four goals. Kelly Fitzgerald has also scored four goals and is second on the team with eight points. Samantha Witteman has scored twice and is second on the team with two assists. Lorin Hom and Grace Leer each have two goals while five other Bears have scored once apiece. Emily Boyd has appeared in all six games and made five starts while allowing three goals for a 0.54 GAA. She has collected 16 saves for a .842 save percentage.
