SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Getting set for another tough road test, Santa Clara women's soccer plays at No. 4 Stanford on Fri., Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. before returning home to play UC Davis Sun., Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. There will be fireworks at the game vs. Davis to welcome back SCU students. Last week the Broncos topped Dayton 1-0 before falling at No. 11 Cal 1-0. Santa Clara is now 4-3-0 on the season.
"We had some positive signs in our Cal game last weekend," said Santa Clara head coach Jerry Smith. "Our overtime loss was closer on the scoreboard than on the field. This time it was a very even game, which was a good sign. We walked away from the game feeling that it was a very even game as opposed to the first time around. Things are moving in the right direction for us."
The game against Davis will be the first day that all SCU students are back on campus so the crowd is expected to be one of the biggest of the season.
"It's so fun to play in front of the students and the first game in front of them is such a key game," said Smith. "There's such a great energy in the stadium. There's also a chance to win over some new fans that haven't seen us play. We can really make a statement about how fun sports can be in the college environment. Our team will be energized and hopefully we put on a good show for our students."
Santa Clara has outscored opponents 9-8 and outshot teams 74-64 but are trailing in shots on goal 36-33.
Sofia Huerta is tops on the Broncos with six goals and 12 points. She has attempted a team-best 17 shots with 15 shots on goal and has scored two game-winners. Kat McAuliffe leads the team with three assists and has scored two goals, including one game-winner. Brittany Ambrose has scored one goal while Dani Weatherholt, Kat Uhl, and Jenna Roering each have one assist. Andi Tostanoski has allowed eight goals for a 1.14 GAA. She has made 28 saves for a .778 save percentage and has three shutouts.
Santa Clara is 18-19-7 all-time vs. Stanford with the first meeting coming in 1980. In the teams' last match-up, Stanford came away with a 3-2 win in double overtime in 2013. The last match-up at Stanford was the second round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament when No. 1 Stanford came away with a 1-0 win.
Stanford enters the week with a 6-0-1 overall record and a 3-0-1 mark at home. Last week the Cardinal topped No. 6 Florida 1-0 in overtime and beat Dayton 8-0. Stanford has yet to allow a goal and is outscoring opponents 15-0 with a 104-63 edge in shots.
"Stanford looks like the same great program that they've been," said Smith. "They're having another great year and it will be a good test for us. One of our core values is to embrace the opportunity for growth and success. One of the reasons we have that value is to play the best teams in the country. We're looking forward to that opportunity and it will be a good measuring stick of where we are. If we have some weaknesses I'm sure they'll expose them and give us some time to improve before conference play."
Ryan Walker-Hartshom leads the Cardinal with four goals and nine points. Chioma Ubogagu is second with three goals and is tied for the team-lead with two assists. Alex Doll, Lo'eau LaBonta, and Haley Rosen have each scored twice while Andi Sullivan and Kendall Romine have found the back of the net once each. Jane Campbell has seen the majority of the time in net and has made 17 saves for a 1.000 save percentage.
Santa Clara is 8-2-1 all-time vs. UC Davis with the first meeting coming in 1980. The last meeting was in 1990 when Santa Clara won 4-0 at home.
UC Davis enters the week with a 3-5-0 overall record and a 1-2-0 mark on the road. Last week the Aggies fell 1-0 vs. San Francisco and 1-0 in overtime vs. Utah. Davis has been outscored 7-3 on the season and outshot 81-69. The Aggies and their opponents each have 34 shots on goal.
Celina Minissian, Sienna Drizin, and Haley Hughes each have scored one goal and are tied for the team-lead with two points. Kayla Collins and Mari Pastor are tied for the team lead with one assist apiece. Lexi Poppoff leads Davis with 17 shots and nine on goal. Jen Taylor has allowed seven goals for a 0.86 GAA and has made 27 saves for a .794 save percentage while collecting three shutouts.
