EYEBRONCO: Jerry Smith and the 2014 Women's Soccer Seniors
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – With just one more game in the regular season, Santa Clara women's soccer hosts Saint Mary's on Sat., Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. for Senior Day. Last week Santa Clara topped Gonzaga 3-0 and used a late goal to beat Portland 1-0. The Broncos are 13-6-0 overall and 6-2-0 in conference play this year.
"This is a critical game for us," said Santa Clara head coach Jerry Smith. "We're on the bubble for advancing to the NCAA Tournament. We've been on the bubble since our game at BYU and we're 3-0 since then. It is important that we stay in the moment and focus on the task at hand. Our team has done a really nice job since getting in that situation."
This will be the final regular season home game for Santa Clara's six seniors.
"Senior Day is a chance for our team, the university, and our fans to recognize our senior players," said Smith. "We recognize them in many ways, especially at our end of the year banquet but Senior Day is a way to have our fans honor them. It's become a very special day for the players. We want to appreciate someone who has committed that much time to our program."
Santa Clara has outscored teams 30-21 and has outshot teams 224-188 with a 107-94 edge in shots on goal.
Sofia Huerta is second in the WCC with 15 goals and 33 points. She has six game-winners and was named the WCC Player of the Week for her performance against Gonzaga and Portland. Brittany Ambrose is second on the team with six goals and 14 points. Kat McAuliffe leads the team with six assists and is tied for third with three goals and 12 points. Mariana Galvan has also scored three goals and added an assist. Katie Speidel has two assists while eight other Broncos have registered at least one point. Andi Tostanoski has allowed 21 goals for a 1.10 GAA and has 71 saves for a .772 save percentage. She has collected eight solo shutouts and played 75 minutes in another.
Santa Clara is 30-3-4 all-time vs. Saint Mary's with the first meeting coming in 1981. Last year the Broncos beat the Gaels 4-0 on the road. The last meeting was at Buck Shaw was in 2011 when Santa Clara came away with a 2-1 win in overtime.
"Saint Mary's is the only team in our conference to get points against both BYU and Pepperdine this year," said Smith. "They are really well coached, organized, and disciplined. They will create a very difficult environment for us in what is certainly a must-win for our team."
Saint Mary's enters the week with a 7-9-3 overall record and a 1-4-3 mark in conference action. The Gaels have been outscored on the season 26-20 and outshot 245-230. Opponents hold a 109-102 advantage in shots on goal.
Samantha Dion leads the team with nine goals and 22 points. Vicki Shimkus is second with five goals, seven assists, and 17 points while Jessica Castillo leads Saint Mary's with eight assists. Hannah Diaz has scored four goals while Jessica Imbrie has four assists. Julia McDonald has played 13 goals in the net and allowed 22 goals for a 1.69 GAA. She has 43 saves and a .662 save percentage with three shutouts. Stephanie Busch has played six games and allowed eight goals for a 1.20 GAA. She has made 33 saves for a .805 save percentage and has two shutouts.
