LOS ANGELES – The 20th-ranked Santa Clara women's soccer team faces No. 9 USC Sunday at 1:30 p.m. for a spot in the national quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
The Broncos took care of No. 13 Oklahoma State 3-1 in convincing fashion on Friday.
The winner between the Broncos and the No. 2 seed Trojans will face either No. 1-seeded North Carolina or Michigan, which also play on Sunday.
SERIES HISTORY
Santa Clara is 2-6 all-time against USC with the first meeting coming in 1987. The last meeting was a 2-1 defeat in Los Angeles on Sept. 8, 2017. This will be the second time the two programs have played in the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans beat the Broncos 1-0 in Santa Clara in the first round in 2006.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Santa Clara is in its 29th NCAA Tournament in program history. The Broncos have made it five years in a row and 10 of the last 11. They have been to 10 College Cups and won the 2001 national championship.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION |
|
| Tickets | Click here |
| TV | None |
| Video | Pac-12 Plus |
| Live Stats | StatBroadcast |
THE BRONCOS
Santa Clara (15-5-2) is unbeaten in its last 13 matches (11-0-2) and is sixth in the country in scoring (2.68 goals per game), assists per game (2.64), and points per game (8.0).
Kelsey Turnbow and Izzy D'Aquila are tied for 18th nationally with 15 goals apiece and Turnbow and Kelcie Hedge are tied for 20th in the country with 10 assists each. Turnbow is ninth in the nation with 40 points and D'Aquila is 25th with 34. Hedge had also scored five goals with Maddy Gonzalez adding five goals and four assists. Julie Doyle and Machaela George both have four goals and six assists with Alex Loera adding four goals and four assists.
Sophie Whitehouse has taken over the starting role in net and has appeared in 12 games this year while allowing just one goal for a 0.15 GAA. She has 19 saves to go along with a .950 save percentage. The Broncos have 10 shutouts as a team.
THE TROJANS
USC (16-4-1) has outscored its opponents 44-24 on the season and outshot teams 322-230. The Trojans topped Cal State Fullerton 5-1 in the first round and No. 22 Texas A&M 2-1 in the second.
Penelope Hocking and Tara McKeown are the driving forces on offense for USC. Hocking's 17 goals and 41 points have her tied for seventh in the country in both categories. McKeown is tied for 18th in goals and 19th in points with 15 and 37 respectively. Natalie Jacobs leads the team with nine assists and has added three goals as well.
Anna Smith and Kaylie Collins have split time in goal this year. Collins has allowed 10 goals in 10 games for a 1.05 GAA and has 37 saves for a .787 save percentage. Smith has played in 12 games and allowed 14 goals for a 1.17 GAA with a .759 save percentage behind 44 saves. The two have combined on eight clean sheets.
Connect with the Broncos on Social Media
Athletics: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Snapchat
Women's Soccer: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Snapchat
