SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Santa Clara men's soccer team looked sharp as ever in the 2014 home opener defeating the Massachusetts Minutemen 2-0 and tallying the first shutout of the young season. With goals from Edson Cardona and Carlos Delgadillo, the Broncos improve to 2-1-0 on the season while the Minutemen move to 0-3-0.
Santa Clara returns to Buck Shaw Stadium on Sun., Sept. 7 at 12 p.m. to take on Northern Illinois—the first game of a doubleheader with the Santa Clara women's soccer team hosting Fresno State immediately after at 2:30 p.m. Free live webcasts and live stats will be available for viewers during the matches.
"Getting the first shutout of the season feels really good," said Bronco head coach Cameron Rast. "We were looking at a team that makes good runs into the postseason and doesn't give away easy goals. I thought tonight we did a good job overall and weren't under intense pressure of conceding goals even though UMass put up some good chances. We can definitely get even sharper at protecting our net."
The Broncos attempted 15 shots against Massachusetts and were able to put four on frame, giving the team a .433 shots on goal percentage for the season. Cardona and Delgadillo scored the goals for Santa Clara while Hegardt and Delgadillo tallied assists. Goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh made three saves for the Broncos.
Santa Clara got off to a quick offensive start when James Huffer's header in the second minute went just wide from a driven cross to the six-yard box. Then in the 15th minute, junior Max Ornstil attempted a killer strike at the top of the 18 off of a corner kick by Dylan Autran that was blocked, causing a second consecutive corner opportunity for the Broncos.
The Broncos displayed strong possession, passing the ball well right from the start, and were rewarded with the first goal of the night in the 34th minute. Delgadillo, a freshman from San Jose, Calif., held the ball in the final third and then took it down to the goal line to find Cardona rushing the six-yard box. Cardona was able to tap the ball passed the Massachusetts goalkeeper to give Santa Clara the 1-0 advantage.
Santa Clara outshot the Minutemen 7-2 in the first half and carried its momentum into the second half of play.
Seconds after kickoff Delgadillo added to his stellar home debut with a strong left-footed shot from just inside the 18-yard box. The ball curled beautifully into the side netting. The goal was assisted by junior Jared Hegardt.
"I think it was great for Carlos Delgadillo to get his second goal—the timing of the run and the slip from Jared was really great quality," said Rast. "It was good for Edson to continue his streak and become a factor every single game. That's what we need throughout the season. I'm still looking for the guys to create more chances and put them in the back of the net. Overall, it's good to get a win, a shutout and score multiple goals. Our team is striving to get better with every game and we look forward to the opportunity on Sunday."
The Bronco defense proved too much for the Massachusetts attack when McIntosh made a diving save out of the air to grab Luke Pavone's shot in the 58th minute. Then in the 71st minute, the Bronco back line denied several set-play attempts by the Minutemen.
Massachusetts blocked two tough Bronco shots in the final 10 minutes and made a last second attempt with a header by Mark Morris. Santa Clara was able to hold on to its 2-0 win and first shutout of the season by the end of the 90 minutes.
The Broncos finish the weekend against Northern Illinois at 12 p.m. on Sun., Sept. 7 in Santa Clara, Calif.
Game Notes: Attendance was 401 ... no cautions were given.
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