Climbing up the ranks of success
By Jackson Morgus
Although their season started with a trip to watch FC Barcelona play Chivas Guadalajara, the Santa Clara women's soccer team didn't need to buy tickets to get a look at top tier NCAA competition early this year. The first part of their schedule included three teams in the top 25.
Santa Clara knocked off No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 7 Purdue two weeks ago in the Santa Clara Classic, then shut down No. 23 Colorado last weekend at Stanford, a 1-0 triumph in overtime.
A disappointing 2008 season has brought the soccer team back with a vengeance in 2009, as the team has climbed the rankings to the number nine spot nationally in the most recent NSCAA/adidas poll.
"Everything's just so much better when you're winning," said captain Katherine Reynolds in comparison to the 2008 season. "Everyone's so committed to getting this program to where it once was."
"It's great to know that we can knock off those top teams," added captain Kiki Bosio.
Santa Clara got off to a blistering start, outscoring opponents 6-0 en route to a 2-0 record, only to drop road contests at Utah and Maryland.
Since those two losses, the Broncos (7-2-0) have fired off five wins in a row, three of which have come over ranked opponents.
Crucial to the early season success of the team has been the play of the highly touted incoming class. Santa Clara currently has 11 freshmen on its roster.
"Four or five of our freshman have been really impactful, and all 11 have contributed," said head coach Jerry Smith, who is in his 23rd season as the Bronco's head coach.
It has not been all underclassmen for the Broncos, though. Already two Bronco seniors have been named WCC Player of the week. First, Jordan Angeli was named co-player of the week on September 14.
Angeli scored two game-winning goals early in the season, including the clincher in the 2-0 win over Notre Dame. She returns to the Broncos this year for her third senior campaign, having taken medical redshirts in 2007 and 2008.
The next week, Bosio took home the honor. The senior forward scored a goal and had two assists during two matches at the Stanford Invitational. Despite the accolade, Bosio's focus is on the team.
"I'm just really excited I was able to contribute," she said when asked about the award.
The next test for the Broncos comes this weekend, with home matches against Cal State Fullerton at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, and USC at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.
While the Broncos will be sure not to overlook the Titans or the Trojans, they are also preparing for perhaps the biggest test of the 2009 season, their match against No. 2 Stanford next Thursday at Buck Shaw Stadium.
"There is a difference between a top five team and a top twenty-five team. The speed of play will be far greater," said Smith of the upcoming match.
Santa Clara knows that, despite facing some of the nation's best, the toughest challenges are ahead.
"We've got to play like we're the underdog. We can't just come out assuming that we're going to be better than the other team because any team could beat us," says Reynolds.
While that may be true, the Santa Clara women have also proven that they as well are capable of beating anyone and are a force to be reckoned with through the remainder of 2009.
Contact Jackson Morgus at (408) 551-1918 or jmorgus@scu.edu.