Lacrosse faces rival Stanford

By Matthew Cucuzza

The men's lacrosse team will play rival Stanford this Saturday afternoon with a playoff spot on the line.

If the Broncos win Saturday and again in their final regular-season game against the winless University of Nevada, Reno, Santa Clara is assured a postseason berth.

But Saturday's game is about more than just the playoffs, said senior midfielder Kevin Bayly. The Broncos have not beaten the Cardinal in his four years at Santa Clara.

"That would make my season," said Bayly. "It would make up for any losses we've had and send us in the playoffs ready to atone for our previous losses."

The last time Santa Clara beat Stanford was in 2005.

Led by leading scorer Charles Ellis, whose 52 points are third in the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League's Division I, the Broncos sit third in WCLL standings with a 4-2 division record and a 10-4 overall record.

Stanford's division record is identical, but the Cardinal are 6-3 overall.

If the Broncos win their final two games, they will likely draw Sonoma State or Berkeley as playoff opponents. Santa Clara lost to both teams in one-goal games earlier in the season.

Santa Clara has also not beaten Sonoma State during Bayly's tenure with the team.

"We'd like a crack at them again," said Bayly.

Defensive coach Sean Keenan said the coaching staff, headed by Gary Podesta, pushed the team hard this week to ensure his Broncos will bring their top effort in the final two games.

"We had some moments early in the season where we put it all together," said Keenan. "Now we need to close the season out strong like that."

Keenan says the performance of his freshmen, like defender Matt Baker and midfielder Bennet DeLozier, have brought balance to the Broncos.

"Balance is what you need to win," said Keenan. "The freshmen have stepped up to bring that."

Baker's strong defensive play has impressed senior captain and goaltender Phil Donnici, who said Baker is rarely out of position.

"He's so fundamentally sound," said Donnici of Baker. "I've been able to rely on him a lot this year."

Donnici, whose .572 save percentage is fourth in WCLL First Division, also said that DeLozier's intensity rubs off on the rest of his team.

"The kid can run forever," said Donnici. "He runs hard, he plays hard."

The Broncos hope the game on Saturday will draw a large crowd, especially since the fans gave the Broncos extra momentum in their 11-7 win last weekend against UC Davis.

Bayly had two goals in that game. Ellis added three goals.

"We play so much better when we have people out there," said Bayly. "It gets everyone fired up."

Santa Clara will face off against Stanford Saturday at 2 p.m. at Bellomy Field. The Broncos close out their 2009 season at Reno Nevada on April 25.

Contact Matthew Cucuzza at (408) 551-1918 or mcucuzza@scu.edu.