Masch Leads Broncos to Third Straight Win

By Tom Schreier

Playing in front of the home crowd at Buck Shaw Stadium for the final time this season, the Santa Clara men's soccer team was in need of an energizer.

Just three minutes into the game against Saint Mary's on Sunday afternoon, the Gaels had already scored a goal on Santa Clara. Play remained in the center of the field for the next twenty minutes, and the place was as quiet as a morgue.

Then, on a seemingly innocuous play, Santa Clara senior Connor Mitchell connected with teammate Eric Masch, who placed the ball behind the Saint Mary's goaltender. Just like that, the game was tied. The sideline erupted in cheers as Masch had awakened the Broncos from the dead.

"It's not easy (to keep the team focused)," said head coach Cameron Rast. "But you have got to remember it's three minutes into a game. It's a 90-minute match."

Midway through the second half, senior Brandon Zimmerman scored on a penalty kick that would prove to be the game-winning goal for Santa Clara. It was the third straight win for the Broncos, who prior to the winning streak, had not won a game in four weeks.

"I tried to hit it hard," said Zimmerman. "You either try to pick out a certain spot, or you pick a side and hit it hard. If you hit it hard enough it becomes really tough to stop."

Goals have been few and far between for the Santa Clara. From Oct. 5 to Oct. 28, the Broncos played five games within the West Coast Conference.

Their goal total during that stretch of time: zero.

"We just had one bad spell of four games," said Rast, whose team went 0-4-1 in those contests.

Masch broke that spell.

He has scored goals in the last three contests and was recently named WCC Player of the Week.

"Eric Masch is just a guy that has a nose for the goal and they're not easy to find," said Rast. "It looks easy, but it never is. If it was that easy, everybody would be goal-scorers."

Of the 18 games that Santa Clara has played this season, Masch has been healthy for only 11 of them. But when Masch does play, it usually bodes well for the Broncos, who have gone 6-3-2 in those contests.

"It was definitely frustrating," said Masch of his injury-riddled season. "I'm glad to be back now and getting on the scoreboard."

The victory over Saint Mary's came on Senior Day — meaning Masch has played his last regular season contest on the Mission Campus.

Last season, Masch led the Broncos to a WCC Championship and scored the team's lone goal against Sacramento State in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament.

"We had good chemistry," Masch said. "After we lost at Stanford — that was a crushing defeat to us, and from that point on we went nearly undefeated for the rest of the season."

His five goals that season were a team-high.

Masch's four goals this season are the second-highest total on the team behind Eric Hurtado's five. With the win over Saint Mary's, the Broncos are in position to defend their WCC title.

The race in the conference is tight, as Santa Clara trails San Diego and Saint Mary's by a slim margin with the season winding down. The Broncos have two more games remaing in which to make a push at the WCC title. Up next for Santa Clara is a road contest against Gonzaga on Nov. 11 followed by the season finale at Portland on Nov. 13.

Contact Tom Schreier at tschreier@scu.edu or (408) 554-4852.