Men's soccer bests Portland in double overtime victory
By Blake Twisselman
MEN'S SOCCER
Santa Clara 1, Portland 0
Santa Clara improved to 11-2-3 overall and 3-0-0 in conference with a thrilling double-overtime win against Portland last Saturday at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Broncos are tied with San Diego for first place in the West Coast Conference standings. Junior defender Jason Pan bended in a free kick with less than two minutes remaining in the second overtime period to score the only goal of the contest. The Broncos played tenacious defense, led by Pan, junior defender Ryan Cochrane and junior goalkeeper Steve Cronin. Cronin made four saves and recorded his sixth shutout on the season. Santa Clara will return to action this weekend with a road match against Saint Mary's.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Santa Clara 2 , San Francisco 1
Freshman Tina Estrada scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 66th minute, as the Broncos picked up a crucial conference victory last Friday in San Francisco. Junior forward Leslie Osborne knocked in a goal in the ninth minute to give the Broncos an early 1-0 lead. The Dons answered with an early-second half goal before Estrada put Santa Clara on top for good. Santa Clara dominated play, out-shooting San Francisco 18-6. The Broncos bettered their record to 10-3-4 overall and 4-0 in conference.
Santa Clara 0, Saint Mary's 0
The Broncos and Gaels played to a scoreless tie last Sunday at Garaventa Field in Moraga. Freshman goalkeeper Julie Ryder recorded six saves for the Broncos, whose record is 10-3-5 overall and 4-0-1 in WCC action. Despite the 0-0 score, the game featured many formidable shots on goal by both sides. Saint Mary's Sarah Burgess fired a ball that bounced off the crossbar early in the first half, while many Broncos had shots on goal that barely missed. The Broncos will welcome the Portland Pilots to Buck Shaw this Sunday for a rematch of last season's National Championship contest. Santa Clara defeated Portland 1-0 last season during the regular season, but suffered a 2-1 loss in the title game.
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Loyola Marymount 3, Santa Clara 2
The Broncos lost their first league contest of the season in an exciting five-game match against the Lions last Friday in Los Angeles. Santa Clara won the first two games before Loyola Marymount won the last three to claim the victory. Senior Becky Potter had an incredible single game performance, recording 28 kills and 24 digs, while fellow senior Kelli Sousa tied a career-high with 76 assists. Potter became only the fifth player in WCC history to record career totals of 1,600 kills and 1,000 digs. Sophomore Toni Muratore added 23 kills for the Broncos, whose record fell to 14-7 overall and 5-1 in conference play.
Pepperdine 3, Santa Clara 1
Sophomore Lexie Bothman recorded a match-high 18 digs, but the Broncos were unable to upset the Waves last Sunday in Malibu. Pepperdine, a perennial WCC powerhouse, won their 35th consecutive conference match in the victory against the Broncos. Sousa registered 56 assists, while Potter and sophomore Alyssa Lantz spiked down 18 and 16 kills in the loss. Santa Clara (14-8 overall, 5-2 in conference) will host Portland and Gonzaga this weekend at the Leavey Center.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
ITA Regional
Sophomore Nicole Jackson advanced to the third round of the consolation bracket before losing to Saint Mary's Meg Schulman 6-4, 6-1 in the ITA Regional Tournament last weekend in Palo Alto. The tournament featured many ranked teams and players. The doubles team of Janalle Kaloi and Erika Barnes won its first round match 8-5 against a team from Sacramento St., before losing in the next round against a team from San Francisco. The Broncos concluded their fall season schedule, and will not return to action until their Jan. 24 home match against Cal Poly.
MEN'S WATER POLO
UC-Davis 7, Santa Clara 5
The match was tied 5-5 going into the final period, but the Broncos were unable to defeat UC-Davis last Saturday at the Davis Shootout in Fairfield. Senior Logan Gee and freshman Kevin Starry each had two goals for the Broncos, while junior goalkeeper Peter Moore recorded 12 saves. Redshirt junior Kenny Flanagan-De La Hoz recorded a goal for the Broncos as well. Santa Clara fell to 14-10 overall with the loss.
Santa Clara 11, Brown 5
Senior Daniel Figoni scored eight goals as the Broncos cruised to the victory last Saturday in the Davis Shootout. Flanagan-De La Hoz, Whit Gilfillan and Grant Allison combined for 10 kick-outs, while Starry added five steals. Moore made eight saves in goal to preserve the victory. The Broncos improved their record to 15-10 on the season.
UC-San Diego 11, Santa Clara 4
The Broncos continued action in the Davis Shootout with an 11-4 loss against the Tritons. Gilfillan had two goals to lead the Broncos, while Figoni and freshman Patrick Noack each added one goal. Moore and Floyd Tucker split time in goal for Santa Clara, registering six and two saves, respectively. With the loss, the Broncos overall record fell to 15-11 on the season.
UC-Santa Cruz 12, Santa Clara 7
The Banana Slugs scored the first five goals in the game, and fended off a late comeback attempt by Santa Clara to wrap up action in the Davis Shootout. Santa Clara was led by Figoni, Flanagan- De La Hoz and sophomore Jon Greco. The three players scored two goals each in the contest. Moore made five saves in goal, while Starry had four kick-outs to propel the offensive attack. The Broncos (15-12 overall) will take on UCLA this weekend in Santa Cruz.
MEN'S GOLF
SCU Invitational
Senior Justin Ahasic claimed the medalist honors as the Santa Clara men's golf team secured the team victory in the SCU Invitational last Tuesday at the Silver Creek Valley Country Club in San Jose. The tournament marked Santa Clara's first individual title and team title in the 2003-2004 season. Ahasic shot a 2-under par 70 in the final round, and teammate Jong Yoon fired a final round 71 to tie for second place in the tournament. Sophomores Blake Lugar and Michael Nicoletti finished 27th and 31st, respectively. The Broncos will travel to Oahu, Hawaii, for a two-day tournament Nov. 3-4.
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Shoreline Invitational
Five Broncos competed in what was the last meet for non-conference runners in the 2003 season. Freshman Nick Arcelona led the Broncos, covering the 4.6 mile course in 24:46. Freshman Omar Ahmad, sophomore Dan Bettencourt, junior Dom Guidera and freshman Chris Castell also ran for the Broncos. The Broncos will compete in the WCC Championship meet this Saturday at Crystal Springs in Belmont at 9 a.m.
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Shoreline Invitational
Sophomore Kiley Strong led the women in the 5k course, finishing in a career-best 19:15. All five Broncos ran strong on Saturday, including junior Tara Rooney, freshman Morgan Murray, freshman Julie Gabelein and sophomore Erin Davis. The Broncos will compete in the WCC Championship meet this Saturday at Crystal Springs in Belmont at 9:45 a.m.