Santa Clara soccer: twin victories?

By Mike Kaufmann

Could this finally be the year? Can both Santa Clara soccer teams flex their respective muscles in unprecedented fashion?

Granted my sports knowledge extends back only 10 years or so, I can only remember one college pulling off the feat of having both genders of the same sport win the national championship. And I maintain to this day that the feat that the Connecticut basketball teams completed a few years ago was widely under appreciated.

However, both the Bronco men's and women's soccer teams are poised to make a run toward this year's national championship.

I will concede that there are other programs -- such as North Carolina and UCLA -- that have both their men's and women's teams seeded in the top 16 in their respective tournaments, but they aren't quite on the same level.

It's an understatement to say that neither of the Bronco squads squeaked into the tournament field. Both teams won the West Coast Conference and both are ranked nationally in the top five by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, one of the major authorities on college soccer.

Need more evidence?

The women's team is consistently in the hunt for the national title and have been for many years under head coach Jerry Smith's watch. 11 straight years of qualifying for the NCAA tournament would be impressive in itself, but Smith's squads have reached the quarterfinals 11 straight seasons.

Would you want to bet against this team before that point?

I haven't even mentioned yet that the women won't have to leave the comforts of Buck Shaw until the national semifinals. Why is that important? Because the Broncos are undefeated at home this season.

The men's team is also ready for a run, as they've put together an impressive 7-1-2 streak over their last 10 games, which ultimately secured them a WCC title.

Such momentum from the men's team is traditionally unheard of, as they have stumbled into the tournament in previous years. Add that to the fact that they don't have to play Cal, the team that's ousted them each of the last two years, and the men's team is far less impeded than in seasons past.

More importantly, the men have a first-round bye before opening up second round play at Buck Shaw next Wednesday.

Don't blink. If you do, you might miss a piece of Bronco soccer history. And to think, it's all happening in our backyard.

Contact Mike Kaufmann at (408) 551-1918 or mlkaufmann@scu.edu.