Sports Briefs: Week Eight

Women’s Basketball dominated in their home opener against Sonoma.

SANTA CLARA, CALIF.— Women’s Basketball left nothing on the court in their 93-38 rout of Sonoma State Tuesday night. During their first game of the regular season, the Broncos tallied 24 assists and coupled good ball movement with 59 percent shooting from the field. Junior guard Tia Hay led Santa Clara’s overpowering offense with 21 points while five other Broncos recorded double-digit points.

Despite the lopsided final score, Sonoma State held within three points halfway through the first quarter. Santa Clara then changed the script by scoring 19 unanswered points. In the third, the Broncos went on a 27-1 run, elevating their lead to 93-29 at one point during the fourth quarter. Women’s Basketball plays at home this weekend against Nevada at 4 p.m.

The Broncos ended their season on a high note, beating Pacific 7-0. (ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF SCU ATHLETICS)

SANTA CLARA, CALIF.— Heading into their last regular season game of the year ranked No. 5 in the country, Santa Clara Women’s Soccer intended to celebrate Senior Day with a victory. They did so and then some, blowing out Pacific 7-0 Saturday afternoon at home. All four of the Bronco seniors had notable performances. Forward Maria Sanchez tied a school record four assists for the second time this season after doing so previously on Aug. 20. Briar Blake, also a forward, scored her third goal on the season on a penalty kick in the 47th minute. Goalkeeper Melissa Lowder recorded her seventh shutout of the year after making four saves. Midfielder Duffy Moyer played 58 minutes, a career-high.

Santa Clara (16-3-1) will begin the NCAA Tournament as a three seed, hosting Milwaukee (16-1-1) this Saturday at 1 p.m.

Men’s Golf ended their fall season by shooting their best round Wednesday.

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIF.— After shooting their worst round of the season, Santa Clara Men’s Golf found itself among the last place finishers following the first round of the Saint Mary’s Invitational Monday. The Broncos’ number one, junior Matt McCarty, was forced to withdraw during the round after a back injury hindered his play. On Tuesday, however, Santa Clara corrected course, recording a 294 on the scorecard and moving up three spots to 14th place. McCarty’s back pain withheld enough for him to return to play, where he contributed an even par-70 for the second round. Beginning Tuesday with an eagle on the first hole, first-year Nordin van Tilburg, however, posted the strongest perfomance of the day with a two-under 69.

On the final round of the tournament and the fall season, Men’s Golf shot a season-best 291, finishing 14th overall with a cumulative score of 888.