The Golden Goal: Men’s Club Soccer is Ready to Return to the Top

Men’s Club Soccer celebrates after a goal. Photo provided by Ronan Karp

With the fall quarter officially underway at Santa Clara University, we get the return of beautiful weather in the Bay Area. The changing of leaves, the crisp autumn air as the weather cools and the beginning of a beautiful game on both the Division I and club levels—soccer. Soccer has had a rich history at the University, dating all the way back to 1967. But what you might not know about soccer on campus is that there is another team with a much more humble start—the Men’s Club Soccer team.

What was previously South Bay Men’s Soccer Club, this team has gone from small beginnings to becoming one of the top clubs in their division. Before they became an official school club in 2023, the then South Bay Men’s Club struggled to get players out to practices, find a place to play and even had to make and set up their own goals. This club was truly built from the ground up, which is what has given the team the pride of seeing the fruits of their labor, from club president Jake Wood and other founding members to helpful donors and fans.

Men’s Club Soccer has slowly but steadily worked its way to success and even won a league championship in 2024. Now with the season officially underway, the team looks to return to glory after a disappointing last season. The Broncos’ humble beginnings have also brought a strong sense of pride in the club’s journey, thanks in large part to the seniors who have helped shape this club.

Striker Vansh Malik ’26 has been with the team since those humble beginnings. From the grind to glory, so to speak, getting an opportunity to go out on top of the league is a major goal for not just him, but for the team as a whole. “For me I think it’s all about team success,” said Malik. 

Malik went on to talk about their end-of-season tournament in Irvine with some of the best clubs in the country, and how they compete with them. “We play the big teams in the West Coast, you play against UCLA which is the best club in the nation, but for us it’s about getting a system. A true tactical system, getting players to practice, and really cultivating a team ethos,” he said.

Malik isn’t the only player working towards building a team ethos. Zach Agnew ’26 is set on ending his campaign with team success as well. “At the end of the day, if my team wins my team wins, that’s what matters. Some team goals would be fighting to win the league, it’s a difficult league. We have a lot of good teams but I think we have the ability to have a really good shot at it.” 

With the team already off to a strong start thanks to a 2-0 win over rival Stanford University, the Broncos look to take that momentum into their matchup with the University of California, Berkeley on Nov. 2 at Stanton Field. Their recent matchups against Cal have been weird, to say the least. With a 5-0 win and a 5-1 defeat in their past two outings, the Broncos look to get a bit of revenge over the Golden Bears. One way to fix this is to make the most of the opportunities at hand. 

“They commit bodies forward, their outside backs commit very quickly so we need to look to exploit them on the counter attack which is luckily one of our strong suits,” said centerback Jeevan Brar ’26. “And then it’s finishing our chances.” With the win over Stanford last weekend and a recipe to take down a fierce opposition in Cal, the Broncos are excited for the chance to reclaim the league as their own. With a strong leadership group in the seniors like Malik, Agnew and Brar, plus exciting players like Nick Ruiz ‘26, Luke Maxwell ‘28 and Eddie Yardley ‘28, the Broncos are ready to build for success now and in years to come. 

For more information on the club or schedule, you can visit their website: https://www.scu.edu/recreation/clubsports/current/mens-club-soccer/.