WCC powerhouses prepare to face off

By Chris Furnari

Despite two winless efforts this past weekend, Santa Clara's No. 7 women's soccer team is looking forward to their toughest competition of the year when they host the No. 5 Portland Pilots tonight at 8 p.m.

Even though the Broncos have been ranked ahead of the Pilots for much of the season, head coach Jerry Smith considers his team the underdog.

"This is one of the first games of the year where we are truly the underdog, because they were the national champs last year," said Smith.

The two programs combined have won three out of the last five NCAA national championships, establishing the groundwork for a competitive match. Portland has also had a share of each of the past 14 West Coast Conference titles, thus making this match crucial if the Broncos want to win their conference.

"There couldn't be a better opponent coming off of the weekend we just had," said Smith. "If you play well against a weaker team you still wonder if you solved your problems, so this is great chance to get the ship going in the right direction."

The Broncos hope to do just that, having focused their training in the past week specifically for Portland. Injuries, however, could pose problems for the Broncos as six key players are sidelined, the most prominent of whom is senior Tiffany Roberts, who suffered a season and career ending injury earlier this season.

"Tiffany has been the Portland killer. She seems to have her best games of the year against Portland, so she will be greatly missed," said Smith.

In past years, Roberts has been a major factor in games against Portland as she scored the game-winning goal two years ago, and the only goal last year.

The Pilots, while they do not experience the same amount of injured players, are missing perhaps their best offensive weapon in sophomore Megan Rapinoe. Rapinoe, who competes on the U.S. women's national team, is unavailable due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee.

The Broncos are most concerned with Stephanie Lopez, who also competes on the U.S. national team. Lopez is unique in that she is one of the Pilots best attacking players, but plays on the defensive line, where she constantly moves up to attack.

"When we have the ball we are really going to try and attack on her side, and when we don't, we will have somebody marking her," said Smith. The ploy will likely be an attempt to tire Lopez.

In addition to Lopez, the Broncos will be closely guarding Angie Woznuk, the highly skilled, play-making midfielder.

"She is the Steve Nash of the Portland team. We have to find a way to limit her touches," said Smith.

The Broncos will be looking for leadership from seniors Lauren Zealer and Marian Dalmy as the pressure of a nationally televised game can impact players.

"I hope that the game being televised will motivate the girls to play harder and perform better," said Smith. "But it will be great to have the home crowd behind us."

Megan Snell (second in the WCC with 10 goals and 22 points) will lead the offensive attack for the Broncos, but Smith hopes for huge contributions from sophomore Amanda Poach, junior Brittany Klein, and sophomore goalkeeper Meagan McCray.

McCray, who is arguably the conference's best goalkeeper with 7 shutouts and a 0.52 goals against average this season, is a crucial element for the Broncos success.

"She is going to have to come up with some big stops, especially since Portland's offensive is so powerful," said Smith.

While the game may not be a heavy offensive scoring affair, it will be the most important test for the Broncos as they look to excel in post-season play.

The match-up begins at 8 p.m. at Buck Shaw stadium, but can also be seen live on the Fox Soccer Channel.

Contact Chris Furnari at (408) 551-1918 or cfurnari@scu.edu.