Bronco Briefs
By Brian Betz
Women's Soccer
Santa Clara 1, Portland 0
Sophomore forward Bree Horvath's goal in the 10th minute off of sophomore forward Megan Kakadelas' assist was enough to upset No. 4 Portland Sunday afternoon. The women (13-4-1, 5-1-0 in the West Coast Conference) have now won four of the last five against the Pilots, in what has become the paramount rivalry in the conference. Horvath was honored as the WCC Player of the Week for her performance on Sunday.
Senior midfielder Aly Wagner came down from Seattle for the match, just half a day removed from playing with the women's national team for World Cup Qualifying. Sophomore Alyssa Sobolik played brilliantly in goal, most notably when the Pilots came out in the second half firing early and often. The squad ends their regular season this Saturday at home against Gonzaga.
Men's Cross Country
Second Place, WCC Championships
The men's cross country team finished second at the WCC Championships this past weekend, 30 points behind Portland. The Pilots had won the title for the past 23 years, and while this looked to be the year that the Broncos could end that streak, it wasn't to be.
The men ran well, placing all five runners in the top 14. Senior Thomas Chapman led the charge in seventh. Right behind him in the eight through 10 spots were senior Michael Helms, junior Benjamin Gauen and freshman John Hinman. Junior Dominic Ricci rounded out the team's scoring in 14th. Although the Crystal Springs course did not bring the results that the men were looking for, they will have a chance to run stronger at the NCAA Far-West Regionals. That race is scheduled for Nov. 16 at the Stanford Golf course.
Women's Cross Country
Second Place, WCC Championships
The women looked to repeat last year's WCC title, but, much like the men, fell just short. WCC Cross Country Athlete of the Month Kim Bates crossed the line in second place, anchoring the women's squad to a second place finish at the WCC Championships.
Bates was the only Bronco runner to place in the top 10, while sophomore Robin Bell and junior Courtney Daniels finished in 11th and 12th, respectively. Sophomore Katie Hansen and junior Milena Basile rounded out the scoring for the Broncos, finishing 17th and 18th, respectively.
As a team the women ended the morning with 60 points, 21 behind champion Portland. The women are looking to finish their season strong at their next meet, NCAA Far-West Regionals, on Nov. 16 at the Stanford Golf Course.
Men's Soccer
Santa Clara 4, Saint Mary's 1
The men looked sluggish in the opening minutes of Saturday night's match against Saint Mary's, falling behind early on a Gaels goal in the 12th minute.
It didn't take long, however, for the heavily-favored Broncos to bounce back, as senior forward Jamil Walker tied it up just minutes later off of freshman midfielder Jason Cunliffe's corner kick. Walker went on to score two more on the evening, notching his second hat trick of the season. The senior now has 12 goals on the season, putting him fifth overall on the men's all-time single-season goals list. Santa Clara pressured the Gaels' defense most of the game, outshooting Saint Mary's 21-5.
Senior midfielder Scott McLain assisted on two goals, while freshman forward Devin Skrade recorded the first collegiate goal of his career. Three games remain in the regular season, starting Thursday on the road against Sacramento State. The men now stand at 7-6-1, 1-3-0 in the WCC, and must likely win the remaining three games on their regular season schedule to have a shot at the NCAA Tournament.
Men's Water Polo
0-6 in Hawaii
The men's water polo team lost all six matches this past weekend when they traveled to Hawaii to face No. 18 BYU-Hawaii, Chaminade and Cal Baptist twice each.
Freshman two meter Whit Gilfillan and freshman driver Austin Brizgys were the only two Broncos to score in the weekend's first loss to BYU-Hawaii, as netminder sophomore Peter Moore was tested all evening in the 13-2 finish. The 8-5 loss to Chaminade came only after Santa Clara rallied from being down 8-1 in the second period.
The team's second meeting with BYU was much like the first, losing the match 13-4. The squad lost their last match to Cal Baptist by a 13-6 mark, as junior utility J.P. Doucette recorded a hat trick in the loss.
Santa Clara closed out the weekend losing 12-8 to Cal-Baptist and 10-5 to Chaminade, leaving the team's record at 10-22. Freshman utility Marc Hausle scored twice versus Chaminade, while Gilfillan tallied another three goals in the loss to Cal-Baptist.
Women's Volleyball
Santa Clara 3, Saint Mary's 0
The women's volleyball team dominated the Gaels by scores of 30-23, 30-23 and 30-21 for their 12th straight win over Saint Mary's.
Freshman outside hitter Alyssa Lantz led the team with 15 kills, while junior middle blocker Becky Potter and sophomore outside hitter Megan Johnston each added 11.
Junior setter Kelli Sousa, who was later named WCC Player of the Week, recorded 40 assists to go along with her 16 digs. The Broncos posted a .260 hitting percentage while limiting the Gaels to a .076 attack percentage.
Santa Clara 3, USD 1
Over 1,000 fans saw the No. 12 Broncos defeat the Toreros Saturday, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead. Despite losing the third game 30-20, the women prevailed in a hard fought fourth game to win by a close mark of 30-28.
Potter led the team in both kills and digs with 21 and 14, while Sousa guided the play with her 52 assists.
Senior libero Chrissy Hirsch added 13 digs, and freshman outside hitter Cassie Perret chipped in 17 kills.
The squad brings their 20-3 overall record, and 8-1 record in the WCC to Leavey this weekend for their final two home matches of the year against Portland and Gonzaga on Friday and Saturday nights.