Bronco Preview: Soccer Seasons!

From losing stars to welcoming in freshman players, here’s a tell-all for the upcoming mens and womens soccer season

Summer has come to a close, meaning the 2022-23 season of Bronco athletics is getting into full swing. Both the Santa Clara men’s and women’s soccer teams have started their official seasons after less-than-beautiful preseasons.

Men’s Soccer

The season began slowly, as the men’s team worked their way into finding free-flowing footy. Initial draws against Sacramento State and University of Las Vegas were neither outrageous nor outstanding. Concerns grew among fans and players alike when the Broncos lost their first two games against UC San Diego and Cal State Fullerton. 

Since then, the Broncos have put those worries to bed. They’ve found a rhythm, with three wins in the last three games, including a comeback from 2-0 down against Utah Valley on September 16th. 

When the Broncos found themselves down two goals eighteen minutes into the game, a goal from Damani Osei in the thirty-ninth minute gave the boys hope going into halftime. In the second half, there must have been something in senior Jesse Anamoo’s water, as he scored two more goals to put the Broncos up 3-2. Surely a hattrick next game, Jesse?

Head Coach Cameron Rast said “The quality in the group (kind of) showed in the end…very proud of the guys to come back, very proud of the guys to hold on” when referring to the comeback. 

Rast has a strong squad to work with this season including several lethal attackers. With a history of fourteen career goals at Santa Clara, senior Oladayo Thomas shows great promise for this season.

Additionally, Anamoo already has an impressive scoring performance and is sure to top the leaderboard alongside Thomas.

Fans should keep their eye on redshirt freshman James Reddington, who is already making his presence known with assists and a teamwork mindset.

The team will look to pick up points in a jam-packed October, playing six games (three of which will be at home) including competition against Gonzaga on October 8th, Incarnate Word on October 15th, and Loyola Marymount on the 29th.

So far in the WCC, San Francisco and Saint Mary’s appear to be the teams to beat. The Broncos will first travel to San Francisco on October 26th and two weeks later host Saint Mary’s in Claradise on November 12th. 

But first, the Broncos face UC Davis at home on September 24th. Anamoo and the team will be hungry for goals, and are sure to smell the blood of Davis’s five losses in their last six games.

Women’s Soccer

The women’s 2023 season is highly anticipated. Simply put, this year is a rebuild. Fans, coaching staff, and players alike hope that glimpses of past years’ teams will shine through this season. 

Santa Clara lost three crucial attackers in their squad from the last two seasons to the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). These include Kelsey Turnbow, who joined the San Diego Wave; Julie Doyle, who joined the Orlando Pride; and Kaile Halvorsen, who was drafted by the OL Reign in the spring but elected to stay in school. She would have been playing alongside the legendary player and activist Megan Rapinoe had she reported to camp, but for now the future is uncertain there. 

The question of the season: what does the team do now? Currently, trying new players in new positions seems to be part of the tactics. On top of that, freshman additions to the team like Farrah Walters have proven to be more than effective, with Walters recently netting a hattrick against Oregon.

Senior Ellie Glenn, traditionally used as a defensive midfielder in years past, is part of the attack for the Broncos as of late. 

“It’s been fun getting creative and taking more risks,” Glenn said, when asked about her new role in the team.

The Bronco women have seen mixed results so far, as the normal growing pains of developing a new team create obstacles. Throughout August and September, the team felt these challenges as they went on a woeful four game losing streak, but things have turned around since. 

A 4-1 win versus Oregon proved that the Broncos have plenty of fire in the tank, especially coming from freshman forward Farrah Walters and senior midfielder Izzy D’Aquila. To foster a new generation of success, players like Walters need to continue coming into the side training under more experienced maestros of the game like D’Aquila.

Throughout the season the team will be working on chemistry and spirit. Most recently, head coach Jerry Smith was pleased with his side’s 2-2 draw against Stanford.

“What a start...man what a great start we had. What can you say about Izzy D’Aquila…she lives for big games,” Smith said after the final whistle. D’Aquila scored both goals for the Broncos to salvage a point against local rivals, no. 9 Stanford University. 

Just last night, the 22nd, D’Aquila made Santa Clara history and became just the third Bronco with at least four goals in one game. The other two players are Kristi DeVert, who scored four against Oregon State on September 11, 1991; and Mikka Hansen who scored five against Gonzaga on October 25, 1996 (info courtesy of Santa Clara Athletics reporting).

This historic moment only adds to D'Aquila’s impressive performance record and reputation on and off the pitch. Congratulations, Izzy D’Aquila!

Get used to these names, Bronco fans. If the season continues in this form, it will be an action-packed fall quarter, hopefully full of less downpour and more surprises on matchday.
Be sure to support your peers, show some school spirit, and enjoy the beautiful games this season -- tickets can be found for both teams (students get in FREE), at santaclarabroncos.com.