Broncos Finish Third in Tournament

By Henry Gula

Santa Clara women's water polo fell short of making a trip to the NCAA Tournament, finishing third in the Western Water Polo Association's conference tournament. The third-place finish was a significant improvement over the seventh-place finish by the team just a year ago.

The Broncos finished their season with a final record of 16-17 including a solid 6-3 mark against conference opponents.

"We were seeded third coming in to it, but our goal was definitely not to get third, so we're not totally satisfied," said Bronco Head Coach Keith Wilbur. "I thought we played well all three games."

Hosting the tournament meant a big weekend for the Sullivan Aquatic Center. 

Twelve games played over three days determined the WWPA champion and the team that would represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament in early May.

The Broncos were victorious twice in their three games, winning their opening round game against California State University, Monterey Bay 8-5. The win advanced the team to the semifinals, where they then lost to second-seeded and No. 11 Loyola Marymount University 8-5.

In their loss to LMU, the Broncos played the Lions tight throughout the game. The score was 5-4 at halftime, and 6-5 in the third quarter before LMU scored an important goal in the final seconds.

"We stuck to our game plan and did a lot of good things," said Wilbur. "Against a higher seeded team though, a little luck could help and we didn't get that; they did."

Wilbur noted the shift in momentum in the second half when the Broncos failed to score off a power play that would have changed the game.

The Broncos got a hat trick from First Team WWPA All-Conference selection Julia Peters while Jenny Anderson and Elle Surber added the other two goals.

Senior goalkeeper Stephanie Clements played well all weekend, including seven blocks in the game against LMU.

"If she's playing well, we're in games," said Wilbur of Clements.

On Sunday, the Broncos beat the Colorado State University Rams 12-7 for third-place. University of California, San Diego beat LMU in the championship game to win the tournament. 

In the third-place game, Peters and Alison Norris combined for six of the 12 Bronco goals.

"I wouldn't say it was easy," he said. "All our games against Colorado (State) have been close and they're a good team. We just came out well and adjusted to the way the refs were calling it before they did. I'm glad we won that game."

With the season coming to a close, the Broncos will look to carry the momentum of their improvement this year into next season with their eyes on contending for a conference championship.

"One thing I really like about this team is that it's well rounded," said Wilbur. "Usually you have two or three goal scorers, but this year we had six or seven - around 30 plus goals. It's fun to coach a team where you're not relying on any one player and different people step up at different times."

Wilbur also mentioned a larger than normal recruiting class coming in for next year with several strong prospects. The team is hoping to combine experience and youth in order to rise to the top of the conference in 2014.

Contact Henry Gula at hgula@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.