Broncos Hit their Stride as Postseason Looms
With the end of the regular season, men and women’s soccer are peaking at the right time
Women’s Soccer
Women’s soccer for the Santa Clara Broncos is finally full of momentum as they close out their regular season. However, that was not the case at the start of the year. After disappointing results to open the season with a tie against Seattle University and a loss at University of San Francisco, the Broncos are turning the corner and appear poised to make another postseason run.
The Broncos are recently returning back into top form. The team is showing distinct parallels in momentum to last year’s national championship run, having won seven of their last eight games. If they hit the same stride as last season, look out for the stampede.
Forward Lucy Mitchell noted that the team’s opening struggles were due to “navigating uncharted territory. We had to figure out what worked with new players and what didn’t.”
“Our sports psychologist Tyler Webster helped prepare our minds for the season and helped impact our mindset as we moved into conference play,” she said.
The Broncos are certainly responding well to Webster’s advice.
Currently, the team is tied with Brigham Young University (BYU) for first in the West Coast Conference (WCC) standings. Both teams currently stand with 7-1 conference records as they head into the final stretch of the regular season and eventually the postseason.
Santa Clara does have the tiebreaker over BYU, having edged out a 1-0 victory against the Cougars at home on Oct. 30.
On Nov. 3, the Broncos dominated a helpless Loyola Marymount team on senior night, eviscerating them 6-0, off five second half goals. Seniors Kaile Halvorsen and Marika Guay wreaked havoc on the Lions, with Halverson scoring back to back goals in the 55th and 56th minutes; while Guay was all over the field, with a goal and an assist on the night.
With contributions coming from players outside of forwards Kelsey Turnbow and Izzy D’Aquila, the Broncos appear poised to make another deep run that is certain to grab the attention of the student body.
The Broncos will next head across the Bay to face rival Saint Mary’s on Saturday Nov. 6 in a game that could determine the fate of the WCC regular season title — and consequently an automatic bid representing the WCC in the postseason tournament.
The Broncos’ second-half hot streak has earned multiple players recognition by the conference, with Turnbow being named WCC Offensive Player of the Week and goalkeeper Kylie Foutch receiving the WCC Defensive Player of the Week award for the week of Oct. 26.
Men’s Soccer
The Santa Clara men’s soccer team is surprising the league by overcoming middling expectations for their season. After being projected to finish fifth by the WCC preseason poll, the Broncos have turned those expectations on their head. Carrying a 10-1-3 overall record at this point in the season, with a 4-0-1 conference record, Santa Clara sits all alone atop the WCC standings.
Having only dropped a 1-0 contest to Georgetown University, this Bronco team looks to be a main force for the WCC in the postseason.
This Broncos’ squad faces a difficult, yet ideal, conclusion to the regular season, with games against the second and third place teams in the conference — Portland and Loyola Marymount — on Nov. 6 and Nov. 13, respectively.
Santa Clara’s fate is in their own hands. If they win, they are in.
Led by senior Oladayo Thomas and graduate student Javier Ruiz Duran, the Broncos’ offense has worked in a flow comparable to yin and yang. Having been recently ranked #24 in the country, the Broncos are finally getting the recognition they deserve after an amazing regular season so far.
However, the season is not over yet, and the men’s soccer team must persevere through their final two regular season games if they want to overcome expectations and prove everyone wrong.
Head Coach Cam Rast raved about his players when asked about his team’s performance this year.
“What we are starting to see from this group is maturity,” he said. “There was no panic going down a goal. They came together, figured things out, and got back to it.”
A team’s maturity is a sign of growth, and things are no different with this year’s men’s soccer team. The pace and meticulousness with which the Broncos operate is daunting for any opponent, especially whilst fielding the WCC co-leading scorer in Thomas.
The Broncos have been riding a wave of momentum throughout the season and there are no signs of them slowing down as the postseason play looms in mid November.