Broncos Turn up the Heat as Conference Play Commences

Santa Clara women’s soccer wins first two WCC matches

After a month-long, five-game road trip, the Santa Clara women’s soccer team returned home on Saturday, treating their home fans to a dominant performance where they bested San Diego 2-0.

Followed by a 3-1 win at Pacific on Wednesday, the Broncos are heating through the team’s first two West Coast Conference (WCC) matches.

The Broncos put forth a convincing offensive display in both wins, totalling 49 combined shots, 22 of them on target. The victories marked the fourth and fifth time this year that Santa Clara has won a game by multiple tallies. Last year, the Broncos had seven wins decided by at least two goals.

“It felt good to finally play in front of our home game crowd and open conference play with a win,” said team captain Kelsey Turnbow, on Saturday’s victory.

Sally Menti opened up the scoring in the 27th minute against San Diego, off assists from Emma Reeves and Skylar Smith that she buried into the back of the net for her first goal of the season. Turnbow added a critical insurance marker to make it 2-0 in the 57th minute with a beautiful left-footed strike from just outside the box.

That was all the Broncos needed to secure a victory.

Wednesday night’s game followed a different script but had a similar outcome. After Pacific struck first early in the 2nd minute, Santa Clara dominated the rest of the game — scoring three straight goals and cruising to a 3-1 win.

The Broncos’ defense has been bulletproof in the last two matches in front of goalkeeper Kylie Foutch, who collected a pair of consecutive wins, the first two of her collegiate career.

In front of Foutch, Turnbow continues to shine bright in a Santa Clara uniform. With two more goals in Wednesday’s victory at Pacific, she resides in sixth place on the Broncos’ all-time goals list: one behind Mikka Hansen (52). She also tallied her 130th career point, placing her in 5th all-time in points — next is Jenny Fechner with 156.

“I feel incredibly honored. As a player you look up to the all-time greats, and it means so much to be next to them,” Turnbow said.

Being home for Santa Clara is more than a competitive advantage for 90 minutes on the field; it represents one of the few times mid-season where players can remove their minds from soccer for a few hours and carry on their “tailgate tradition,” according to senior Skylar Smith.

“After home games, our family and friends all hang out, and we eat some good food. Since most of us can’t visit home, tailgates allow us to get that family feel,” Smith said. “With our lengthy road schedule, we all missed that quality time. It was great to celebrate the win.”

With thirteen true underclassmen on Santa Clara’s team, the Broncos know how important it is to build chemistry and comradery throughout their roster. When new players enter the program, older ones are urged to grow into leadership roles.

“Over the years, my role has changed,” Smith said. “The years of experience have brought conformability and confidence with my presence on the field and in our program.”

Older players like Smith know that they have the potential to help their team beyond the box score.

“When most people think of making an impact in a soccer program, they usually drift to stats,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong, I do want to leave my best on the field. But I hope to leave a lasting impact on my teammates. I hope they, along with my coaches and staff, will miss the energy, effort, and kindness I brought every day.”.

After a disappointing start to their season, the Broncos are beginning to relish the pressure of being reigning National Champions. Every game, opponents are putting their best foot forward when playing against the Broncos.

Fierce competition is often the reward for teams that win a national title: everyone hopes to knock-off one of the country’s best teams.

“It hasn’t been easy being the reigning national champions,” Turnbow said. “People, teams, and players want to always put their best against us. But it has been great at the same time; we want to be challenged and see people’s best game, we want to grow as a team, and the best competition will enable us to do that.”

Santa Clara’s offensive abilities have been on full display this season; they’ve combined for 100 shots, 47 on target over the past five matches. While the opportunities have been there, the lack of execution has limited the team’s success in the first half of the season.

After averaging 2.50 goals per game in last year’s championship season, the Broncos offense has struggled this year — scoring a mere 1.36 goals per game.

“With 33 shots, you hope to get more than two goals,” Coach Smith said after Saturday’s win.

Nevertheless, matches in the West Coast Conference (WCC) may be what Coach Smith and the Broncos need to get back on track.

In their first two conference games this week, Santa Clara’s offensive prowess returned: tallying five total goals and, in turn, coming away with victories in both matches.

“Whether you have a great non-conference or [an] average non-conference, you gotta get off to a good start in the conference,” Coach Smith explained.

For now, the Broncos (now 5-4-2, 2-0 WCC) will look to build on their back-to-back victories.

After recording her third goal in the last two matches, Turnbow preached the importance of patience throughout a long season. “It’s about peaking at the right time,” she said.

The Broncos will look to continue their ascent in the WCC against Gonzaga on Saturday evening, Oct. 9 in Spokane, Washington. The Broncos’ return home to take on San Francisco next Saturday, Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. at Stevens Stadium.

Photo Credit: santaclarabroncos.com