From Sweet to Elite, Broncos Keep Dancing

Santa Clara women’s soccer advances to the Elite Eight in NCAA Championship

No, the Santa Clara Broncos do not know how to control the weather, but they do know how to dance. 

The Broncos advanced to the Quarterfinals of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament with a 2-0 victory over the No.6 Arkansas Razorbacks. It is the first time Santa Clara has reached the Elite Eight since 2016.  

“I’m really proud of this team,” said Head Coach Jerry Smith. “We played some good soccer, controlled the ball for large parts of the game and scored two incredible goals.” 

Lightning in the forecast on Wednesday evening prevented the highly-anticipated matchup from starting on time at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. Coach Smith anticipated this probable setback by keeping his team on west coast time to avoid fatigue during these exact moments. At 7:20 p.m. Pacific, kickoff finally commenced. 

Both teams got off to a slow start after the delay, but the Broncos struck first in the 28th minute. Senior Julie Doyle received the ball at the center line and took advantage of the space behind her defender. She dribbled to the 18 yard box, cut back to her right foot and served a shot-cross to the sophomore Izzy D’Aquila who headed the ball into the back of the net. 

“After that goal I was trying to find the energy and breath to celebrate the goal with the team,” said Doyle. “I remember when I got to Izzy I gave her a big embracing hug. Scoring that first goal was such a relief.” 

The next goal came 45 minutes later, again off a cross from Doyle. After an aggressive slide tackle from an Arkansas defender momentarily knocked the ball loose, Doyle recovered to serve yet another beautiful ball in front of the opposing net. Charging from the left side came junior Skylar Smith who volleyed the cross into the goal. The insurance marker capped off the team’s statement win, as goalkeeper Marlee Nicolos kept the Razorbacks off the scoreboard. 

“That second goal was extremely important to close out the game,” said Doyle. “There was still plenty of game left and Arkansas was hungry to tie it up. [That goal] was the nail in the coffin.”

From that moment on, Santa Clara never looked back. The Broncos continued to pour pressure on Arkansas, outshooting their opponent 11-6 and committing to the defensive-end of the field in a shutout victory.

Even after winning the West Coast Conference (WCC) and advancing to the Elite Eight, the Broncos are not yet satisfied. A championship title  is in sight.

“We felt like the WCC maybe did not get enough respect as we deserve. It is what it is,” Coach Smith reiterated. “We’re moving on.” 

Santa Clara will have a chance to earn the country’s respect and move one step closer to their ultimate goal when they face the 14th seeded Clemson Tigers.

Clemson is in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2006 after upsetting the 3rd-seeded UCLA squad in penalty kicks. The Tigers are one of five Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) teams to make up the final eight teams in the NCAA Tournament. 

Tournament games in North Carolina represent familiar territory for ACC schools––a possible explanation for the conference’s utmost success in this year’s postseason. Santa Clara flew nearly 3,000 miles to arrive in the NCAA Tournament “bubble” while closer schools, such as Clemson, traveled just under 300 miles to Cary. 

Coach Smith and the Broncos’ high-flying offense face their biggest test yet. They will play Clemson on Sunday at 2 p.m. Pacific for a chance to dance to the College Cup.