Two Wins End in Milestone

Broncos wrap up nonconference play in winning fashionIvan MunozTHE SANTA CLARAOctober 3, 2013 Longtime Head Coach Jerry Smith won his 400th career match Sunday afternoon following a 4-0 rout of California Polytechnic State University. Smith’s milestone capped off a weekend in which the Broncos won two games against the University of Kansas Jayhawks and Cal Poly Mustangs.The first win came Friday night when the Broncos edged the Jayhawks by a score of 3-2 at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Broncos picked up their second win of the weekend on Sunday afternoon after defeating Cal Poly. The Broncos improved to 6-3-1 on the season with the two wins.Saturday’s match proved to be a close one for the Broncos as they narrowly defeated the Jayhawks by one goal. The match started off with a bang after junior Sofia Huerta scored just five minutes after kickoff. Huerta took a strike from the top of the box to give the Broncos the early lead. However, the Jayhawks responded quickly, notching their first goal in the sixth minute to tie the game at 1-1. After 30 minutes of play, the Broncos regained the lead when senior Julie Johnston scored off a corner kick taken by Huerta. The first half concluded with a 2-1 advantage for the home side.Huerta continued to be a potent factor in the second half. The junior forward  obtained a penalty kick after being taken down in the box by an opposing defender. Huerta capitalized on the opportunity and scored the penalty, giving Santa Clara a 3-1 advantage.  Kansas would not surrender easily, scoring a goal in the 74th minute to cut the deficit to just one goal. But the Santa Clara defense remained strong and the Broncos were able to hold off Kansas by a score of 3-2. Sunday’s match turned out to be a breeze for the Broncos as they defeated the Cal Poly Mustangs 4-0, giving Smith his milestone win.Senior Allie Vernon scored the first goal in the 17th minute off a header that came from a chip pass by freshman teammate Jordan Jesolva. The Broncos outshot the Mustangs in the first half by a wide margin of 10-1, clearly showing their dominance over the away side. Goalkeeper Andi Tostanoski commented on the way she communicated with the defensive unit in front of her to keep everyone focused. “They make it easier, obviously, but at the same time, they make it harder because I have to stay connected with them even if we don’t have a lot of pressure on us,” said Tostanoski. Tostanoski recorded two saves to aid in the shutout victory. [pullquote align="right"]"If we are on the same page and if we are working hard and covering for eachother, we will continue to perform as well as we have done so in the past."[/pullquote]The second half was most notable for two goals scored by the Broncos, one from the head of senior Morgan Marlborough and the other coming from the foot of Jesolva. The Bronco back line put in a strong performance to go along with the offensive outpouring of goals. Senior defender Ellie Rice highlighted the keys to Santa Clara’s success on defense. “Having a good defense isn’t just individual performance, it’s basically all being on the same page and the back four or the back three with our goalie,” Rice said. “If we are on the same page and if we are working hard and covering for each other, we will continue to perform well as we have done so in the past.”The women’s soccer team will begin play in the West Coast Conference on Oct. 10 versus the University of San Diego.  Contact Ivan Munoz at imunoz@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.