Women’s Soccer Success Draws First-Year Students

Sophomore Farrah Walters’s impressive hat trick this past Sunday led the 18th-ranked Santa Clara women’s soccer team to a 6-0 evisceration of the University of the Pacific. But in this easy win for the Broncos, what stood out wasn’t so much the game but instead the people who attended.

This game was one of the first chances for freshmen to experience the athletics events Santa Clara has to offer. While the crowd this Sunday was not record-breaking, it was refreshing for Santa Clara standards and contained many fresh Bronco faces.

“Coming from the East Coast, my friends are at SEC schools with big sports teams – I wanted to see our equivalent of those teams,” said Annie Nealon, a first-year undeclared business major.

While Nealon brought a row-filling number of friends and said that she was enjoying herself, she did admit to being a bit underwhelmed by the crowd size. Nealon believes that eventually the crowds will turn up.

“Once people get more comfortable, I think there will be more people with more spirit,” said Estephany Huerta, a first-year public health major.

But even though this year’s opening attendance does not come close to rivaling that of SEC schools, it already feels like first-year students are making these games a priority in ways prior classes have not.

“I’m going to every single home game,” said Nealon. These first-years, at least those who attended this Sunday’s game, felt more willing to show up for their athletic teams.

By contrast, upperclassmen, like junior psychology and child studies major Aleena Sunil, said that they will come to games, but only if it fits their schedules. These answers feel emblematic of differences between these first-years and the returning students on their attitudes around sports.

The women’s soccer team, with their 2020 NCAA Division I championship, is a clear draw for some. When asked why they attended, many first-years said they wanted to see the women’s soccer team play because of how talented they are. Some also spoke of other motivations for attending the game – Ursua Garcia said she attended “because it is the Latiné, Hispanic heritage month game, and I wanted to come support the women’s soccer team because they are really good.” At this particular game, there was a “Los Broncos'' promotion which meant discounted tickets and Latiné-themed giveaways.

First-year forward Mailin Orozco was marketed on numerous Latiné promotions surrounding the doubleheader weekend, as the marketing department attempts to bridge the gap between the student athletes and the fans at large.

“These players are students too. To them that they are the reason people would want to come out,” said assistant director of marketing and fan engagement, Adam Brunnquell. “But we're not just promoting them as athletes, rather that they are everyday people that can be really relatable.”