Santa Clara Wins NCAA Opener
Nov. 15, 2002
Box Score | Santa Clara Quotes | Creighton Quotes
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara University women's soccer team defeated Creighton 5-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this evening at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Broncos were led by junior reserve Tracy Hess, who scored twice in the second half as Santa Clara improves to 16-4-1 overall. Creighton's season ends with a 12-8-2 mark. The Broncos, the 2001 National Champions, are the tournament's sixth overall seed, and will host the second round of the 21st NCAA Championship at Buck Shaw on Sunday. Santa Clara will face Arizona State, 2-1 winners over Washington State in the other first-round game earlier today. The Sun Devils improved to 12-6-2 with their win while the Cougars end their season with an 11-7-2 mark. Bronco sophomore Leslie Osborne opened scoring in the seventh minute, with a header for her 10th goal of the season. Fellow sophomore Megan Kakadelas sent a cross to Osborne, who was waiting six yards in front of the net. Senior All-American Aly Wagner returned from the National Team's Gold Cup Championship and wore her Bronco uniform, contributing the team's second goal, and taking six of the Broncos' 34 shots on the night. Osborne and Kakadelas connected on two solid passes to set Wagner up inside the 18, where her left-footed shot found the far corner in the 29th minute. Junior Kristi Candau made it a 3-0 advantage just before the half when she scored in the 39th minute on a blast from 27 yards out.
The Broncos lost starter Veronica Zepeda early in the game when she sprained her right knee, but the team saw the return of sophomore Holly Azevedo, who had been out the last four weeks with a dislocated shoulder. Zepeda's status is unknown for Sunday.
Hess scored the Broncos' final tallies in second-half action. Her first was a rebound off an earlier shot, which hit off the right post right back to her for the goal. Creighton avoided the shut out in the 70th minute. Becky Heiberger shot was cleared by a Bronco defender, right into an awaiting Lindsey Martinson, who shot put the Bluejays on the scoreboard. Martinson also took Creighton's other two shots on the night. Additionally, Santa Clara posted 18 corner kicks on the evening, without allowing one to the Bluejays. The Broncos, ranked fourth in the country with a 15-4-1 record, will be making its 14th straight NCAA postseason appearance. Santa Clara received an at-large berth in the 2002 Tournament after earning a share of the West Coast Conference Championship on November 9. Pepperdine, by virtue of a tiebreaker, earned the league's automatic bid. The Broncos have advanced to the College Cup on eight occasions. The third round will be held November 22-24 and the quarterfinals will be played November 29-December 1. The 2002 Women's College Cup will be held December 6 and 8 at the Mike A. Myers Stadium on the campus the University of Texas at Austin. |
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