Five Second-Half Goals Send Women's Soccer into NCAA Third Round
Nov. 17, 2002
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University women's soccer team scored three goals in a 2:28 stretch of the second half to defeat Arizona State 5-1 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament this afternoon at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Broncos were led by Kristi Candau, who scored two goals as Santa Clara improves to 17-4-1 overall. Arizona State's season ends with a 12-7-2 mark. The Broncos, the 2001 National Champions, are the tournament's sixth overall seed, and will host the third round of the 21st NCAA Championship at Buck Shaw next Saturday, November 23. Game time has not been announced. Santa Clara will face Nebraska, 1-0 winners over Yale in another second-round contest. The Huskers improved to 16-5-3 with their win. Additionally, Santa Clara's win gives the West Coast Conference three teams in the third round, as Portland advanced with a 3-0 victory over Utah on Saturday, and Pepperdine earned a 2-1 overtime win over Wisconsin. The ACC also has three times in the third round, while the Pac-10, Big East, Big 10 and Big 12 have two each. The SEC and the Atlantic 10 have one squad apiece to round out the remaining 16 teams. The teams played a tight first half, with SCU taking six shots to ASU's four. The Broncos' first attempt came in the 15th minute when Leslie Osborne sent a heel pass to Veronica Zepeda, who returned the ball back to Osborne. Her shot was blocked high, to Bronco Megan Kakadelas, whose header was deflected to Zepeda, whose shot hit off the crossbar before being cleared by a Sun Devil defender. Seven minutes later, Arizona State countered with a strong shot, a 30-yard attempt by Patrice Feulner that hit high off the left post.
Santa Clara's Devvyn Hawkins collided heads with Arizona State's Stephanie Peel in the 34th minute, sending Hawkins to the locker room, where she received 11 stitches on the top of her head. She returned to the Stadium in the 60th minute and re-entered the game 10 minutes later.
"She took quite a few (stitches) and she still wanted to get back out there," SCU head coach Jerry Smith said. "She really helped us with her heading ability. If there is ever a time to be timid about heading the ball it is just after being stitched up, and she was not hesitant at all." Arizona State's Manya Makoski was more successful in the 41st minute, when she gave the Sun Devils a 1-0 halftime lead. Elizabeth Bogus served the ball, brining Bronco netminder Alyssa Sobolik out for the grab. The ball squeaked through her hands to Feulner, whose first shot was blocked, but got the rebound and centered it to Makoski for a one-touch into the empty net. The Broncos picked up the pressure in the second half, firing 22 shots in the period. One finally saw the back of the cage in the 63rd minute, when Osborne, playing midfield in place of the injured Hawkins, took a pass from Aly Wagner, and in a scramble at the top of the box, fired a shot that was deflected, took an awkward spin, and floated into the far corner for the equalizer. Candau notched her fourth game-winner of the season with a goal just 43 seconds later. She carried the ball in, faked with her left foot, cut back with her right and placed it in the far side. The Broncos kept pushing and another goal resulted 1:45 later, this time by Zepeda. Her first shot was stopped by ASU keeper Kelly Fitzgerald, but the ball came right back to Zepeda, who's second attempt was deflected off Sun Devil defender Amy LePeilbet. Candau added her team-leading 13th goal of the season in the 71st minute on a header that was assisted by Wagner and Kakadelas, while Bree Horvath added the final score, when her shot deflected off the left post. Kakadelas was credited with an assist. "They got the momentum after that and that was an incredible display," ASU head coach Ray Leone said. "We brought out their best, and their best beat us, so I can live with that." The Broncos, ranked fourth in the country, are making their 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 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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