Sept. 30, 2009

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The No. 11 Santa Clara women's soccer team will play two strong Pac-10 opponents this week to finish off its 2009 non-conference schedule. Second-ranked Stanford comes to the Mission Campus on Thursday night for the highly-anticipated Silicon Valley Super Clásico match at 7 p.m. and the Broncos will face No. 14 California on Sunday at noon in yet another double-header with the Santa Clara men.

The Broncos are averaging 1.55 goals per game (17 total) and has only allowed seven goals in 11 games this season. The Santa Clara defense has earned five shutouts and the offense has generated 71 corner kicks in comparison to opponents (who have 31).

Senior Kiki Bosio (Mission Viejo, Calif.), junior Maxine Goynes (Modesto, Calif.) and redshirt senior Jordan Angeli (Lakewood, Colo.) lead the team in points with seven. Bosio and Goynes have two goals and three assists, while Angeli has three goals and one assist. The Broncos have nine different goal scorers and 12 different point contributors. Angeli and junior Anessa Patton (Fresno, Calif.) lead the team in scoring with three each. Sophomore goalkeeper Bianca Henninger (Los Gatos, Calif.) has been in between the pipes for all 11 games, carries a goals-against-average of 0.63, and is credited with all five shutouts.

LAST WEEK'S WRAP UP
Santa Clara played two tight games over the weekend, dominating both teams on the field for the majority of the 90 minutes but seldom were able to find the net despite amassing 36 shots in the two games. The Broncos pulled out a 1-0 victory over Cal State Fullerton, but suffered their first defeat at home and had their six-game winning streak snapped when they were unable to capitalize on a 20-8 advantage in shots, falling 2-0 to Southern California who had goals on two counterattacks.

SCOUTING STANFORD
Last year's national semifinalist, the undefeated Cardinal (10-0-0), is every bit as good as it looks on paper, sporting a solid squad from top to bottom with lots of depth. The match will no doubt be the toughest contest to date this season on the Broncos schedule and a treat for Bay Area soccer fans. Up top, Kelley O'Hara, Christen Press, and Lindsay Taylor make up one of the most fearsome front lines in women's college soccer. The trio has combined for 20 goals in ten games, and their reserves, including one of the nation's top recruits Courtney Verloo, have knocked in an additional four goals. In the midfield, former national high school player of the year Teresa Noyola is joined by Mexican national teamer Mariah Nogueira, who each have three goals and either Camille Levin or Allison McCann. In the back, this year's Cardinal defense has only surrendered six goals despite losing former captains and center backs Allison Falk and Marisa Abegg to graduation but has filled their shoes nicely with Rachel Quon and Ali Riley at outside, Alicia Jenkins and Alina Garciamendez in the middle, and strong play from goalkeeper Kira Maker. Stanford's numbers are impressive, averaging 3.4 goals per game, carrying a shot percentage of .135 and a goals-against-average of 0.60, outshooting opponents 25.2 to 5.7, and drawing four penalty kicks. Santa Clara is 18-11-7 all-time against the Cardinal and last year fell to their Bay Area rival 5-0 at Buck Shaw.

SCOUTING CALIFORNIA
The Golden Bears are the third-highest ranked Pac-10 team in the NSCAA top-25, checking in at No. 14, and have all the pieces to contest for the conference championship in a hugely competitive league. Cal has been keeping opposing goalies busy, having found the net three times or more in five of their nine games. It has also found success against Texas A&M and Texas, beating both schools in the Cal Invitational. The Bears' only two losses in their 7-2 record came at the hands of Portland, who dished them a 4-0 loss in Oregon early in the season, and Cal Poly, who recently stunned them 1-0 in overtime at home this past weekend. Alex Morgan stands out on the stat sheet, leading both goals (7) and assists (3). Katrin Omarsdottir follows in her footsteps with four goals and two assists for 10 points. All three Cal netminders have seen action, with Gina Pellegrini getting the most minutes (510). Pellegrini has a GAA of 1.59, one shutout, a record of 5-1-0, and has conceded nine goals. The Bears hold the series advantage over the Broncos 18-13-3, defeated Santa Clara 1-0 in overtime last season, and are responsible for ousting the Broncos in their last NCAA appearance.

BRONCOS GETTING NATIONAL AND CONFERENCE RECOGNITION
Santa Clara has had numerous players recognized nationally by several different media outlets this season. The Broncos have had five CollegeSoccer360.com Primetime Performers of the Week selections [Angeli (9/8, 9/14), Vernon (9/14), Bosio (9/22), Reynolds (9/22)], one TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week selection [Henninger (9/14)], and two WCC Players of the Week [Angeli (9/14), Bosio (9/21)]. In the polls, Santa Clara dropped two spots from its highest ranking of the season, checking in at No. 11 in the NSCAA National Rankings. The Broncos are also currently ranked No. 11 in Soccer America, No. 13 on SoccerTimes.com, and No. 28 on TopDrawerSoccer.com's tournament rankings.

BRONCO NOTES
Santa Clara returned 17 letterwinners and lost four, only one of which was a starter (goalkeeper Meagan McCray) ... the Bronco freshman class of 10 players was named TopDrawerSoccer.com's best in the nation ... Santa Clara was picked to finish third in the West Coast Conference table behind Portland and San Diego.

FOLLOW THE BRONCOS ONLINE
Both matches this week will be webcast on the Santa Clara All-Access channel and free live stats can be followed on CBS College Sports' Gametracker.

LOOKING AHEAD
Santa Clara begins West Coast Conference play on Sunday Oct. 11 against San Diego.

	SantaClaraBroncos.com
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