Postseason powerhouse revs engine
By Brian Witter
I'm glad to see the NCAA Selection Committee actually got it right this year, seeding the women's soccer team second in their bracket instead of with an unfair lower seed like last year's dismal No. 16 or 2003's comparably lame ninth seed. Jerry Smith has taken his team to the postseason tournament 17 years in a row. In the last 10 years, they've made it to the quarterfinals. That's more than any other current Division I team.
These numbers are bordering on the outrageous. Santa Clara is to the women's soccer tournament as Duke is to March Madness. Every year, we tend to have a great season, where we aren't perfect by any means, but at the very least are somewhere in the top 10. Then, when the tournament rolls around, we'll go far, no matter who our opponent is, making it look easy along the way.
How is this year different? Smith said it best himself about this year's squad: "We're anxious to prove our grittiness." Wins may not always come easy and quickly, but are instead fought for. That's not necessarily a bad thing though. Real quick, let's play a word association game. What comes to mind when you think of North Carolina? How about...uh...UPSET? Facing off against the Tar Heels in years past, with their customary undefeated record and maybe one or two ties hasn't meant much to Smith's teams. We still beat them in the tournament. Hell, we can beat anyone.
No one said going the distance would be easy though, especially this year. A potential second-round game with Stanford could definitely prove interesting as the Cardinal defeated the Broncos earlier this year. In addition to the skills a team must display to win, there's always a psychological factor involved when revenge is in the air.
Additionally, top-ranked Portland's one-woman team of Canadian national star Christine Sinclair and all 32 of her goals scares me. It was Sinclair in 2002 who ruined our shot at back-to-back titles at the national championship. I'll never forget sitting in The Bronco as a freshman watching that game and listening to the deafening silence that followed her double-overtime goal. The term "sting of defeat" comes to mind.
One thing's for certain in the postseason, however, and that's that nothing is certain. Naturally, it's cliche for me to write that, but you know it's true. The girls could lose to Fresno State on Friday or make it to the College Cup. Let's all do our part to make sure the latter happens. Get your butt to Buck Shaw Friday night at 5 p.m. Home-field advantage. Go Broncos.
Contact Brian Witter at (408) 551-1918 or bwitter@scu.edu.