Women's soccer defeats Portland in NCAA title rematch

By Blake Twisselman


WOMEN'S SOCCER

Santa Clara 2, Portland 1

In a rematch of last season's National Championship game, Santa Clara defeated the Pilots in double overtime in front of 1,327 fans at Buck Shaw Stadium. Senior forward Kristi Candau finished her home career with an exclamation point, rifling a ball just inside the right post for the game-winning goal. Junior forward Leslie Osborne scored her 10th goal of the season to put Santa Clara up 1-0 in the first half, but Portland answered with a goal in the 86th minute, which set the stage for two dramatic overtime periods. Freshman goalkeeper Julie Ryder made three saves on the day, as the Broncos (11-3-5 overall, 5-0-1 in conference) snapped Portland's 12-game winning streak and claimed first place in the WCC standings. The team will conclude their regular season schedule this Saturday at Gonzaga.

MEN'S SOCCER

Santa Clara 2, Saint Mary's 1

The men's soccer team improved to 12-2-3 overall and 4-0-0 in conference in last Sunday's road victory against the Gaels. The Broncos struck first as junior forward Will Weatherly assisted teammate Kelechi Igwe in the 21st minute. Freshman midfielder Erik Ustruck put Santa Clara up 2-0 with a long-distance strike that fooled the Gaels' goalkeeper, and the Bronco defense preserved the victory. Junior goalkeeper Steve Cronin made three saves in the winning effort. The Broncos can clinch the West Coast Conference title this Saturday at Buck Shaw Stadium with a win against the San Diego Toreros.

WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

Santa Clara 3, Portland 0

The Broncos improved to 15-8 overall and 6-2 in conference play with a dominating sweep of the Portland Pilots last Friday at the Leavey Center. Senior setter Kelli Sousa sparked the offense with 39 assists, while All-American Becky Potter had 15 kills and 12 digs. Sophomores Cassie Perret and Toni Muratore added 11 and 10 kills, respectively, while senior Becky Biniek contributed six block assists. Perret recorded a .647 hitting percentage with her 11 kills and zero errors performance against the Pilots.

Santa Clara 3, Gonzaga 1

Sousa had an all-around performance, registering 53 assists, nine digs, four kills and two blocks as the Broncos cruised to the conference win last Saturday night at the Leavey Center. The Broncos (16-8 overall, 7-2 in conference) kept the Bulldogs winless in WCC action and defeated them for the 19th straight meeting. Potter and Muratore each had 14 kills, while Biniek and Perret each added 10 kills apiece. Santa Clara will take on the San Diego Toreros this Saturday at the Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego.

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY

WCC Championships

The men's cross country team finished third in team competition at the WCC Championships last Saturday in Belmont. Senior Ben Gauen led Santa Clara with an 11th-place overall finish, earning all-WCC honors. Sophomore Jon Hinman finished in 15th place, despite a recent illness that hurt his training regimen. Sophomore Pat Green finished 18th place, sophomore John Paul Thyken finished 25th place and sophomore Chris Doerhoff finished in 31st place to round out Santa Clara's scoring. The Broncos competed without senior Ricky Brackett, who was out due to injury. The team will compete in the NCAA West Regional Tournament in Portland, Ore. on Nov. 15.

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY

WCC Championships

Five Bronco runners achieved personal best times to propel the team to a second-place team finish in the conference championships last weekend in Belmont. Freshman Lauren Swigart finished fifth overall with a time of 18:34 on the 5,000-meter course. Sisters freshman Shannon and junior Robin Bell finished in seventh and ninth place, respectively. Saturday was the first time Shannon Bell had competed since the Willamette Invitational on Oct. 4 due to a hip injury. Junior Katie Hansen finished 10th with a time of 18:44 while teammate freshman Blossom Marimpietri finished 12th to round out the team scoring. Seniors Milena Basile and Cara Payne also competed for the Broncos. Swigart, Shannon Bell, Robin Bell, Hansen and Marimpietri received all-WCC honors for their performances. Santa Clara will compete in the NCAA Regional Meet in Portland, Ore. on Nov. 15.

MEN'S WATER POLO

UCLA 13, Santa Clara 3

The Broncos lost to the highly-ranked Bruins last Saturday in a game hosted by UC-Santa Cruz at the East Fieldhouse. Senior Daniel Figoni scored two goals for Santa Clara, while freshman Sho Yamazaki scored the Bronco's other goal. Santa Clara competed without senior captain Kenny Flanagan-De La Hoz, who missed the game due to an illness. Junior keeper Peter Moore had seven saves for the Broncos in goal, and Floyd Tucker made two saves in the final period. The Broncos fell to 15-13 overall on the season, and will take on the UC-Santa Cruz Banana Slugs on Nov. 14.

MEN'S GOLF

Turtle Bay Invitational

The men's golf team finished in 11th place at the University of Hawaii-Turtle Bay Invitational earlier this week. Senior Justin Ahasic's 79 was the best round of the tournament for any Bronco. Sophomore Michael Nicoletti finished in a tie for 26th place. while Jong Yoon finished in a tie for 33rd place. The Broncos will return to action Feb. 23 for the UC Irvine Anteater Invitational

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Osborne leads by example