Nov. 6, 2007

Weekly Release (PDF)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara women's soccer team returns to Buck Shaw Stadium to host the Gaels of Saint Mary's in its final regular season contest. The Broncos will also celebrate their five graduating seniors in a pre-game ceremony. Kick-off for Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Last Week For Bronco Women's Soccer
SCU brought its long 10 game road season to an end on Sunday with a 1-0 victory over San Francisco. Scoring the lone goal for the Broncos was sophomore Kiki Bosio, who now has seven goals on the season and is tied for first with senior captain Brittany Klein.

Bosio also leads the Broncos in points, assists and total shots. Captain Klein has tallied 15 points this season on seven goals and one assists, while Tina Estrada rounds out the top three with 11 points on five goals and one assist. Meanwhile, junior goalkeeper Meagan McCray has collected 87 saves this season and posted six shutouts.

Honoring The Senior Class
The Broncos will honor their five graduating seniors prior to kick off of Saturday afternoon's contest. The 2007 SCU's senior class includes captain Klein, Estrada, Meagan Snell, Kendall Doherty and Chioma Igwe. Come out to Buck Shaw Stadium to celebrate with the Broncos their graduating seniors and the close of the 2007 regular season.

2007 Broncos Enter Record Books
The 2007 Santa Clara Broncos entered the team single season saves list this week. The Broncos have registered 93 saves thus far this season, which places them fourth on the list and just six shy of taking over the No. 3 spot.

Goalkeeper McCray continues her stellar performance this week as she moves up in two of categories. The junior now owns a career saves count of 162, which places her in the No. 5 spot on the all-time list and just one shy of tying former teammate Julie Ryder for fourth place. In the all-time shutouts list, McCray has tallied 15 thus far and now owns the No. 8 spot. In single-season categories, McCray's saves total of 87 moves her up to No. 4 on that list and just two shy of shying Wendy Johanson's 1986 record of 89. She also ranks fifth on the Broncos' all-time goals-against average list with a career percentage of .81.

With her game-equalizing goal on against Loyola Marymount, redshirt senior Estrada is now only one goal away from joining the all-time career list in goals. The Fremont, Calif., native has scored 31 goals in her four years on the Mission Campus and needs just one more to tie Kathleen Celio (1997-00) and Brandi Chastain (1989-90) for the No. 10 spot.

Santa Clara in WCC
The Broncos enter the final week of the regular season with a 3-3 West Coast Conference record and a fourth place standing. Leading the group is Portland, who is undefeated in league play with a 6-0-0 record.

As a team, SCU ranks second in saves, third in goals, and fourth in shots, and points. Individually, Bosio continues to lead the conference in shots, while being tied for fourth in points and goals. She is also tied for fifth in assists. Klein rounds out the top 10 in points this week and is tied with Bosio for fourth in goals. McCray moves up to second place in saves and saves per game, while holding onto the No. 4 spot in shutouts.

In WCC games only, the Broncos are third in shots, fourth in points and tied for fourth in shutouts. On their own, Bosio is second in shots, sixth in goals and seventh in points. Estrada is tied for fifth in shots, while Klein is tied for seventh in goals and 10th in points. McCray claims this No. 3 spot in saves and is tied for fourth in shutouts.

Broncos on the National Stage
Santa Clara has been consistently ranked in the top 100 in several statistical categories this season. In the final week of the regular season, SCU moved up to No. 68 in win-loss-tied percentage and jumped to No. 74 in save percentage. Meanwhile, junior goalkeeper McCray returns to the national rankings this week at No. 96 in save percentage.

In the Rankings
Santa Clara is a team that is consistently ranked throughout the season, and 2007 has been no exception. In the final regular season poll released by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Tuesday, the Santa Clara Broncos earned a No. 16 ranking. The Broncos also remain in the top 25 in the Soccer America, Soccer Times and Soccer Buzz weekly rankings.

Follow The Broncos Online
Every Santa Clara home game and most road games are covered live on the Internet via www.SantaClaraBroncos.com. All home games will also feature a live video broadcast as well.

Scouting Saint Mary's
The Gaels travel to the Mission Campus with a 6-10-2 overall record and looking for their first conference win of the season as they are 0-6-0 in league play. In its last outing, Saint Mary's fell 3-1 to then-No. 20 San Diego. Scoring the lone goal for SMC was Stefanie Rocco. It was her first goal of the season.

Allie Weiner leads the Gales this season with 18 points on six goals and six assists. She is followed by Alex Ciliento, who has tallied 10 points on five goals. Three of Ciliento's goals have been game-winners for SMC. Tara Larson has seen the majority of action in goal this season and has collected 102 saves and posted four shutouts.

Saint Mary's leads the WCC in saves, while Weiner is ranked sixth in points and eighth in goals. She is also ranked fourth in assists. Ciliento ties for ninth place in goals and Larson leads the conference in saves.

Santa Clara and Saint Mary's last met on Nov. 4, 2006, when the SCU edged SMC 2-1. In the all-time series, the Broncos own a 24-3-3 record and are 9-2 at home in the series.

On Deck
Santa Clara waits to find out its postseason fate on Monday, Nov. 12 when the NCAA Tournament field is announced. Fans can watch the selection show on ESPNU at 5 p.m. PT