STOCKTON, Calif. – Tyler Tipton scored the game-winning goal in the 74th minute to send Santa Clara men's soccer to a 2-1 victory over Pacific for the Broncos first West Coast Conference win of the season on Saturday night at Knoles Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Tipton recorded his team-leading fifth goal of the season to break a 1-all deadlock to help snap Santa Clara's (4-6-3, 1-2-2 WCC) six-game winless streak.
- The game had been tied for 55 minutes after Pacific scored the equalizer in the 19th minute before Tipton slotted the ball from directly in front of the net on a beautifully threaded pass from Keegan Rhodes on the end line.
- Wiersdorf opened the scoring in the seventh minute when he curled in a free kick from 20 yards out. His ball curved over the wall into the bottom left corner of the goal past the diving Tigers goalkeeper Joshua Moya.
- Bele Alomerovic got the Tigers (2-7-4, 0-4-1 WCC) on the board in the 19th minute. Surrounded by several Bronco defenders atop the 18, the freshman's left-footed shot found the back of the net just out of the reach of Jackson Ozburn, who got his third start between the posts for the Broncos.
NOTABLE NUMBERS / GAME NOTES:
- Santa Clara leads the series 19-5-6.
- The goal by Wiersdorf gave the Broncos their first lead in the opening half all season.
- Ozburn was credited with three saves and picked up his first win as a Bronco. Moya had four saves for the Tigers.
- Six of the eight shots by SCU were on frame compared to four of seven for Pacific.
HIGHLIGHTS:
POST-GAME COMMENTS:
Head Coach Cam Rast on Wiersdorf's goal:
"The goal by Will was important in that it helped us break out of the cycle we've been in where we haven't been sharp enough to start the games. It might've also been our first goal off a set piece so we talked about having some breakthroughs in this game and I was happy we were able to accomplish that and get off to a great start."
Rast on Tipton's goal:
"Keegan Rhodes had a great pass on Tyler's goal as he was strong and physical in and around the box and gave a great opportunity for Tyler to smash it in."
Rast on Ozburn getting the start at goalkeeper:
"This was going to be a good chance for Jackson to get some minutes to see where he's at. He made a great save and his kicking was outstanding. He hits it so far and hard, it relieves the defense and his distribution was helpful."
Rast on the short turnaround for the Gonzaga game:
"We've put alot into the season and after some thought, we'll take the day off tomorrow. Training tomorrow after tonight's game isn't going to solve a lot for us so we'll be back on Monday with some light training. Playing two games in a short span, that second one can tear at you so we need to be mindful and adjust our schedule accordingly."
NEXT UP:
- Santa Clara hosts Gonzaga in a midweek tilt on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
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