SANTA CLARA, Calif. – With a 3-0 win over Saint Mary's No. 11 Santa Clara women's soccer clinched the 14th WCC title in program history, its fourth in five seasons, and its 34th trip to the NCAA Tournament, its 10th in a row. The Broncos (12-3-4, 6-1-3 WCC) got things going right away and kept the pressure on the Gaels (7-7-4, 4-3-3 WCC) throughout the 90 minutes.
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The conference title is shared with Pepperdine as both teams finished with 20 points in the standings. The Broncos get the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament due to the tiebreaker of having a better goal differential in conference play.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Things got going in the fifth minute off the foot of Lucy Mitchell. After a ball was sent into the box and hit softly by a defender, Mitchell beat everyone else to the ball and knocked it into the back of the net.
- Santa Clara added another one in the seventh. A throw-in into the box found the head of Tori Powell who flicked it on to Kennedy Schoennauer. The Broncos' leading scorer snuck it inside the right post.
- The last tally of the day came in the 58th, assisted by Shira Elinav and Tori Powell. A ball into the box by Powell was volleyed into the net by Menti.
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NOTABLE NUMBERS:
- Santa Clara held a 16-3 advantage in shots and a 6-2 edge in shots on target.
- The Broncos earned five corners while not allowing one.
- Marlee Nicolos (80 minutes) and Ally Reynolds (10 minutes) combined for the clean sheet. Nicolos made two saves.
- Kate Plachy made three saves for the Gaels.
POSTGAME COMMENTS:
HIGHLIGHTS:
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NEXT UP
- The Broncos await their fate with the NCAA Selection Show tomorrow at 1 p.m.
