Santa Clara Comes from Behind to Top San Francisco
Santa Clara women’s soccer heads into the NCAA Tournament selection show with a final win in conference play that needed overtime to separate them with San Francisco. Senior Jordan Jesolva provided heroics for the Broncos as they finish third place of the West Coast Conference.
College Soccer News: Santa Clara women’s soccer came from behind to edge University of San Francisco 2-1 in overtime on Saturday night to conclude the regular season. The Broncos finish in third place of the West Coast Conference, just three points behind co-champions Pepperdine and BYU.
Santa Clara (9-6-4, 6-2-1) fell behind midway through the first half and wouldn’t find the net until late in the second. Senior Jordan Jesolva scored both goals for the Broncos to bring her team-leading tally to eight.
The winner came when Maddie Gonzalez sent a short cross to Jesolva who was able to finish the chance to give Santa Clara the victory.
“This was an important win for us,” Santa Clara head coach Jerry Smith said. “You always want momentum heading into the NCAA Tournament and now we have that. I thought this was one of our best road games this year and one of the better games we’ve played all season. With the win and the LMU loss today we finish in third place in the conference. I’m proud of the team.”
The Broncos outshot San Francisco (7-12, 3-6) 23-9 and held an 11-3 advantage in shots on target. Goalkeeper Olivia Camera made eight saves on the night for Santa Clara.
“We played really well today,” Smith said. “Despite being down early, we were the better team and the stats showed that. Games like this usually end up in a win for the team that plays the best and we deserved to win today.”
The Broncos brought the match level in the 81st as Jesolva’s strike from six yards out in the middle of traffic was able to find the back of the net.
The Broncos now await the results of the NCAA Tournament selection held today as they head into the Women’s College Cup with no major injuries.
“We were able to finish the season without any major injuries or anyone getting a red card in this final game, which can happen sometimes,” Smith said. “The team is healthy and confident and showed their resiliency again today. We’re looking forward to the selection show on Monday.”
Photo Credit: Santa Clara Athletics
