WOMEN’S NEWS … Facing a make-or-break weekend, Santa Clara came through with wins over a pair of Top 10 team, Notre Dame (2-0) and Purdue (3-1), and won its Santa Clara Classic on goal difference over No. 2 Stanford.

Coming off a 4-12-4 record and their first sub-.500 season since 1983, the young Broncos have been under enormous pressure. They opened with shutout wins over San Jose State and UC Santa Barbara, then slumped to losses at Utah and Maryland.

Goalkeeper Bianca Henninger kept the Broncos in the first game with three saves in the opening minutes. Senior Jordan Angeli had the decisive goal against Notre Dame with a 35-yard rocket, and Santa Clara’s freshmen then went to work for the rest of the weekend.

Lauren Matheson added the second goal against Notre Dame. On Sunday, freshman Allie Vernon celebrated her first career start by scoring twice, the first just 168 seconds into the game when floated a ball over Purdue goalkeeper Jenny Bradfisch. Another freshman, Amanda Webster, had the third goal.

“I think [this weekend] really builds our confidence,” said Bronco coach Jerry Smith.  “Those were solid wins over two top-10 teams, and also NCAA Tournament teams, and it’s always good to win own tournament.  We had a number of contributors and a solid team effort over two games.”

“Our freshmen have also been making a number of impactful contributions whether it be goals, assists or significant plays,” said Smith.  “Olivia [Klei], Amanda and Lauren have been playing well in every game, and this was Allie’s first weekend and she was very good in both games.”

* THIS WEEK’S TOP 25. Unranked Santa Clara moved up to No. 10 in the Soccer America Women’s Top 25 with its wins over Notre Dame and Purdue. North Carolina, Stanford and Portland are again 1-2-3. The other unbeaten and untied teams in the Top 25 are No. 4 Boston College, No. 9 Maryland and No. 12 South Carolina. 

* TOP 25 RESULTS:
Sunday, Sept. 13
No. 2 Stanford 2 (Nogueira 56, Press 58) No. 7 Notre Dame 0.
No. 4 Florida State 8 (Lim 2, 25, McCarty 10, 29,  Bolinsky 33, 84, Switzer 51, Price 63) No. 24 UAB 0.

Saturday, Sept. 12
No. 1 North Carolina 2 (Washington 82, McDonald 88) No. 21 Texas A&M 0.

Friday, Sept. 11
No. 2 Stanford 2 (O’Hara 17, pen. 73) No. 8 Purdue 1 (Okoroafo 4).
No. 3 Portland 4 (Enyeart 6, 28, 62, Chandhoke 12) No. 20 Illinois 1 (Mykines 61).
(Michelle Enyeart records her first career hat trick in front of 3,524 fans.)
No. 10 Wake Forest 1 (Hutchinson 42) No. 23 Penn State 0.
No. 16 Virginia 1 (Farrelly 65) No. 15 West Virginia 1 (McCarthy 85).
(Game draws a crowd of 2,794.)

Weekend Scoreboard

* RECORD BOOK. Mississippi blanked Arkansas-Little Rock, 8-0, to set a school record with its fifth straight shutout.