The weather has warmed up in Santa Barbara, but the temperature is not even close to the desert heat of Las Vegas, where the UCSB women’s soccer team last weekend opened the season with a tie and a win at the UNLV Rebel Classic.
The Gauchos come home after that positive start and go from the oven to the frying pan as they face perennial power and 16th-ranked Santa Clara on Friday at 7 p.m. followed by a Sunday 11:30 a.m. game against previously No. 22-ranked Minnesota at Meredith Field at Harder Stadium.
Santa Clara (1-0) is one of the elite programs in the country. Coached for 25 years by the legendary Jerry Smith, the Broncos have played in 19 straight NCAA Tournaments, advanced to 10 College Cup Final Fours and won a national championship in 2001.
This year’s squad returns six All-West Coast Conference players, led by goalkeeper Bianca Henninger, who’s been named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List.
The Gauchos hope to keep Henninger and the Broncos defense busy like they did against Idaho and UNLV last weekend. In the two matches (a 1-1 tie and 1-0 win), they outshot the opposition 54-9.
Junior college transfer Dyanne Anderson showed that she is force up top. She had six shots on goal against Idaho and scored the game-winner against UNLV.
The defense played well, but it figures to be severely tested against Santa Clara and Minnesota.
The last time the Gauchos played Santa Clara was in 2009 at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Broncos won 2-0. They lead the all-time series 9-7-4.
