The Staying Power of the Broncos

At the oldest university in California lies a program that aims to be as historic as its institution. Through 32 of the past 34 years, the Santa Clara women’s soccer team has made an NCAA Tournament appearance. In fact, the Broncos have gone unbeaten in their past 11 tournament games, with one ending in a draw. So, how then did they get to where they are today? 

It started with a vision, one that was built with passion.

When Head Coach Jerry Smith took over the program in 1987, Santa Clara women’s soccer was hardly on the map, so he drew up a five-year plan. 

“I came in with a five-year plan,” Smith detailed.“ The women's soccer program had never gone to the NCAA Tournament. In fact, no women's team in any sport in school history had ever gone to the NCAA Tournament.”

Armed with this knowledge, he was determined to make Santa Clara women’s soccer the first. “In my five-year plan, I put at the end of five years ‘we’re going to be the first women's team in school history to go to the NCAA Tournament’," Smith stated. 

“It didn’t take us five years,” he went on, “we made it in my third year in 1989.”

Since making that first appearance 34 years ago, the Broncos have been a consistent presence in the tournament. They’ve been in 32 of the last 34 tournaments. Monday marked the continuation of that initial goal, still a driving force of this program all these years later. 

For those wondering how Santa Clara does it, Smith posed the question himself when he asked, “How do we have sustainable success and what is sustainable success?”

He answered his own question, “Sustainable success is NCAA Tournament appearances." The numbers back up what he said. “There’s no arguing 32 of 34," he stated.

It’s also a testament to the culture that has been built at Santa Clara that has enabled them to continuously meet success. That culture can be summarized by the five core values of the Broncos, which guide them in everything they do. It’s an acronym by the way of REP-BC. 

“First is R , which is for respect,” Smith explained. “Respect of the game, others and our tradition. E is embrace the opportunity for growth and success, followed by P for personal responsibility and commitment to excellence. B is for Bronco Pride, where we make sure we are in line with core values of the greater university. C is for compete with toughness and determination."

Then groups of student-athletes came to believe in that vision.

Creating a winning environment that aims to mold the mind, body, and spirit to prepare for life even beyond the field, was something that had to be crafted by a dedicated group of people. Santa Clara had to be a place where people could reach success both on and off the soccer pitch. That’s why Smith’s promise of making sure his student-athletes leave Santa Clara as a whole person, not just a soccer player, has resonated with so many people. 

“The teaching of life skills is the number one thing,” Smith admitted. “It’s not just a soccer thing for me. Yes, we want to be successful in soccer,  but if we are successful in soccer that means we have done a great job in instilling these core qualities into our players, and they are going to have success later on.”

One such individual that was all in on this vision is the 2022 WCC Offensive Player of the Year, Izzy D’Aquila.

D’Aquila has always loved soccer, starting out at a young age. Even though she grew up playing a multitude of sports, it was soccer that she decided was her passion and primary focus. “It’s something that brings me a lot of joy," she admitted. “I love it every day and that’s what keeps me going." 

So when it came time to pursue this passion into college, Santa Clara came on her radar. What would sell the senior leader for the Broncos was the community that flourished at Santa Clara. “The community is something unlike any other,” she shared. 

Santa Clara holds its women’s soccer team in high regard. Known for their competitiveness and their all-around success, they are a must-see team on campus. They are shown support from all over, whether that be from the students, their instructors or the women that came before them. “It’s a community that really lifts us up, one that wants to see us do our best,” D’Aquila explained. “So many athletes and students are excited to come out and see our team."

The Broncos have maintained this level of success year in and year out and it is because of that sense of community. That and standards that they all aspire to reach.

The players are expected from their coaches and, more importantly, from one another to perform at a high level. It’s how they challenge one another. It’s how they ensure that every single day when they step out on the field, whether in practice or in competition, that they are the best that they can be. 

While that standard has been similar for every team through the years, it also looks different for every team. 

For this 2022 team it came on the heels of a less than ideal start. To reach the expectations that they had for themselves, they took the tough lessons learned at the beginning of the season to pave a path to the WCC title, a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a home game in the first round. It was something that the team takes pride in. 

“It’s the biggest thing I have noticed about this team this year - their resilience and their ability to pick themselves up out of tough moments." D’Aquila said. 

Smith added that when things felt like they were going out of control after starting 3-6-1, the team stayed the course. They never let that define them, in fact it motivated them to change. “To be undefeated in Conference, win the Conference, and be one of the seeded teams in the tournament is a remarkable turnaround," Smith said. 

Now up next for the 8th-seeded Broncos is a home game against California in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at 1 p.m. from Stevens Stadium-Buck Shaw Field, the site of the 2021 NCAA College Cup that featured Santa Clara. SCU met the Golden Bears earlier this season, but after a 1-0 loss, the Broncos are looking forward to another crack at them. “We’re all fired up to have another opportunity to play this team and in a huge moment,” D’Aquila shared. “I think our team rises up in those moments."

No strangers to the tournament, D’Aquila and the Broncos are ready to get to work and play their game to the fullest, one game at a time. “We aren’t guaranteed anything," she stated. “So we are making sure we leave everything on the field."