Santa Clara, ranked No. 6 in the latest Soccer America Top 25 rankings, carries a seven-game unbeaten streak into the game, while the Dons look to bounce back after opening WCC play with a pair of shutout losses to Portland (1-0) and No. 23 Gonzaga (2-0) at home.
TALE OF THE TAPE
Series
Edge: San Francisco, 28-17-7.
The Broncos have closed the gap, losing only once to the Dons in their last 16 meetings. USF has won all four playoff contests.
WCC Championships
Edge: San Francisco, 11-10.
Santa Clara or USF has won the last four WCC titles -- the Broncos in 2003 and 2006 and the Dons in 2004 and 2005. They have combined to win championships in 19 of 26 years of conference play.
NCAA Championships
Edge: San Francisco, 5-1.
San Francisco and Santa Clara have combined for six NCAA national championships. The Dons won titles in 1966, 1975, 1976, 1978 and 1980 -- the 1978 title was vacated by the NCAA -- and Santa Clara shared the 1989 national championship with Virginia. Both current coaches played on national championship teams -- USF's Erik Visser in 1978 and 1980 and Santa Clara's Cameron Rast in 1989.
National Team Players
Edge: Santa Clara, 7-3
Rick Davis, who played in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, is the most famous of the seven Santa Clara players to play on the U.S. national team. USF produced three national team players, most notably John Doyle, who started on the 1990 U.S. World Cup team in Italy.
National Team Coaches
Edge: Even, 1-1.
Both schools have produced national team coaches. Lothar Osiander, who played on the Dons' 1966 national championship team, coached the U.S. national team for three years (1986-88) and led it to the 1988 Olympics. Steve Sampson, who was Santa Clara's coach when it shared its 1989 title with Virginia, was named U.S. national team coach in 1995 and led the USA to the 1998 World Cup finals in France.
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