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Santa Clara Edges UCSB In Overtime In Physical Game

Box Score

May. 12, 2012

Colorado Springs, CO - UCSB came back to tie Santa Clara 10-10 with 3 seconds remaining in regulation to get the game to overtime but the Broncos prevailed in the extra period. The consolation match-up took place at the WCLA National Championship Tournament prior to the championship game. UC Davis, who beat UCSB 10-9 in overtime in the quarterfinals, took the championship with an 11-9 Win over two-time defending champion Colorado State.

Santa Clara got the game winner against the Gauchos on a dribbler ground ball that deflected off the stick of an unknown player. After the UCSB defense got the Bronco ball onto the ground on a block of a pass in front of the net just about every stick in there was after it. Sophomore Sofia Robinson (Tiburon, CA) got credit for the goal for Santa Clara that came from the jumble that resulted from everyone scrambling for the loose ball. The Broncos later got an open net goal to make it a 12-10 overtime finale.

The Gauchos trailed 9-8 at halftime but at one point led 11-10 when UCSB junior Katie Mitchell (Lafayette, CA) scored on a free position shot 10 minutes and 28 seconds into the second half after being fouled hard for the fourth time by the Santa Clara defense. Mitchell, an All-Tournament Team selection, later got hammered a fifth time by the Broncos in the midfield but it was the sixth time, when a Santa Clara player leveled her as she was receiving a pass in front of the goal, that the midfielder sustained a concussion that forced her to leave the game. The Gauchos were without her for the last moments of regulation and all of the overtime.

In the final ten minutes of the second half Santa Clara scored two straight to lead by one with 18 seconds remaining and it seemed the the game was going to go into the books 10-9 in favor of the Broncos. Senior Megan Fisher (Woodside, CA) snagged the draw out of the air and found senior Megan Dawe (Martinez, Ca) who went at the goal with it before being fouled hard by Santa Clara. Dawe buried her 8 meter shot with 3 seconds remaining in the game to get it to overtime.

Of merit for UCSB was Mitchell breaking the century mark on points for the season.  Prior to being knocked out of the game by the Broncos the junior scored her 100th point on an unassisted goal toward the end of the first half. The milestone occured in the 20th game of the season for UCSB giving the midfielder a solid 5 point average per game. Mitchell was able to score another goal and add an assist before the Broncos knocked her out to get to a season final total of 102 points coming from 75 goals and 27 assists.

"We're not really sure when Mitch got the concussion," said UCSB head coach Paul Ramsey after he visited her in the hospital.

"We just know the last time she got hit like that it was the last one because she couldn't continue and if we had known earlier she would have come out right away."

The fact that the Broncos might have given her a concussion earlier than the final hit that knocked her out of action is scary for anyone who knows anything about concussions. Mitchell was diagnosed with a concussion but her catscan came back negative after an in-depth check-up at Memorial Main Hospital in Colorado Springs.

The Gauchos finished the season at 16-4 overall, the WWLL Champions and a post-season participant for the 9th season in a row. Santa Clara improved to 14-9 to end their season.