Santa Clara Wins Its First Women's Ncaa Championship

SAN JOSE  CA (December 14, 2001) For the third time in 2001, a South Bay team has claimed a national soccer championship.

Following the path blazed by the CyberRays and later the San Jose Earthquakes, the Santa Clara Broncos knocked North Carolina off its championship pedestal Sunday with a 1-0 victory in the championship
final played in Dallas.

Midfielder Aly Wagner scored the game's only goal at 40:44 and is just the first of a slew of CyberRays-Broncos connections. Her mother - and club coach - Vicki Wagner is the CyberRays' volunteer coordinator.

In addition, SCU forward Bree Horvath was a freshman starter in the championship game, following in the footsteps of sister Megan, a forward with the CyberRays who assisted on the goal in the WUSA semifinals that sent the CyberRays to the championship game. CyberRays captain and former SCU all-American Brandi Chastain is married to the Broncos' newly blonded and pierced coach, Jerry Smith.

Kathy Kale, the CyberRays executive director of sponsorships and television, is a former Broncos player and attended the final four weekend in person. In addition to CyberRays Chastain and Horvath, Lisa Nañez played collegiately for the Broncos.

SCU alumni in the CyberRays front office include Breeze Curran, director of ticket sales and a former player, and Lenny Lun, corporate sponsorship manager. Ex-Santa Clara athletic staffers include Christy Eustice, an assistant softball coach and now CyberRays director of personnel, and Marlene Bjornsrud, an assistant athletic director and now CyberRays general manager.

[Source:  CyberRays,  info@sjcyberrays.com]