Cameron Rast Quotations

This is one of our more critical weeks. Tomorrow's Rivalry Series match means a great deal to our team, our athletic department and our school so the guys are prepared to do their best to represent Santa Clara in this important competition. It does mean a little more than an average match when these two very competitive teams take the field. After tomorrow, we turn around and play a motivated Saint Mary's side in the conference opener.

I thought both teams battled hard for the entire 95 minutes. Saint Mary's is a good team that is battling for results and whenever Santa Clara and Saint Mary's play in anything, you know it is going to be a very competitive contest.

I thought Kevin played well, particularly since it was his first substantial action of the year. He is working hard on positioning and directing the defense as well as not coming out quite so far. But, he made a few plays that certainly would have been goals.

Ryan Brown comes to us out of New Jersey and the PDA soccer club. His speed and work rate will be a great addition. His ability to beat players on the dribble as well as the pass will cause real problems for opponents. He has a genuine desire to make a team better. How can a coach not be excited about that?

Stephen McCarthy is another great addition out of the Dallas Texans. While he has a quiet personality off the field, his impact on the field is what impressed me the most. He has great presence in the midfield by winning balls but also in dividing them. His club team is proven to be among the best in the country and in my mind he is a big reason for their success.

I thought we looked very sharp and started the game very quickly. We did a good job of forcing the issue and creating opportunities and we found ourselves up by three goals early. If I had to say there was one thing I feel we need to learn from this match, it is how to play with a lead. We weren't as sharp in the second half and didn't quite force our flow to the game.

It was a very difficult decision for him. Mehdi weighed school in very heavily but I think he's going to be a top draft pick.