Four Santa Clara women’s soccer standouts returning for extra year of eligibility

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Four players from Santa Clara women’s soccer’s 2020 National Championship roster will return to the Broncos for the 2024 season, taking advantage of their extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19. Lucy Mitchell, Sally Menti, Marisa Bubnis, and Marlee Nicolos will be the four trying to make a run at another title and their third trip to the College Cup.

Nicolos has been a team captain the last two years and a brick wall in front of net. In 52 career games she has a 0.73 GAA and a .802 save percentage with 18 solo shutouts and five combined. She also has three career assists. Nicolos was named to the 2020 Top Drawer Soccer Best XI Freshman Team and was Second Team All-WCC in 2022. She was a two-time WCC Defensive Player of the Week during the 2023 season where she posted a 0.61 GAA and a .831 save percentage with 49 saves and eight shutouts.

Marisa Bubnis is a four-year starter for the Broncos. She has helped lead the defense in 59 career games and added one goal and six assists, including two in just five matches in 2024 before going down with an injury. In 2023, she was named First Team All-West Region and First Team All-WCC and was on the 2020 WCC All-Freshman team.

Sally Menti was the 2020 WCC Freshman of the Year and scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Clemson to get back to the College Cup and then connecting on one of the penalty kicks against Florida State in the final. She has scored seven goals and added 17 assists over her career and led the team with nine assists while adding four goals in 2024. In 2020 she was Second Team All-WCC and Freshman All-WCC while being honored on the Top Drawer Soccer Best XI Freshman Team as well.

Lucy Mitchell has both started and come off the bench for Santa Clara, seeing time up top and in the midfield. Her first year with the Broncos she posed a two-goal performance at Gonzaga and has scored five times. She also has seven career assists, three in 2024. Mitchell was named All-WCC honorable mention in 2021 and 2023.