By Ricardo Garcia (@SJSURicardoG) — Content Editor
The San Jose State women’s soccer team (0-1-0, 0-0 MW) was defeated by Santa Clara (1-0-0, 0-0 WCC) 1-0 in its home opener.
The Spartans hosted a program record of 1,351 fans at the Spartan complex which easily surpassed the previous record of 843 fans for the 2018 season opener against the Broncos.
Despite having the support of a record-breaking crowd behind them, SJSU came up short in a match that emulated two rams locking horns in the wild. A late penalty by the Spartans allowed Santa Clara to take the lead late and secure the victory.
Defense was the name of the game for SJSU heading into the matchup. It showed during the match as it was able to hold the Broncos scoreless throughout most of the match.
Head coach Tina Estrada touched on the importance of having a solid defense.
“We had a defensive game plan today and I thought we grew in that area,” said Estrada. “We saw a lot of moments from our back line that proved we can deal with tough opponents this year.”
Sophomore goalkeeper Shayla Sugai did not back down from the potent Santa Clara attack, racking up five saves on the day and only allowing the penalty kick goal.
Offensively, the Spartans struggled to get anything going finishing the game with four shots with only one of those being on goal.
SJSU’s woes continued in the form of foul trouble as they finished with 14 fouls, just six shy of the 20 fouls they racked up when they played the Broncos last season.
“We’re moving on to the next phase,” said Estrada. “We’re still going to try and be defensively organized and now we got to put some pieces together and really build in our possession and attack.”
The Spartans will look to bounce back as they host Saint Mary’s on Aug. 28. Kickoff is set for 12 pm at the Spartan Soccer Complex.