Gerardo Gonzalez (@GerardoG2090 – Soccer Beat Reporter
The No. 2 San Jose State men’s soccer team (10-5-3, WAC 5-2-2) defeated No. 3 Seattle University (7-10-1, WAC 5-4) 4-0 on Friday afternoon in the semifinal matchup for the Western Athletic Conference tournament.
SJSU went into this game with fresher legs than Seattle University, who defeated Grand Canyon University 2-1 in the first round just a couple days ago.
The Spartans struggled to maintain possession of the game in the first 20 minutes, as the Redhawks pressured and did not let SJSU come out from the back.
However, junior forward Ryota Nakashima came off the bench later in the first half and things started to change. He cut inside from the left wing and curled his shot in to make it 1-0 in the 34th minute.
This is the second goal for Nakashima in two games.
A couple minutes later, there was a penalty in favor of SJSU after graduate defender Eduardo Miranda was tripped inside the box.
Graduate midfielder Finlay Wood stepped up to score the penalty for SJSU to go up 2-0.
Just like that, the Spartans took control of the game, going into the half leading comfortably.
In the second half, SJSU regained possession of the ball and created opportunities towards goal and this time Seattle University was forced into their backfield.
With 16 shots for SJSU, graduate goalkeeper Akili Kasim kept the score at 2-0 for Seattle University, coming up big with six saves.
Meanwhile, senior goalkeeper David Sweeney ensured the Spartans kept the momentum in their favor with four saves.
SJSU controlled the last ten minutes of the game by defending well and playing the counter-attack. Both teams struggled to capitalize on numerous chances but SJSU held strong to its lead.
In the games last five minutes, freshman forward Anthony Guzman capitalized on two defensive errors by Seattle University and scored two back-to-back goals to ice the game 4-0.
The Spartans were efficient when needed as they defeated the Redhawks 4-0.
“It was a very good performance. We were slow from the get go, which was similar to when we played them a week ago … The score was 4-0 but everyone who watched knew it was a close game.” said SJSU head coach Simon Tobin after the game.
“We try to defend from the top. The whole team defended well. All of our defensive players came up big and of course Sweeney is another important piece back there.”
San Jose State will play its fourth final in history, looking to capture its first championship. They will play between the winner of No. 1 Air Force and No. 5 California Baptist University on Sunday at 1 p.m.