By Jonathan Cañas (@jonathancanas_) – Spear Editor | San Jose State men’s soccer team huddle during a game against Saint Mary’s on Sept. 10 (Photo by Nick Orozco – Co-Executive Editor of The Spear)
San Jose State men’s soccer (6-7-7, 3-3-3) will continue its magical postseason run in the Western Athletic Conference tournament finals against Seattle University (11-4-3, 7-1-1).
Fifth seed SJSU defeated number one seed San Diego State in a 3-2 comeback led by WAC offensive player of the year Angel Iniguez.
“I told this team they’re very young and they’ll be really special for years to come,” SJSU head coach Simon Tobin said in a video posted on X by the WAC. “But I told them I didn’t want this to be my last game.”
Tobin is in his 10th season at the helm in San Jose and holds a record of 380-284-88 in his overall career. He is fifth among active division one head coaches in career wins.
The win marks SJSU’s first win over a number one seed in the WAC tournament since 2017’s 1-0 victory against Air Force.
A win against the Redhawks would end Tobins championship drought at SJSU. The Spartans made the Championship game in the 2017, 2018 and 2022 seasons but fell short of securing the conference title.
However, the Spartans have their work cut out for them against Seattle U. The Redhawks rank eighth in the nation in scoring offense (2.22). They also rank first in the conference in shots and assists.
The last time the pair played each other was on Oct. 26 when Seattle U came up on top 4-1. The game was tied at 1-1 in the first half before the Redhawks took over in the second half.
On the other side, Iniguez has been the lifeline of this offense. He has 10 goals on the season which is tied for 23rd in the country.
On paper, Seattle University has all the advantages. Seattle senior Damian Alvarez was credited with WAC Defensive Player of the Year and freshman Edgar Leon was crowned WAC Freshman of the Year.
Seattle graduate students Taketo Onodera and Titus Washington joined Alvarez in the All-WAC First Team.
Spartan freshman Cameron Cook made the All-Freshman Team.
The Aztecs didn’t allow a goal for four straight games before the Spartans put three goals on them.
“At 2-0 we could’ve completely folded,” Tobin said. “I think it was a really important 15 minutes after they scored their second that we didn’t crumble.”
The Spartans’ lack of size is made up for in their grittiness. SJSU is second in the conference in fouls and its brand of soccer has worked so far.
The winner of this tournament automatically earns a bid in the 2024 NCAA tournament.
