By James Kim (Jdkim38 ):
San Jose State University’s women’s soccer team (3-4-0) defeated Saint Mary’s College 1-0 after a goal from freshman Gabriella Hurtado in the fifth minute of the match.
The Spartans controlled most of the Friday afternoon match, winning with a developed sense of control in the offensive zone against their opponents.
The Gaels and the Spartans totaled eight shots each in the game, though the goalkeeping from SJSU’s Paige Simoneau ousted that of Saint Mary’s Sarah Sawatsky.
Hurtado’s goal was a shot that followed a rebound, after an initial shot from senior Sabrina Miller missed. Miller’s shot was rebounded off of SMC goalkeeper Sarah Sawatsky, before Hurtado scored low in the net. Hurtado controlled the ball on the field throughout the match, ensuring her lone goal would be the deciding factor in the game.
“I just had to pour my heart out onto the field because I wanted this second win, and I wanted another goal for the season,” Hurtado said.
She mentioned the team’s week and some of the passes that were used, two-touch passing, give and go passing and quick, simple passing.
“We need to have the same intensity that we had in this game,” Hurtado said, “to keep pushing forward and make improvements [in the game].”
Freshman Natasha Harris totaled four shots in the game, some through long passes and offensive play rushes as the second half concluded into a SJSU victory.
“I think our energy was really high,” Simoneau said “And I think that carried over from our training week, so it was great to see the team play hard and get the goal in the first five minutes, which I think helps keep our heads up.”
Some of the shutout, Simoneau said, was the result of teamwork. Coverage from the defense led to fewer scoring opportunities from the Gaels.
“Our defense [Senior Kristen Amarikwa, Myia Wilkes] is solid and it’s really great playing behind them,” Simoneau said. “Because I know that they have my back and I have theirs, so if I end up making a mistake, I know they’ll be there to keep my head up, or if they make a mistake, they know I’m there to save the shot if needed.”
Head coach Lauren Hanson said that the match was an improvement from before.
“From start to finish, we’re being more consistent… switching our point of attack is something we worked on this week.
“Overall, our possession today was much better than it has been,” Hanson said.
Mountain West Conference games begins next week, Sept. 17th at 2:00 p.m., against Utah State at the Spartan Soccer Complex.