By Gabriel Luis (@gabelun):
The slump continues as San Jose State men’s soccer team (2-6-0) falls short against University of San Diego (5-3-1) 1-0, extending the losing streak to four.
San Jose State aimed to end their losing streak on Sunday, but could not break past through San Diego’s defense.
From the kick off, the Toreros took advantage of the unsettled Spartans, conceding a goal within the first two minutes of the game. Following the goal, San Jose State appeared to be playing this game with the same form as their loss from earlier in the week.
San Jose seemed to have a dilemma in terms of playing young players as well.
“[We] got quite a few young guys out here,” said SJSU head coach Simon Tobin. Having a roster that contains a large portion of freshman and sophomores appears to be more of a con than a pro as of right now.
However, coach Tobin explained that he has faith that his team will be able to use the experience from their preseason for future conference matches.
As the game went on, freshman midfielder Max Allen seemed to be the “go-to” guy for the Spartans. Most of the passing plays and other chances created went through Allen.
Whether it was through making passes or by being the only player that was communicating with the team, almost every single possession of the game involved Allen.
University of San Diego’s high defensive line allowed the players to prevent San Jose State’s attacks and keep San Jose State in its own half.
San Diego’s sophomore defender Henry Lander kept control of the defensive line throughout the game. By taking charge of the defensive side, San Jose State’s attacking plays were not effective and left the Spartans scoreless during the match.
After good passing and several different chances being created off crosses and corner kicks, San Jose State was unable to convert any of their opportunities late in the first half.
The second half would not be any easier.
“It’s hard starting a game one-nil down,” Allen said.
Once the second half began, SJSU seemed to play with a lot more energy and higher pressure as they had most of the chances within the first 15 minutes and appeared to be poised to make a comeback.
San Jose’s main choice of attacking throughout the second half was through the use of right side of the field, using defensive sophomore, Omar Lemus.
Lemus was the biggest offensive defender throughout the game as his runs allowed him to open up more space on the pitch. Almost every cross that came from the right side came from Lemus.
Even though Lemus was producing opportunities the Toreros were able to keep them under control.
Although the Spartans kept barraging the San Diego goalkeeper throughout the second half and limited the attacking opportunities of San Diego, they were unable to break down the back four of the San Diego defense. Even though the Spartans had more possession and controlled the pace of the game, San Jose State’s inability to score kept the game balanced.
Senior defender Andy Rios’ shot in the 77th minute and freshman midfielder Danny Sanchez’s goal scoring opportunity in the 83rd minute kept the Torero’s under pressure.
San Diego had one good chance to score in the last minutes of the game, but San Jose State managed to stay in the game with a double save in the 83rd minute.
San Jose State will look to improve as they face Utah Valley as their first conference opponent on Friday, Sept. 24.
