Ethan Ndachi (@EthanNdachi) – Content editor | Sophomore Arnold Matshazi pictured at the Spartan Soccer Complex against USF Sept. 4 (Photo by Max Garcia – The Spear)
A Utah trip to forget for San Jose State men’s soccer (8-3-2, 1-2 WAC), as they lost 2-1 in a chaotic clash against Utah Valley (8-1-1, 2-1 WAC) on Saturday night.
This loss for SJSU is the first to UVU since 2016, a 2-1 defeat at the Spartan Soccer Complex.
The Spartans found themselves chasing an equalizer for over 45 minutes. Shortly after the beginning of the second half, sophomore midfielder Cameron Cook pulled Wolverine redshirt junior midfielder Noah Pogue’s jersey, on his way down from a challenge.
Pogue didn’t take kindly to Cook’s attempt, and walked over the Englishmen and gave him a light kick for his troubles. Multiple altercations ensued and after a long look at video replay, the referee handed out a red card to Pogue and SJSU redshirt senior goalkeeper Edgar Guerra, who dished out retaliation to UVU during the scuffle.
Senior Ronin Axelson was called to replace the WAC Goalkeeper of the Week for the remaining 40 minutes of the half. Axelson was able to make one save on his first appearance of the season.
SJSU had opened the game positive, their short passing sequences were on point, squeezing UVU near their own box with their intricate plays.
A long ball played from junior midfielder Gilberto Rivera found its way ahead of sophomore striker Arnold Matshazi. Showcasing his strong shielding skills that’s earned him praise all season, Matshazi bullied his man off the ball before launching it across goal and finding the bottom right of net.
The goal brings Matshazi’s tally up to eight for the season, and cements himself as the second-highest goal scorer in the conference. Rivera’s assist elevates him to five for the season.
The Spartans momentum didn’t last long however. Less than four minutes later, the Wolverines earned a corner kick, junior forward Jose Luis Martin Montealegre got his head to the delivery and snuck one past Guerra.
Corner kicks have been the bane of SJSU on more than one occasion this season, with the most memorable recent follies coming against Stanford.
Utah Valley would double up on its goal in the 39th minute, senior Elijah Gozo burst past SJSU’s defense and slotted in a powerful goal to spoil the Spartans start to the match.
The Spartans kept pushing to find an equalizer for the rest of the game, as the weather conditions worsened. SJSU had 13 shots compared to UVU’s eight, however the Wolverines had the edge in shots on target with three against the Spartans’ two.
“We didn’t deal with two moments and those two moments hurt us, but overall I thought we deserved a little bit more,” associate head coach Jesus Sanchez said.
SJSU will look to get its WAC campaign back on track against Grand Canyon next Saturday, at 7 p.m. in Phoenix, Ariz.
