Ethan Ndachi (@EthanNdachi) – Content editor | Sophomore midfielder Cameron Cook against Stanford on Sept. 17 (Photo by Niles Hall – Content editor)
The San Jose State men’s soccer team (8-3-3, 1-2-1 WAC) shared points with Grand Canyon Antelopes (8-3-2, 2-1-1 WAC) in a 1-1 draw this past Saturday night.
SJSU have remained winless at GCU stadium since 2014.
In the 70th minute, junior midfielder Gilberto Rivera delivered a set piece which senior defender Javier Lopez got his head to and brought the Spartans level.
This was the Santa Clara native’s first career goal for SJSU. The defender has had a strong season in the Spartans backline, starting all 14 games. Rivera also picked up his sixth assist of the season, tying him with senior midfielder Angel Iniguez.
“Javi has been solid in the back,” associate head coach Jesus Sanchez said. “We needed to start to score more goals off set pieces, today he took it upon himself.”
After usual early positivity for the Spartans, graduate student forward Ben Assane brought the Antelopes ahead after an impressive finish with the outside of his boot.
Despite having some big chances throughout the match, SJSU were only able to get two shots on target out of 11 total. GCU made sure to make it hard for SJSU to let loose with opportunities in their third of the pitch.
“I think at the end we felt a little frustrated we couldn’t get the three points, and for me that shows the character of the group,” Sanchez said
The closer the game got to the final whistle, the more heated it became. SJSU committed 11 fouls while GCU had nine.
In the 79th minute, Rivera received his fifth yellow for the season which resulted in a suspension for the next game against San Diego State. This will be a big miss for the Spartans, as Rivera is a driving force in the heart of the midfield.
The Spartans had new and old faces get into the starting XI in Phoenix, Ariz.
Redshirt junior defender Dane Pendleton started the game after returning from injury, combining well with sophomore midfielder Cameron Cook on the left flank.
Senior keeper Ronin Axelson received his first start of the season, following redshirt senior Edgar Guerra’s one-game suspension from the Utah Valley fixture, and had three saves in net for the Spartans.
SJSU kept Grand Canyon’s freshman striker Junior Diouf quiet. Being one of the nation’s leading goal scorers with 11, Diouf only had one shot on the night, with none on goal.
Freshman Fernando Duarte earned his second start of the season, playing in the attacking midfield three alongside Cook and Iniguez.
SJSU sits just outside the WAC top six as of now with four points. Above and below are their next three opponents. The Spartans will aim to look to pick up wins in these six-pointer fixtures to ensure they make it to the WAC tournament in November.
The Spartans will return home to take on the Aztecs next Thursday, 4:30 p.m. at the Spartan Soccer Complex.
