By Matthew Meyer (@mattmeyersjsu) – Spear Reporter | SJSU senior 2-Meter Maro Tiozzo takes a shot on goal (Photo by Matthew Meyer – Spear Photographer)
The No. 8 ranked San Jose State Spartans (9-6, 3-1 WCC) fell short to the No. 5 Fordham Rams (15-3, 6-0 MAWPAC) in a nailbiting 10-9 loss in their last home game of the season.
Mistakes resulting in turnovers and defensive miscues allowed the Rams to propel themselves back in the second half after entering halftime down 5-3 to the Spartans.
Both sides expressed frustrations with the officiating throughout, which resulted in a yellow card issued to Fordham senior utilityman Balazs Berenyi in the third period, and a red card issued to SJSU senior 2-meter Maro Tiozzo right after the match ended.
With tension building and frustration leading to mistakes, junior utilityman Mitchell Keightley could be heard in the pool telling his team to be patient and to calm down.
“It was definitely a lot of nerves and a lot of pressure, but I think we settled in well,” Keightley said. “I think we just made a lot of rash decisions.”
The Spartan offense showed out again tonight with sophomore driver Samu Biros scoring four goals and freshman utilityman Sam Keightley picking up three of his own.
Despite his great performance in the water, Biros, like many on his team, was unhappy with the match outcome.
“It feels amazing, but I would rather score zero and win as a team,” Biros said.
The Spartans had a lot of chances throughout the match to add to their score, but would finish five for 13 on powerplay opportunities. They say the failure to capitalize came from impatience.
“(Patience is) something we’ve been working on for a while,” SJSU head coach Gabor Sarusi said. “Mitch (Keightley) is doing a good job at it, but we need another two or three guys who can keep calm and control the ball a little bit more and slow down the game when we need to slow down.”
The Spartans hope to use this match as a final learning opportunity to prepare themselves for their final two conference matches.
“We’re definitely going to be watching videos of this game and learning from our mistakes,” Sarusi said.
Despite this loss, Biros remains confident that he and the team will find success soon and end the season strong.
“I think the future is bright heading forward,” Biros said. “We are practicing hard, we have less than a month from the end of the season and we are going to push it to the end.”
The Spartans defense had key moments throughout the match, with junior goalkeeper Brendon Gyapjas recording 18 saves and two steals.
“Brendon was amazing in the cage,” Biros said. “I think it’s pretty good only receiving 10 goals, but we just have to score more.”
With today being the Spartans final match at the Spartan Recreation and Aquatic Center, Keightley had a message to the fans.
“Thanks to everyone who supported us all season,” Keightley said. “The season is not over yet, so if you can support us online, watch us in conference and our big games, that’ll be much appreciated. We’ll see you next season.”
The Spartans will take on WCC opponent Air Force at the Air Force Academy in Colorado at 11 a.m. next Sunday.
