Ethan Ndachi (@EthanNdachi) – Content editor | Sophomore midfielder Daniel Fregoso Bautista vs. SDSU on Oct. 23 (Photo by Denim Bragg – The Spear)
San Jose State men’s soccer (9-3-4, 2-2-2 WAC) returned to their winning ways against University of Nevada, Las Vegas (4-5-6, 1-1-4 WAC), with a 3-1 win on Sunday night.
This is the Spartans first win over the Rebels since an identical 3-1 win at the Peter Johann Soccer Field, in Oct. of 2022.
SJSU was chasing the game 1-1 in the 76th minute, having just conceded a header from UNLV’s 6-foot-5-inch freshman defender Ben Wallis, three minutes prior.
Senior midfielder Angel Iniguez received the ball from sophomore midfielder Daniel Fregoso Bautista, dribbled to the top of the box and let it fly with his left foot in spectacular fashion.
“The quality that he [Iniguez] has anywhere around the box is something he’s shown at SJSU,” associate head coach Jesus Sanchez said. “We just need to continue to find him in those moments and give him those opportunities.”
Iniguez has been on-form in the conference, netting five and assisting two as the final game approaches. Fregoso Bautista’s assist would be his first of the season, and would be another highlight to his performance in Sin City, as he had also opened the scoring for the Spartans in the 10th minute.
From the get-go, SJSU were taking their time in possession, holding onto the ball with calm passing from their press-resistant midfield.
The return of junior defensive-midfielder Gilberto Rivera, was a big plus for the Spartans. His signature long passing and progressive carries from deep was a sight for Spartan sore eyes. Rivera was also able to register four shots out of SJSU’s 11, with one on goal.
In the 87th minute, sophomore striker Arnold Matshazi smelled blood in the water. A turnover by UNLV’s defense led to a perfect opportunity for Matshazi to stamp his name on the scoresheet, with a composed finish past Rebel junior goalkeeper Hugo Lemos.
The dagger marks Matshazi’s ninth goal in blue and gold, who’s still only in his first collegiate season for SJSU.
With senior defender Javier Lopez suspended off of a red card against San Diego State in their previous match, sophomore Diego Nieves earned his first start for SJSU and held strong in the back to keep UNLV from battling their way into the game.
“We found ourselves ahead, and we had to fight a little bit of adversity when they tied it up,” Sanchez said. “Im really proud of the boys the way they responded to conceding a goal.”
The match also saw the return of redshirt senior goalkeeper Edgar Guerra, who returned with a commanding performance. While Guerra was only called upon to make one save on the night, his high claims, punches and box presence was invaluable to the Spartans.
Heading to their final game of conference play, the Spartans will be without key midfielder junior Angel Fernandez, who suffered the same fate as Rivera previously, earning his fifth yellow card for the season.
“The job’s not done, we need to treat this game as another playoff match,” Sanchez said.
The Spartans will return home for their final game of the season against Air Force Academy this Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Spartan Soccer Complex.
