By: Jasmina Lara (@lara_jasmina06) – Spear Reporter- SJSU freshman defender Alexis Dueker taking the ball down the line against SDSU on Oct. 12 (Photo by Cassandra Washington- Spear Photographer)
Rivalry energy filled the air Thursday night as Fresno State (6-6-5, 3-4-2 MW) took control early defeating San Jose State (1-13-3, 0-3-6 MW) 4-1 to end the Spartans season on a sour night.
A very physical match as both teams’ counter attacks were full of intensity fighting for control of the ball.
SJSU had 13 shots with ten shots on goal while the Bulldogs had 23 shots with 17 shots on goal.
With a strong offensive attack Fresno State’s senior defender Sabrina Welch sent a pass to senior forward Klara Chapeyrout who scored at the bottom of net.
Capitalizing on their momentum, the Bulldogs took a two goal lead against the Spartans under ten minutes into the first half,when senior forward Ciara Wilson took the ball and went through the Spartans defense as she scored at the bottom right of goal.
The match took a slow turn when the Spartans brought their energy up as they challenged the Bulldogs offensive play, slowing down the Bulldogs momentum.
SJSU’s backline read the Bulldogs offensive attack, denying them from creating scoring opportunities in the box.
Senior forward Alexis Campbell found momentum as she threaded a perfect through ball to senior midfielder Tiana Beavers.
Beavers faked a shot to draw sophomore goalkeeper Paige Fry out of the box before slipping past her and finishing low into the bottom left corner.
The Spartans didn’t allow the Bulldogs lead scare them of an opportunity to score when freshman forward Maryam Ladkani received a through cross that took the goalkeeper out her box.
Ladkani passed it off, but the Bulldogs’ defense quickly stepped in to block junior forward Paige Pineda-Aliamus from building on the play.
Finally finding their spark in the 40th minute, freshman midfielder Joliye Brass delivered a through ball to Pineda-Aliamus.
Pineda-Aliamus drove toward goal, drew the goalkeeper out of the box, slipped past her, and slotted the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
“I do think at the end of the first half I thought we’d played very strong and even in the second half much stronger.” SJSU head coach Sonia Curvelo said.
Bulldogs stepped into the second half with intensity for their offensive play that was matched from the Spartans strong defensive attack.
The Bulldogs nearly found the back of the net in a tense sequence when Campbell threaded a through ball to senior midfielder Kaya Scott, who crossed it to Chapeyrout for a close-range shot.
Fry stepped up with a crucial block, denying the first attempt before quickly recovering to stop the rebound.
Despite the Bulldogs regaining control for a third effort, Fry held her ground once again, making a trio of rapid saves.
Fry ended the match with 12 total saves, the most she had in a match this season.
In the 71st minute, Chaperyrout sent a cross in the box to senior forward Anaya Shelton who scored in the bottom center of the goal taking a three goal lead against the Spartans.
SJSU still had fight in them, even in the last minutes as they tried to work on building momentum by playing back to the basics, but time was not in their favor.
“We appreciate all their (players) contributions to what they’ve done and commitment to the program.” Curvelo said. “Just closing out 2025 season and looking forward to the future.”
