Ethan Ndachi (@EthanNdachi) – Content editor | SJSU men’s soccer before their game vs Air Force on Nov. 2 (Photo by Matthew Meyer – The Spear)
The Spartans have qualified for the Western Athletic Conference championship tournament this season, marking their ninth consecutive qualification, and look to reach the final for the third time in four seasons.
SJSU men’s soccer have not won their conference since 2003, when they were a member of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
In 2024, the Spartans were stumped by Seattle University in the final, with SJSU head coach Simon Tobin emphasising on a lack of experience possibly hurting them.
Fast forward to 2025, this SJSU team has been credited by many as the best team Tobin has ever had, and have had a season to remember, boasting a record of 10-3-4 entering the WAC championship tournament.
The Spartans have earned five All-WAC conference honors heading into Riverside. Senior midfielder Angel Iniguez, sophomore forward Arnold Matshazi, and junior midfielder Gilberto Rivera earned first team honors. Senior defender and captain Niklas Dossmann earned second team honors, and freshman midfielder Fernando Duarte earned the freshman team honors.
The team has been motivated to bring Tobin the championship he’s chased since joining SJSU in 2013, and to go beyond to the NCAA. But it won’t be an easy task for the Spartans.
So what does SJSU need to do to bring the WAC back to San Jose?
- Take their chances
The Spartans have no lack of firepower, with names such as joint-second WAC top scorer Matshazi, Iniguez, and sophomore wingers Cameron Cook and Daniel Fregoso Bautista in their usual front four.
SJSU have scored 30 goals this season, and have a rate of 1.76 goals per game. They have also attempted 245 shots in all their games with 89 having found the target.
The Spartans will always be an attacking force on the field, but games can be decided by fine margins, and if their chances aren’t taken it might come back to haunt them later in the game.
Associate head coach Jesus Sanchez has emphasized a need for being clinical following games such as California State University, Northridge and San Diego State.
The Spartans don’t give much away with WAC clean sheet leader redshirt goalkeeper Edgar Guerra being a commanding force at the back only conceding 17 goals this season, behind an organized backline.
With a strong defense, a clinically consistent offense is what a championship winning team needs.
The bottom line: Goals win games, which will put this obvious but essential key to victory first on the agenda.
- Be positionally disciplined
Tobin’s system is one of possession and positional rotations. The Spartans have held the majority of the ball in every one of their games this season except one, being the 2-0 win away to the Bakersfield Roadrunners.
Their style, while still very effective, poses some challenges for themselves.
SJSU’s wingers will tend to come inside and support play centrally, while the wingbacks dart up high and hold the width.
Redshirt junior Dane Pendleton and previous WAC Defensive Player of the Week junior Ruben Flores-Thomas are highly active attacking threats from the flanks.
The wingers coming inside allows for fluidity in the center, being able to hold onto possession with quick passing sequences.
However, with the overall wide play coming almost exclusively from the wingbacks, no.9 Matshazi can become isolated and left to deal with defenses by himself, which also pulls the team out of shape.
Often the Englishman is left to be given long ball deliveries, leading for him to hold up play and pick out chances, or having to put pressure on the backline to sniff out a loose ball to pounce on. His goals against Utah Valley, and Air Force Academy being prime examples.
While the Spartans should still stick to the tactics that got them to the dance, Matshazi should still receive support up top from the quality wide players that SJSU have. This will elevate their attack and be able to unlock defenses easier, especially in the big games of the WAC championship.
- Keep concentration
The Spartans mentality and passion is something to note this season. Their drive for competition is what makes their team tick, especially in midfield where they are responsible for both battling and controlling.
However, the Spartans’ occasional temperament is not lost on fans this season. The team have been involved in several altercations with opposition this season, with some ending in severe bookings.
Rivera, Guerra, senior defender Javier Lopez, and junior midfielder Angel Fernandez are some of the names who have missed games due to disciplinary action.
All are key starters for the Spartans.
SJSU will need all their players fit and available to play, in order to have a successful run in the WAC tournament.
Concentration can also mean seeing games out as SJSU have been on the unfortunate end of some late heartbreakers over the course of their campaign.
Although they technically didn’t lose, results like Stanford and San Diego State were hard to swallow for the Spartans.
“If San Diego State [lead] would have held on… we’d have been playing to win the conference,” Tobin said.
SJSU were nearly 60 seconds away from defeating the third ranked Stanford at the time, but a late header allowed the Cardinal to steal a point.
“We just need to finish games the full 90 minutes,” Iniguez said. “Even with two minutes, one minute left, we just need to stay focused.”
The Spartans have had difficulties defending set pieces this season with Stanford, University of San Francisco, and Utah Valley games coming to mind as examples.
While the team competes with the opposition physicality with their intense playstyle, aerially the team isn’t as dominant.
With tournament games being able to be extended into extra time and penalty shootouts, the Spartans must keep their heads on straight in every aspect of play if they want to advance to the championship final.
- Play like the underdogs
Before starting their WAC Conference play, Dossman highlighted that with an underdog mentality the team does their best work.
The Spartans route to the championship goes through two opponents they went unbeaten against in the regular season.
The San Diego Aztecs, who stole a point at the Spartan Soccer Complex on Oct. 23, will be the first matchup for SJSU in its tournament run.
SJSU is 11-6-2 against SDSU in its history. Last season, they defeated the Aztecs in a 3-2 victory in the WAC Tournament semifinals, despite going down 2-0 in the match.
If SJSU defeats them, they will take on the regular season champions in California Baptist.
Tobin noted that CBU would be a tough task earlier in the year, but the Spartans would show their levels in the regular season, beating the Lancers 3-1 at home.
Now, pending a win against the Aztecs, the Spartans could have the chance to complete a double over the regular season champions this season to advance to the final.
As previously mentioned, the Spartans played to the occasion against heavy hitters like California Baptist and Stanford, and showed they too are in the upper echelon of the WAC conference.
“When we’re playing our very best, we can beat anybody,” Dossman said.
This year, SJSU has a mix of youthful energy and experienced minds to create a team fit for becoming the champions of the west.
“We’re excited to start the tournament and win the WAC and show that we deserve the number one spot and CBU doesn’t,” Guerra said.
The Spartans will enter the first round of the WAC championship tournament against the San Diego State Aztecs 7 p.m. this Sunday, on Nov. 9 in Riverside, Calif.
