By: Jasmina Lara (@lara_jasmina06) – Spear Reporter | Spartan junior goalkeeper Paige Fry taking a goal kick. (Photo by SJSU Athletics)
Crosstown rivals Santa Clara University (1-0) defeated San Jose State (0-1) in a 2-0 shutout in the home opener Wednesday night.
This is the sixth season in a row the Broncos and Spartans have opened the season against each other.
The last time SJSU beat Santa Clara was in the 2008 season, 2-1, at Santa Clara’s Stevens Stadium-Buck Shaw Field.
“We were really excited for the competition. Santa Clara is a good team, but we also knew the home opener was gonna be exciting,” said junior goalkeeper Paige Fry. “It was fun having fans out. We could hear the football team and soccer team, so just a lot of energy.”
Broncos senior forward Kennedy Schoennauer scored the first goal of the game with a one-touch finish toward the back of the net.
Freshman defender Lucy Wimsatt passed to sophomore midfielder Hildi Benediktsdottir, who quickly sent the ball through to Schoennauer for her assist.
In the second half, SJSU came in with renewed energy as they tightened their defense to slow the Broncos’ attack.
However, the Broncos extended their lead in the 74th minute when Schoennauer took a touch around freshman defender Kallie Stacey and curled a shot inside the far post following an assist from sophomore midfielder Adee Goulden, who had received the ball from Benediktsdottir.
The Spartans struggled to generate offensive opportunities throughout the match, recording just 3 total shots compared to the Broncos’ 16.
One of those chances came when senior forward Paige Pineda-Aliamus headed the ball toward freshman forward Mayanne Fernandes, who followed with a shot that sailed off target.
Fernandes debuted in that match and recorded her first start as the only freshman in the starting 11.
The Broncos utilized the sides and pockets of space in the middle when passing. The Spartans’ defensive play was determined, preventing many of the Broncos’ chances in creating more scoring opportunities in the box.
“We were going 50-50 balls. We weren’t backing off just because they were Santa Clara,” said SJSU sophomore midfielder Mercedes Cioffi. “We were going into every tackle hard and making sure that if we were gonna go down, we’re gonna go down with a fight.”
Cioffi also notes that the team’s defensive core is strong and that they can battle whatever is thrown their way.
SJSU head coach Sonia Curvelo said the Spartans’ defensive organization improved as the game progressed.
“From an organization standpoint defensively, we did much better. As soon as we made an adjustment in the game that kept the ball as much in front of us as possible,” Curvelo said.
The Spartans were able to build pressure in the Broncos’ half as they created shot opportunities in quick succession despite the Broncos’ lead.
SJSU sophomore defender Gabrielle Germain fired a shot from outside of the box that went wide of the right post.
Trying to capitalize on the momentum, sophomore midfielder Annalise Martins forced Santa Clara’s sophomore goalkeeper Ally Harrison to make a save near the bottom of the net.
An intense moment came when the Broncos’ eighth corner kick of the night led sophomore midfielder Rylan Cashman to clean up a cross at the top of the box to junior defender Izzy De Buyl, who took a shot but was denied by Fry.
Fry recorded 8 saves in the match, the third-highest save total in a match in her career.
“Changing on the fly, and we did really well to adjust to what Santa Clara was giving us. So I think recognizing and trusting ourselves in that and seeing if we can do it sooner,” said Fry.
The Spartans will look to bounce back on the road against UC Santa Barbara at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara, Calif.
