By Ethan Ndachi (@EthanNdachi) – Content Editor | Senior forward Jason Buezo on the ball vs Dominican University of California (Photo by Niles Hall (@n23hall)- Content Editor)
A sunny afternoon at the Spartan Soccer Complex hosted San Jose State men’s soccer’s final preseason exhibition match, where they defeated Dominican University of California 3-0.
Junior winger Jalen Scott was dangerous on the left-hand side, winning fouls outside the box and taking on defenders consistently.
He eventually latched onto a loose ball in the box to score the Spartans’ second goal of the afternoon in the 58th minute.
“As soon as he gets confidence and he drives at you, he gives us a different dynamic in that left channel,” associate head coach Jesus Sanchez said. “We want him to go one-on-one and want to attack the goal as much as possible.”
Scott is looking to play an important part for the Spartans this season, having only played one game for SJSU since his arrival in 2025. His dynamic winger profile is something SJSU needs if it wants to be successful this season.
“I’m used to playing at full speed and playing a lot of minutes,” Scott said. “You can expect me in a bigger role, more work rate, and hopefully more goals and assists.”
The game opened up more for the Spartans after Scott’s assist for sophomore striker Ryan Corcoran’s opener in the 55th minute. The De Anza College transfer made an opposing run to evade his defenders, rounded the keeper and calmly scored for the Spartans.
“He’s so composed in the box,” Sanchez said. “His movement was very clever and you’re not gonna need too many chances for him to put the ball in the back of the net.”
Corcoran was the top-scoring forward in the Coast South Conference and looks to continue momentum now that he’s joined the Spartans in Division I soccer.
“I’m super excited to be here, looking forward to proving myself as a JUCO product,” Corcoran said. “As much of an opportunity I’m given, I’ll take it.”
In the 74th minute, senior forward Jason Buezo delivered a corner kick that found its way to the head of freshman defender Lawson Mettee, putting an emphasis on the Spartans’ victory.
While SJSU honed it for the second half, the first half showed the Spartans might still be off from match fitness, requiring a few last-minute saves from redshirt freshman Colin Farley.
Junior center back Diego Nieves was a solid presence in defense, fighting for clearances and playing smart passes out of the back.
The match came a day after SJSU’s 3-2 exhibition loss to the University of San Francisco, which saw a bulk of the experienced Spartans receive minutes.
This allowed for the rest of the returning squad and this season’s recruits to take center stage and showcase their ability.
“I think we had two very good exhibition games with one group being able to play against USF, and a lot of our young freshmen being able to play today,” Sanchez said. “So excited to watch them play, excited to be able to put them in a live competition. In terms of fitness and preparation, I think this weekend was a big success.”
Named co-favorite for the Mountain West Conference, the Spartans will open their season against UC Santa Barbara Friday at 7 p.m. at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara, California.
