By Chris Estrada – Staff Writer
After coming off a devastating last-minute loss Friday night, San Jose State women’s soccer looked to get back in the win column on Sunday against New Mexico.
For the first 45 minutes, it was offensively quiet on both sides. The Spartans (4-5-2, 3-1-0 MW) managed only four shots, while the Lobos (6-5-0, 2-2-0 MW) had five.
The Spartans took advantage of a defensive opening 70 seconds into the second half.
Fed by Jamilecxth Becerra, Darriell Franklin ricochet the ball off the left post into the net for her second goal of the season and giving SJSU the 1-0 lead.
“It feels really great,” Franklin said. “It kind of felt like a big achievement for myself and just for the team as a whole.”
The SJSU offense came out of halftime aggressive. The team had eight shots in the second half with six coming in the first 10 minutes.
“It was nice to start off the half that way,” head coach Lauren Hanson said.
There was still plenty of game left to play and New Mexico knew that. They only managed three shots in the second half, but kept the SJSU defense busy late in the half.
The Lobos made a late push to tie the game by attempting to score through two corner kicks in the final nine minutes.
For a majority of the final ten minutes, the ball was in Spartan territory. The defense made a fantastic effort and kept the ball away from the goalie box.
“We work a lot on defense. That is our bread and butter for our program,” Franklin said.
With a team that does not score often, defense is heavily relied on.
“I was proud of the team turning it around after an emotional loss,” Hanson said. “Knowing that they are a quality team, showing that today with great energy.”
San Jose State will now head on the road to face the Nevada Wolf Pack (4-6-2, 1-3-0 MW) on Friday.
Follow Chris on Twitter @estradadotc