By Sara Biela – Content Editor
After a 1-1-1 road trip to begin conference play, San Jose State men’s soccer returns home to take on Grand Canyon University on Friday and UNLV on Sunday.
The Spartans (3-5-2, 1-1-1 WAC) begin a three-game homestand against two top-5 teams in the Western Athletic Conference: the GCU Antelopes (5-5-0, 2-1-0 WAC) and the UNLV Rebels (6-5-1, 1-1-1 WAC).
GCU beat SJSU 1-0 at Spartan Soccer Field last season. The game went into overtime and the Lopes’ lone shot on goal from Niki Jackson proved to be the game winner.
This time around, forward Calvin Kissi leads the Lopes with two goals and five points, while midfielder Alex Ramirez has the most assists with two.
Despite only scoring one goal on the season, forward Josh Drack has tallied a team-high 33 SOG. The three players have shown to be threats in the offensive zone and will be the ones to keep an eye on.
The Spartan offense might be able to take advantage of goalkeeper George Tasouris. The redshirt freshman has allowed eight goals in nine games, but has recorded four shutouts.
The dynamic duo of defender Omar Lemus and midfielder Willy Miranda will look to apply the pressure and create scoring opportunities.
As for the Rebels, the team has won the previous three meetings against the Spartans. The last time SJSU defeated UNLV was back in 2013.
Midfielder Marco Gonzalez leads the Rebels in three categories: goals (7), points (17) and SOG (19). His teammate Nico Clasen tops with five assists.
The two players spell trouble for Alex Clewis and the Spartan goalkeepers, so it’ll be crucial for them to keep UNLV at ease.
As for Rebel goalkeeper Enrique Adame, he has given up 10 goals in 11 games to post a .762 save percentage.
The Spartans will look to spark the offense after getting shut out by the UMKC Kangaroos last weekend.
Kick off against the Lopes on Friday is at 7 p.m., followed by a 1 p.m. start against the Rebels on Sunday.
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