By Chris Estrada – Staff Writer
San Jose State (5-5-2, 3-1-1 WAC) men’s soccer defeated UNLV (6-7-1,1-3-1 WAC) 2-1 on Sunday afternoon. The win puts SJSU in fourth place in the Western Athletic Conference standings.
Once again, SJSU had strong ball possession all game long. The Rebels had been shutout in their previous two matches, giving the Spartans the edge if they were to score early.
“It was important that we came out and dominate possession like we do most games,” head coach Simon Tobin said.
Early in the first half, the Spartans pushed the ball into Rebel territory. In the 16th minute, junior forward Suliman Khorami collided with the Rebels goalie and left an opening.
Sophomore Eduardo Buenfil then fired the ball into the wide open net after an assist from Miguel Castillo, and put the Spartans on top 1-0.
The Rebels answered back with a goal from Daniel Moran in the 33rd minute.
To begin the second half, SJSU felt the urgency to score. Four minutes in, Khorami scored his first goal of the season with a cross to the right side.
The SJSU defense began to let up as UNLV tried to once again even up the score. The only thing that stopped the Rebels from tying up the game was Spartan goalie Alex Clewis.
The Rebels had nine shots in the game, but the most crucial one was an awarded penalty kick in the 76th minute. The conference leader in saves blocked the kick and secured the lead.
“We will keep this momentum going into next week with a two-game win streak,” Clewis said.
The Spartans will look to continue their win streak next Sunday, October 14 when they face California Baptist University.
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