By Austin Turner — Staff Writer
With the season heading into its final full weekend, the San Jose State men’s soccer team (6-7-2, 4-3-1 WAC) looks to secure a position in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament as it takes on Incarnate Word (2-11-1, 2-6 WAC) Friday night.
Do not let the Cardinal record fool you as SJSU senior goalkeeper Alex Clewis will have his hands full against their red-hot attack.
Though the Cardinal have find themselves outside of WAC Tournament contention, their offense has caught fire. They went 0-9-1 in their first 10 matches before finally finding their groove. Nine of the team’s 11 goals have come in its last four matches.
This is in part due to the emergence of junior forward Antonio Savi. He has five goals on the year, with all coming in his last four matches.
While Incarnate Word’s attack has hit its stride, its defense leaves a lot to be desired. True freshman goalkeeper Carlos Mercado has struggled to adjust to the college level. His save percentage is a measly .597, and the team allows 2.21 goals per game.
This matchup should be favorable for the Spartan attack, which rebounded nicely from two-consecutive shutout losses with a 2-1 upset victory over Utah Valley on Saturday.
It should be a tough test for a SJSU team fighting for a possession in the postseason. This weekend’s state will be crucial for the Spartans to maintain fifth in a conference which only takes the top-seven teams to the conference championships.
They currently hold a game-and-a-half lead over Grand Canyon (3-4), and a victory over Incarnate Word would be a huge boost for a team in a tight race.
The Spartans will host the Incarnate Word Cardinal at Spartan Soccer Field on Friday at 7 p.m.
Follow Austin on Twitter @AustinTurnt