By Chris Estrada — Staff Writer
San Jose State men’s soccer pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in Western Athletic Conference history.
The Spartans fought back from an early 3-0 deficit to force overtime and eventually survived the shootout in penalty kicks 6-5.
The host of the WAC tournament, Seattle University, looked every bit like the home team in the first half. It had the offensive momentum and dominated ball possession by outshooting San Jose State 12-2.
The Redhawks jumped out in front in the 18th minute with a goal from Noe Meza when the ball deflected off SJSU goalkeeper Alex Clewis.
SU kept the Spartan defense busy all half long with seven corner kicks as it tried to find the net once again. Kees Westra scored for Seattle with a header off a corner kick from Sergio Rivas putting the Redhawks on top 2-0 in the 35th minute.
The Spartans looked outmatched in the first half as the Redhawks were all over the field.
Not even two minutes into the second half, SU scored yet again and looked to put the game out of reach.
The Redhawks were not just going for the win, they were going for the kill. With less than 45 minutes to play, three goals seemed enough for victory.
San Jose State was down, but not yet defeated. The team showed heart, passion and the will not to give up, despite its season slowly winding down with each second passing by.
Jonathan Partida found an opening in the 74th minute from 25 yards out and put the Spartans on the board. The senior midfielder showed emotion and tried to rally the troops on the field to continue fighting.
Forty-four seconds later, the score became 3-2 after a foul on Seattle gave the Spartans an opening for Eddie Saylee to score his first goal of the season.
The Spartan offense continued to put pressure on the Redhawks defense and pushed to find a chance to tie the game.
With less than three minutes of regulation, senior forward Zach Penner scored his second goal of the season with a header and tied the game 3-3.
In a span of 15 minutes, the Spartans went from looking defeated and outmatched to a confident, explosive team filled with energy.
Forcing overtime, SJSU was thirsty for another goal despite being outshot by Seattle 22-10. The game went through double overtime as neither team was able to score, which set up a penalty shootout.
The WAC leader in saves already had seven huge saves through the double overtime, but none would be more important for San Jose State’s Clewis than the penalties with the season on the line.
He blocked the first two, but conceded the next three. The Spartans were 2-2 through their first four kicks as the season came down to sophomore Willy Miranda, who scored to force sudden death.
Both SJSU and SU made its first two shots and forced an eighth penalty kick.
Clewis had allowed five straight goals, with four of the five going to the left side. Connor Noblat of Seattle attempted to go to the left side, but Clewis caught on to the pattern and leaped to his right to block the ball from reaching the net.
Once again, the season came down to a sophomore. This time it was Omar Lemus, who found the net and put the ball just out of reach of the goalie. His teammates stormed the field in celebration as the Spartans completed the improbable comeback on the road.
San Jose State moves to the semifinals of the WAC tournament and face No. 2 seed University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on Friday.
Follow Chris on Twitter @estradadotc