By Sofia Wright — Staff Writer
San Jose State men’s soccer sent their seniors off on a positive note with a 2-0 win over Air Force.
Senior day was made special as forward Suliman Khorami had a breakaway late in the second half and tapped the ball right past the Falcons’ (5-9-0, 4-4-0 WAC) Kainoa Likewise for the Spartans’ (4-10-1, 4-3-1 WAC) second goal of the game.
Both teams had an added opponent as the gusting winds played a huge role.
The Spartans went against the wind in the first half, which proved to be a problem for goalie David Sweeney who had to keep his kicks and throws down.
“I just thought to stay calm and if I miss hit it, just get the next one,” Sweeney said. “If the wind is going really bad I just tried to take my time and let the wind die down as much as possible.”
Air Force put on immense pressure in the first half and had a lot of scoring opportunities. In that half alone, the Falcons had eight corner kicks but were matched with the Spartans at four shots.
With the wind on its side, SJSU dominated the second half.
At the 78’, junior midfielder Max Allen took a placed kick after a Falcon foul. He set the ball up, similar to a cross, where Willy Miranda finished it for the first goal of the game.
This was Miranda’s first goal of the season and first real playing minutes of the year. He had previously been out for eight months with an ankle injury.
“It’s been difficult for me personally, but it helped the team to win,” Miranda said of his goal. “It was really important for us to win this game.”
The team snagged two wins at home and will hit the road for a final away-game stretch before the WAC tournament.
Before this weekend, the team hadn’t won a game since Oct. 4.
“We have a lot of travel next weekend and the Texas teams are notoriously hard to play on the road,” head coach Simon Tobin said. “These two wins, Friday and Sunday, were of paramount importance.”
The Spartans play the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on Nov. 1 at 5 p.m.
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