By Marissa Scott— Assistant Executive Editor
San Jose State men’s soccer travel to the Emerald City with victory on its mind to secure a higher spot in the Western Athletic Conference tournament.
The Spartans (5-10-2, 5-3-2 WAC), currently a No. 5 seed, will take on No.1-seed Seattle University (12-3-3, 9-0-1 WAC) for their final game of the season.
Last season, the two teams also faced off for the last game of the season and the Redhawks took home a 2-1 victory.
But that wouldn’t be the last they saw of each other.
The Spartans would go on to beat the Redhawks 6-5 in penalty kicks in the quarterfinals of the WAC tournament to eventually advance to the final round.
SJSU’s most dominant striker will be the game changer in the season-finale match.
Forward Rodolfo Castro leads the team with nine goals, 52 shots and 20 points. His nine goals is more than double the second-highest total on the team. The junior is 21st in the country with an average of 1.72 shots per game and 37th with a shot accuracy average of .538.
The Spartans lifeline this season has also been goalkeeper David Sweeney. The freshman boasts a .795 save percentage and is tied for second in the conference with only 15 goals allowed on the 2019 contest.
With four shutout victories and a WAC Defensive Player of the Week title, the young goalkeeper is proving his talent to the upperclassmen.
The Redhawks power offense is what helped them secure the No. 1 spot in the conference so early. Sophomore forward Declan McGlynn tops the team’s leaderboard in almost every offensive category with eight goals, seven assists and 23 points.
Seeded at No. 5, the Spartans can take control of the No. 3 spot if any of these circumstances happen:
- Spartans win, Air Force and CSU Bakersfield draw or lose
- Spartans draw, Air Force and CSU Bakersfield lose
Going into a team’s home field that has only lost one home game all year will be tough, but if the Spartan offense starts off strong, their freshman goalkeeper can finish off the job.
Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. in Seattle.
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