By David Ngo — Staff Writer
San Jose State Men’s soccer (5-12-2) season ended Wednesday after a loss to CSU Bakersfield (8-10) in the WAC tournament opener in Colorado Springs. The defeat came despite outshooting the Roadrunners and controlling possession to begin the match.
Led by 2019 First Team All-WAC redshirt junior goalkeeper Detre Bell, SJSU was denied by Bell on a penalty kick save in the 60th minute, proving his All-WAC selection was no fluke.
The best scoring opportunity for the Spartans came when SJSU’s leading goal scorer junior forward Rudy Castro missed his first penalty of the season.
The Spartans will not advance in the WAC Tournament after going back-to-back seasons in the conference final the last two seasons.
The 1-0 loss to CSU Bakersfield ends one of the toughest seasons in head coach Simon Tobin’s 33-year-career, concluding with a devastating first-round defeat to his former team.
Playing at an elevation of 7,258 ft, both squads were notably affected by windy conditions and high altitude early in the first half.
The Spartans outshot the Roadrunners 11-3 heading into the second half and seemed to be the better team, controlling possession and containing the CSUB attack.
Things unraveled for the Spartans late in the 84th minute when CSUB’s senior midfielder Niklas Korber managed to sneak one by All-WAC freshman goalkeeper David Sweeney.
First Team All-WAC junior midfielder Max Allen was sent off the field in the 90th minute after showing his frustration by pushing a referee in the waning minutes of the match.
The first-round defeat summarizes an underwhelming season for a San Jose State squad that went winless in their first seven matches.
SJSU beat CSU Bakersfield 3-2 back in September to open conference play, but was unable to capitalize on a string of scoring chances at Cadet Stadium.
The Spartans were the no. 5 ranked team in the WAC Tournament while CSU Bakersfield was the no. 4 ranked team and will face top-seed Seattle University in the next round.
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