By Mohamed Bafakih (@Moe_Fresco):
San Jose State’s men’s soccer team will face its sixth straight Northern California opponent Thursday afternoon as it welcomes Saint Mary’s to the Spartan Soccer Complex.
After tying with Cal State Monterey Bay and Santa Clara in exhibition matches early in the season, the Spartans have gone 1-2 in nonconference play.
SJSU is fresh off a 2-0 shutout defeat to Sacramento State on Sunday after edging out UC Davis 3-2 last week.
Andy Rios accounted for two goals in the win against the Aggies, but he and his teammates were limited to just five shots against the Hornets — four from Max Allen and one from Suliman Khorami.
The Spartans were caught sleeping in the opening two minutes against the Hornets, leading to a Christian Webb goal and eventually Sacramento State’s first win of the season.
Playing from behind doesn’t favor the young Spartans, as they look to get back in the win column before they start their three-game road trip.
The Gaels (1-0-2) meanwhile, begin their four-game road slate in San Jose after a 3-3 tie against Detroit Mercy on Saturday.
Saint Mary’s took 29 shots against Detroit Mercy and are tied for 13th in the country with 17.3 shots per contest.
Led by sophomore forward Jake Rudel’s two goals in the last three games, the Gaels will rely on its offensive attack to give them the advantage over the Spartans.
The last meeting between both teams was on Sept. 21, 2014, when Saint Mary’s topped SJSU 2-1 in Moraga.
Both teams met the previous year in San Jose, which ended in a 0-0 draw in double overtime.