By Carlos Jimenez (@carlosjimmenezz):
The start of Western Athletic Conference play may be the spark San Jose State’s men’s soccer team needs to get out of its four-game losing streak.
This week the Spartans (2-6) will face conference rivals Utah Valley University who are currently sixth in the division (3-5) and Seattle University who is second (6-2) on the road.
Last year’s matchup with Utah Valley University resulted in a 2-1 loss for the Spartans. SJSU’s lone goalscorer for that match was forward Rory Knibbs who is no longer with the team. The assist was credited to midfielders Jonathan Colunga and Leonardo Silva who are also no longer apart of the team.
Seattle University will be the Spartans’ second opponent of the week. Last season’s match between Seattle University and San Jose State ended in a 2-1 loss for the Spartans. The Spartans goal that game came from an own goal off a Redhawks player.
San Jose State has the worst record in the WAC at the moment. The Spartans have played three games on the road thus far against Cal State Northridge, University of Pacific and the University of San Francisco, all of which resulted in a loss.
Utah Valley seems to be the Spartans best bet for a victory this week because they are also on a four-game losing streak and hold a 1-3 home record compared to Seattle University’s 5-1 record at home.
The Spartans will face Utah Valley University on Friday, Sept. 29. and face Seattle University on Sunday, Sept. 31.