By Gabriel Luis (@gabelun):
History repeated itself for the San Jose State men’s soccer team (9-11-1, 5-4-1 WAC) as they faced off against Seattle University (14-3-4, 6-1-3 WAC) with hopes to win its first Western Athletic Conference Tournament title, but ended up losing 2-1 to the Redhawks.
The initial minutes of the match were balanced as both teams were just settling in, but everything changed in the 36th minute when Seattle scored off of a header from junior defender Nathan Aune.
No more than two minutes later, an intense tackle on Aune inside his defending box led to a yellow card as well as two red cards after punches were thrown.
SJSU’s freshman defender Omar Lemus and Seattle’s senior midfielder Ozzie Ramos were sent off for unnecessary involvement in the fight.
After both teams were forced to play with ten men the game’s atmosphere changed almost entirely as the Spartans finished the half with four fouls, picking up two yellow cards before the end of the half.
The second half was crucial for Seattle as the Redhawks converted their second goal in the 75th minute from senior midfielder Alex Roldan off an assist across goal by junior midfielder Sergio Rivas.
The second goal of the match heightened what was already an aggressive game, leading to San Jose State receiving four fouls in just five minutes after conceding the goal.
The only consolation the Spartans received for the game came in the final minutes of the match, as Aune scored an own goal in the 87th minute after a cross took a deflection.
SJSU was unable to muster any effective attacking plays leaving the Redhawks with the victory and the conference championship.
With the win, Seattle clinched a birth in the NCAA Tournament.