By Felix Oliveros — Staff Writer
The start looked nothing like the finish Monday night as the San Jose State men’s soccer team (0-4) was defeated by Saint Mary’s (3-0), 5-2 in a noticeably physical matchup.
While the first half was competitive, the second half spiraled out of control for the Spartans and momentum switched like a light.
The No. 8 Gaels scored five unanswered goals, with senior forward Andres Engebretsen leading the charge and proving to be the Spartan’s biggest headache. The Norway native was able to score three goals late in the game to complete a hat trick and give Saint Mary’s its 28th consecutive win.
“Well [Engebretsen’s] on the Hermann List,” said San Jose State head coach Simon Tobin of Engebretson. “That’s probably the equivalent of the football heisman. He’s probably in the top three players in the country and will probably get drafted.”
Final score aside, physicality was the theme of the night for both teams.
Plenty of shoving and smack talk could be seen between the two teams from early on until nearly the final whistle.
Fans and players alike groaned and complained as bodies repeatedly hit the floor and tension grew to a peak. The peak being when junior forward Rodolfo Castro was given a red card after an altercation with an opposing player.
“I think Rudy got frustrated,” said Tobin. “Because he’s our striker and he’s a good player, he’s going to get dealt with non-stop. As you go up the leagues and the levels you have to get used to getting picked on a bit and you have to answer that by putting the ball in the back of the net.”
SJSU gave the home crowd a reason to believe in an upset after the team returned from halftime up 1-0.
Thanks to a goal from junior midfielder Danny Sanchez in the 28th minute, and a goal from senior forward Suliman Khorami in the 60th minute that gave the Spartans a 2-0 lead.
The home team came into the game looking to turn its luck around after losing their last game 5-1. In the other corner, Saint Mary’s came to town fresh off a close win at home against Grand Canyon University last Friday.
After another game of giving up five goals, the Spartans came away from their Monday night loss knowing that they can compete with a top-ten program like Saint Mary’s.
SJSU will take what it learned on the road to compete at the University of San Francisco Thursday night at 7 p.m. in search of its first win of 2019.
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