SAN JOSE, Calif. - It was the Kelsey-Kelsy show Tuesday night for San Jose State, as the two juniors contributed a combined six points on a goal and four assists in San Jose State's 3-0 win over Dominican (Calif.) at Spartan Stadium.
Kelsey Lord and Kelsy Holm got things going for the Spartans (3-9) in the 20th minute. With the Penguins (3-6) trying to set up an offensive strike, Holm moved in and stole the ball when they tried to pass back and reset. Holm dribbled to about midfield and played a long, sailing ball right down the middle of the field.
Lord accelerated and found the ball at her feet with just the 'keeper to beat. Lord actually bounced the ball off Dominican goalkeeper Megan Herring, who tried to come out of the box and make a stop. Once she settled the ball she had a wide-open look at the net, which she placed the ball directly into from 20 yards out for a 1-0 lead.
"Kelsy Holm played a great ball through to Kelsey Lord and she finished, which was good," said San Jose State head coach Jeff Leightman. "I think in the first half we were a little bit out of rhythm. I thought (Dominican) did very, very well and played in a better rhythm than we did in the first half."
The Spartans would total 20 shots on the night, a season high for San Jose State. Their three goals, 10 total points and 11 shots on goal were also all season highs, topping season high totals in each category from their most recent game on Oct. 2 against Idaho.
The score would stay 1-0 San Jose State through halftime, as the Spartans outshot the Penguins 10-2 in the first half alone with six shots on goal. Dominican would not get another shot off in the game as the SJSU defense locked down, while goalkeepers Meghan Maiwald (59 minutes played) and Gladis Covarrubias (31 minutes played) combined for the Spartans' second shutout of the season.
"In the second half I think we started to impose our will on the game and play better soccer and that was the difference," said Leightman.
San Jose State came out firing after halftime, putting another score on the board five minutes into the second half. Megan Molina notched her first goal of the season after Holm played the ball deep into the corner for Lord, who sent a cross back towards the top of the box. Molina put it into the left side of the net for a 2-0 lead.
Lord would contribute one more time on a goal two minutes later. Freshman Abigail Hernandez got her first collegiate score after she gathered a loose save and struck the ball from near point-blank range high into the net to give the Spartans a 3-0 lead. Herring had come out and deflected a shot from Lord, but it went right to Hernandez.
"Our whole team has been working hard all the time," said Leightman. "Obviously the wins weren't coming in the beginning but that doesn't mean we weren't working hard, and being able to give minutes to players who haven't been getting as many was really important."
A total of 23 Spartans saw action against Dominican. Of those, 11 took at least one shot, seven put at least one shot on goal, and all three goals came from three different players.
The Spartans now shift their focus to the night of Saturday, Oct. 8, when rival Fresno State comes to Spartan Stadium for an early Western Athletic Conference season showdown between two teams holding 1-0 WAC records.
"We wanted to get this game, and shift our focus to Saturday," said Leightman. "Saturday is going to be a big game. It's a big rivalry, it's a rematch of last year's (WAC Tournament) final; it's going to be a huge challenge for us.
"I think we're starting to come around a little bit. It's going to be a great test right off the bat in WAC play. It's a very important game."
Scoring by Periods
1 2 F
Dominican (3-6) 0 0 - 0
San Jose State (3-9) 1 2 - 3
Scoring Summary
SJSU -- Kelsey Lord (Kelsy Holm), 19:17
SJSU -- Megan Molina (Lord, Holm), 49:05
SJSU -- Abigail Hernandez (Lord), 51:12
Shots
Dominican -- 2
SJSU -- 20
Corner Kicks
Dominican -- 1
SJSU -- 3
Saves
Megan Herring (Dominican) -- 7
Raquel Ramos (Dominican) -- 1
Meghan Maiwald (SJSU) -- 0
Gladis Covarrubias (SJSU) -- 0