Aug. 23, 2014
Santa Clara, Calif. - Rory Knibbs scored in the 46th minute to give the San José State men's soccer team a 1-0 lead over cross-town rival Santa Clara. But Max Ornstil got the equalizer in the 85th minute as the sides ended their exhibition schedule with a 1-1 draw at Buck Shaw Stadium.
"I think the tie was a fair result," head coach Simon Tobin said. "The first half was good for both teams. We had a slight edge in the play."
The teams went to the half in a 0-0 tie. SJSU held a 5-to-1 advantage in shots with two Spartans, Frankie Beauchamp and Uriel Ayala putting their attempts on frame.
In San José State's first possession of the second half, Kyler McLaughlin cleared a ball from deep in Spartan territory. Enrique Montano picked it up at midfield and played it on down the middle of the field. Rory Knibbs split the last two defenders, ran onto the ball and shot it low to the right corner for his first tally of the year and a 1-0 lead.
It would turn out to be the only shot the Spartans would be awarded in the half. Santa Clara had a 7-to-1 advantage on the stat sheet and played the majority of the second 45 minutes in San José State territory.
"When we scored the goal I think they were a little surprised," Tobin said. "After that they really applied the pressure. Their goal was coming. You could feel it."
In the 86th minute, Ornstil finally got Santa Clara on the board.
"We battled quite hard," Tobin said. "The first game (a 2-1 win over Sonoma State) was all right, but this game was against a Division I team and against the level of talent we are going to be seeing from here on out. We have the ability to compete with anyone, but we also have things to continue to work on."
The Broncos out shot Spartans 8-to-6 on the night.
Beauchamp led the Spartans with two shot attempts. Johnathan Colunga, Greg Harte, Ayala and Knibbs each had one. In goal, Emmanuel Espinoza had a clean sheet in the first half, as Santa Clara failed to get any shots on frame. Felix Petermann made two saves in the second half and saw seven shots.
San Jose State opens the regular season on Friday, August 29 in Peoria, Ill., against the Bradley Braves.