Sept. 20, 2016
SPARTANS OPEN MW PLAY WITH TWO IN THE SILVER STATELet the Mountain West games begin! San José State with the league's best defense squares off against UNLV's number-one offense under the Friday night lights of Las Vegas in the Mountain West opener for both squads. The match is set for 7:00 p.m. (PT) and will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network. Following the match at UNLV, the Spartans keep it in the Silver State and head to Reno for a match against the Nevada Wolf Pack on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. (PT).Matches # 9-10San José State (3-2-3, 0-0-0 MW) at UNLV (7-2-0, 0-0-0 MW)Friday, September 23, 2016, 7:00 p.m. (PT)Peter Johann Memorial Field (2,500)Las Vegas, Nev.San José State (3-2-3, 0-0-0 MW) at Nevada (3-4-0, 0-0-0 MW)Sunday, September 25, 2016, 1:00 p.m. (PT)Mackay Stadium (30,000)Reno, Nev.Watch LiveSPARTANS POUR IN FIVE GOALS ON PORTLAND STATEScoring was at a premium for the Spartans throughout the nonconference season, but that changed Sunday when SJSU poured in five goals by as many players in a victory over Portland State. It was the most goals in a match since 2008 and the most in a match at home since 2006.DEFENSE RANKED TOP-20 NATIONALLYSan José State's fifth shutout of the year last week against Montana boosted the team's goals-against average to 0.442, which ranks 14th in the nation. Only California's 0.436 goals-against average is better than SJSU's in the Pacific Region. Five shutouts in eight matches are good for a 0.625 shutout percentage which ranks 18th in the country and fourth in the Pacific Region.TWO 300-PLUS MINUTE SPANS WITHOUT ALLOWING A GOALWhen Portland State broke through for a goal in the 47th minute of Sunday's match, it ended a 354-minute scoreless streak for Spartans' opponents. It was the second streak of over 300 minutes this season without allowing a goal. SJSU began the year with consecutive shutouts in double-overtime, and didn't allow its first goal of the season until the 88th minute of the third match.SPARTANS NONCONFERENCE SNAPSHOTDefense, defense and more defense was the overall theme for the Spartans during the nonconference portion of 2016. Outside of the five goals SJSU scored last Sunday, the team managed just three scores in the previous seven matches. But they also only gave up four goals, which helped to maintain a 3-2-3 overall record. If there is one positive thing to draw from the offensive side of things, it's that seven different Spartans have put one in the back of the net. Last year at this time, the Spartans entered MW play with a 2-4-2 record, and then went 8-3-0 during conference play.TOP OFFENSE MEETS TOP DEFENSE IN MW OPENERAs stingy as San José State's defense has been this year, that's how potent UNLV's offense has been. The meeting between the two teams Friday will feature the Mountain West's best defense going against the best offense. UNLV's 23 assists, 7.44 points per game and 2.44 goals per game are all ranked first in the conference and in the West Region. Tune into the Mountain West Network Friday night to see if the Rebels' offense can continue its pace against the Spartans who allow just 0.442 goals per game.THE WORD ON UNLVThe Rebels ended their nonconference season on a 1-0 win with a penalty kick in double-overtime against Cal State Fullerton. They come into the MW opener with a 7-2-0 record and the afore mentioned best offense in the league. UNLV is a perfect 4-0-0 at home with wins over Northern Arizona, Eastern Washington, CSU Bakersfield and Cal State Fullerton. Seven players have scored multiple times in 2016, led by Lily Sender, Susie Bernal and Michaela Morris with four goals a piece. So far, the Rebels are exceeding the expectations set by the Preseason Mountain West Coaches' Poll, which predicted them to finish in eighth place.THE WORD ON NEVADAThe Wolf Pack begin conference play with a 3-4-0 record after a 2-0 win over New Mexico State in the nonconference finale. Nevada is 1-1-0 so far in home matches, and will take on Fresno State inside Mackay Stadium before San José State comes to town on Sunday. Rylee Peterson and Angel Meriwether with two goals a piece lead the team in scoring. The Wolf Pack and Spartans had two common opponents during nonconference play - UC Irvine, which beat SJSU and lost to Nevada and Portland State, which beat Nevada and lost to SJSU.OVERTIME MAGNETAlthough the Spartans have technically played eight matches, the amount of minutes played adds up to over nine full-time matches. Five San José State matches have reached double-overtime, adding up to 95 minutes of extra time. The Spartans are 1-1-3 in those matches. Last year SJSU set the single-season record with eight overtime matches.SIMONEAU IS A TOP-30 KEEPER IN THE COUNTRYIn her first season taking over as the starting keeper, Paige Simoneau (So., GK, Corona, Calif.) ranks 22nd in the nation with four individual shutouts and 30th in the nation for her 0.500 goals-against average. She ranks first in the conference in both categories.HOPPIUS REMAINS MW'S MOST AGGRESSIVE FORWARDDorthe Hoppius (Jr., F, Dorsten, Germany) scored her second goal of the season on Sunday in the eighth minute of the win over Portland State. Through matches as of September 19, Hoppius ranks first in the conference in shots per game at 3.63. Hoppius has put 10 of 29 shots on goal so far in 2016.