Oct. 4, 2016
SPARTANS VISIT BOISE STATE & UTAH STATESan José State, Boise State and Utah State all begin the week in a tie for first place with a 3-1-0 Mountain West Record. But that will change when SJSU visits the Broncos on Friday and the Aggies on Sunday. Both matches will be streamed live on the Mountain West NetworkMATCHES 13-14San José State (6-3-3, 3-1-0 MW) vs. Boise State (4-8-1, 3-1-0 MW)Friday, October 7, 2016, 4:00 p.m. (MT)Boas Soccer Center (750)Boise, Idaho
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San José State (6-3-3, 3-1-0 MW) vs. Utah State (7-5-0, 3-1-0 MW)Sunday, October 9, 2016, 1:00 p.m. (MT)Chuck & Gloria Bell Field (500)Logan, Utah
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SPARTANS KEEP LEAGUE BEST RECORDAfter splitting the second week of Mountain West play, the Spartans are one of four teams at the top of the table with a 3-1-0 record. SJSU's next two opponents Boise State and Utah State along with UNLV are the other three teams. San José State faces the Broncos and the Aggies who are both undefeated on their home fields in conference play.SPARTANS DOMINATE AZTECS, 4-0The Spartans had a dominating performance on Sunday that resulted in a 4-0 win over San Diego State. Maricruz Chapa (Sr., MF, Orange Cove, Calif.) led the way with two goals, and Ana Calero (Fr., GK, Watsonville, Calif.) held up her end with four big saves to preserve a shutout. The San José State has scored multiple goals now in five of the last six matches. The defense continued to impress with its sixth shutout of the year, which is tied for the league-lead with Colorado College.OFFENSE HAS NEW LIFESan José State scored three goals in its first seven matches of the year. Since then, the team has scored 16 times in the last five contests. Since league play began the team is averaging 2.5 goals per match. Alexis Venegas (Sr., MF, Van Nuys, Calif.) leads the team with 10 points (4 goals, 2 assists), and has scored in three straight matches heading into this week. Venagas is one of five Spartans with multiple goals on the year.SENIORS LEADING THE WAYAlexis Venagas and Maricruz Chapa have combined for 12 points and five goals in the early goings of MW play. Both players have assisted one goal while helping the Spartans' offense become more and more potent as the year goes on. Chapa put two in the back of the net in the 4-0 win over San Diego State while Venegas has scored in three straight matches.FRESHMEN FOLLOWING SUITWhile the seniors lead the way, Kristen Amarikwa (Fr., D, Bakersfield, Calif.) and Gabriela Herrera (Fr., MF, Davis, Calif.) are two Spartan freshmen who have made a big impression in 2016. Amarikwa has played multiple positions for the Spartans' defense which has ranked as high as 14th in the country for goals against average. She has also gotten into the mix offensively with two goals and an assist. Herrera is fourth on the team with six points (2 goals, 2 assist). All of her contributions have come as a reserve, and she has proven to be a game-changer upon entry off the bench.THE WORD ON BOISE STATEA three-match winning streak was snapped last Sunday when the Broncos lost to Air Force, 0-2. It was the fifth time this season that Boise State has been shutout. Still, Boise State is a top team in the Mountain West with a 3-1-0 record, and the team is unbeaten at home during conference play. Boise State's scoring leader Raimee Sherle (6 goals) is the Mountain West leader in total shots and shots per game.LAST MATCH AGAINST BOISE STATEIn an extremely physical match, San José State prevailed for a 2-1 victory in overtime at Spartan Soccer field the last time the two teams met. The Spartans have now defeated the Broncos in both meetings as members of the Mountain West, however Boise State own an 8-6-2 edge in the all-time series.THE WORD ON UTAH STATEThe Aggies also had a three-game win streak snapped last Sunday at the hands of Colorado College, 0-1. It was just the third time this season that Utah State was shutout. Jessica Brooksby leads the team with 16 points (5 goals, 6 assists). Wesley Hamblin also has five goals on the year. The Aggies rank second in the Mountain West in multiple offensive categories including points, goals and assists. They are 4-2-0 at home and 2-0-0 at home in Mountain West play. The Aggies will face Fresno State on Friday before SJSU comes into town on Sunday.LAST MATCH AGAINST UTAH STATEUtah State shutout San José State in San Jose last season, 1-0. That made it three straight wins against the Spartans, who haven't beaten the Aggies since 2010.