Nov. 3, 2016
San Diego, Calif. ---- At the turn of conference play the Spartan offense hit another gear and finished as the league's top scoring team at the end of the regular season.
But the #2-San Jose State women's soccer team's season came to an end Thursday by way of a 2-0 shutout at the hands of #3-San Diego State in the Mountain West Championship semifinal.
"We just didn't show up with the intensity that we usually show up with," said Spartans' head coach Lauren Hanson. "I feel like our team is just a bit worn out with the grind of the season."
The host Aztecs avenged last year's loss to the Spartans in the title match of the MW Tournament and also a 4-0 loss earlier this year in San Jose.
San Jose State surrendered a goal to SDSU's Angela Mitchell in the 15th minute. Spartan keeper Ana Calero made a diving save with her foot on Aliyah Utush's attempt in a 1-on-1 play, but the rebound went to Mitchell who put in the Aztecs' first goal.
A hand-ball inside the penalty area was called in the 28th minute, leading to a PK conversion that gave the Aztecs a 2-0 lead. Carley McBeath got called for the hand-ball when her attacker quickly spun and fired a cross into the box.
Calero dove low and to her left on the penalty kick, which is where the shot went, but Victoria Barba's shot went by.
SJSU was aggressive in the second half with a comeback attempt. The Spartans outshot the Aztecs 4-1 in the last 45 minutes, but none of the shots hit the back of the net.
"This was a fantastic season," Hanson said. "I thought we had a lot of challenges this season that the team handled really well. The grit and the passion that we play with is something I'm really proud of.
It's always challenging to repeat something. For the veterans and seniors they should be super proud of their time and that they helped build what we have."