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FRESNO, Calif. – For the third consecutive match, 110 minutes wasn't enough time to crown a winner as San Jose State concluded the regular season with a scoreless draw with Fresno State Friday at the Fresno State Soccer and Lacrosse Field. With the draw, the Spartans conclude the season fourth in the Mountain West standings and will be the No.4 seed in the Mountain West Tournament, which begins Tuesday, Oct. 30, at the Spartan Soccer Complex.
The Spartans will rematch with fifth-seed Fresno State in the second game of the opening round on Tuesday. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. PT.
"To earn another shutout on the road once again proves that we are the top defensive team in the league," head coach Lauren Hanson said. "I'm proud of our defensive unit for their accomplishment. We'll work on fine tuning things in the final third going into our conference tournament."
Statistically, the Spartans dominated in all facets against the Bulldogs as they attempted a season-high 25 shots with 11 on target. The defense, as it has been all season, was once again outstanding as they held Fresno State to just four shots total, the fewest allowed by the Spartans in conference play this season.
Senior goalkeeper Paige Simoneau only had to make one save in her four shots faced, but came away with her school-record 10th shutout on the season. It was her eighth in conference play which extends her Mountain West single-season record for her individually and also gives the Spartans defense the record outright for the most shutouts in conference play in Mountain West history.
SJSU had plenty of chances to get on the board, especially in overtime as they outshot the Bulldogs 5-0 over both overtime periods. Jamilecxth Becerra fired off a shot just under two minutes into the first overtime period, however it was corralled by the Bulldogs' keeper. Lauola Amanoni nearly found the back of the net in the 96th minute, however the shot missed its mark wide of the post.
In the second overtime period, the Spartans nearly capitalized off a corner kick in the 105th minute. Gabriella Hurtado got her head on the ball, but the shot was blocked. Darrian Reed then fired it back towards the net off the rebound where it was corralled by the keeper.
In the SJSU's final chance, Haleigh Wynne came ever so close to finding the net in the 108th minute, but her shot sailed just high. The Spartans then cracked down on defense for the final two minutes as they turned the Bulldogs away on a corner attempt in the final minute.
Wynne and Becerra led all players with four shots each while Reed and Natalia Nava had three apiece. The Spartans finish the regular season 6-2-3 in conference play and 7-6-5 overall.
