San José, Calif. – San José State led No. 8 Saint Mary's by a pair of goals after 62 strong minutes on Monday but ultimately was unable to hand the Gaels (4-0) their first loss since 2017.
Goals from upperclassmen Danny Sanchez and Suliman Khorami staked the Spartans (0-4) to an early 2-0 advantage before a late flurry of goals gave their top-10 opponent a 5-2 victory.
"It was disappointing the way it finished but there were bright things there," said head coach Simon Tobin after the match. "We had a chance to make a bit of history for our program but our mentality changed after their first goals went in. Our job and goal is to win the WAC though and I think we showed tonight that we can compete with a top-10 team."
SJSU drew first blood in this one, striking on a beautiful 28th minute goal off the foot of Sanchez. The midfielder timed his slide perfectly into the center of the box, connecting with his right foot to power a deflected ball past the outstretched keeper.
.@dopedanny0 doing dope things.
— San José State Men's Soccer (@SanJoseStateMS) September 10, 2019
???: @JavyALVZ408 pic.twitter.com/q318xAoKRa
Sanchez's goal (his first of the year and second of his career) was the first one of the season allowed by Saint Mary's. It also marked the first time in 358 days that the team has trailed in a match (0-1 at UC Riverside on September 16, 2018).
Continuing to look for a second goal after taking the early lead, San José State found what it was looking for in the 61st minute.
Notching his first goal of the season, Khorami found himself on the end of a brilliant pass from sophomore Jamal Adam before turning and firing the ball into the back of the net.
The Spartans ended the evening with six shots (three on goal) and three saves throughout the 90 minute contest. It eventually proved to not be enough on this night as the Gael offense found their stride late en route to the 5-2 win.
The match marked the team's fourth contest in the last 11 days, a number that will grow to five in less than two weeks when it travels north to face San Francisco on Thursday.
"We have had a lot of games recently," freshman Kasper Poulsgaard said when asked about the challenges of the schedule. "We obviously did well in the first half but we need to try and stay strong for the entire match."
The meeting with the Dons is slated for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff on Thursday night in San Francisco. Those not in attendance will be able to watch the game live on the WCC Network.