SAN JOSE, Calif. - With just three matches remaining in the 2019 regular season, the time is now for San Jose State women's soccer as they try to lock down a spot in the Mountain West Tournament. The Spartans are currently in seventh place with 11 points and are right in the thick of things. The top six teams at the end of the year will punch their tickets for the championship tournament. To get there, SJSU needs to take care of business this weekend as they head to Albuquerque to take on New Mexico on Friday and then San Diego to take on the Aztecs of San Diego State. New Mexico is currently in fifth in the conference standings while SDSU is in second.
LAST TIME OUT
» The Spartans picked up four valuable points as they tied UNLV 1-1 and shutout Nevada 2-0 at home last weekend.
RECAPPING THE LAST WIN
» The Spartans jumped out to an early lead against Nevada in a must-win match. Kristen Amarikwa scored the first goal in the 26th minute on a header off a corner kick. Two minutes later, Sabrina Weinman put another shot in the back of the net on a free kick.
IN THE STANDINGS
» Just three regular season matches remain, and SJSU is right in the middle of the field trying to lock down a position in the MW Tournament. The Spartans are currently in seventh place with 11 points, but trail sixth-place Air Force by just a point. The top six teams at the end of the season will advance to the tournament, and with each remaining
opponent ranked higher than the Spartans, they are in a good position to lock down their fifth-straight appearance.
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED
» With the Spartans' 2-0 win over Nevada, Lauren Hanson picked up her 54th career win and is the program's outright winningest coach in school history.
» Hanson picked up the 50th win of her career against LMU. In doing so, she became just the second head coach in SJSU history to reach the 50-win plateau and is the third-fastest among current MW women's soccer coaches to reach the mark.
GOOD MOVES DOWN THE STRETCH
» Coach Hanson made an interesting game plan move late in the season that has paid big dividends. She made the decision to move up Kristen Amarikwa from the back line to forward in an attempt to generate more offense. The move has turned out to be a good one as Amarikwa has netted three goals in the last three matches.
SHUTTING OUT THE OPPOSITION
» SJSU's stellar defense prided themselves in pitching shutouts in 2018. They compiled a school-record 11 of them, which ranked fourth in the nation heading into the NCAA Tournament. While not quite at that same number, the Spartan defense continues to lock it down and has seven shutouts going into the weekend.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT - NEW MEXICO
» New Mexico enters Friday's match well-aware of what happened last season. The teams met in the championship match of the MW Tournament in San Jose with the Spartans taking home the trophy with a 1-0 final. This season, the Lobos enter the contest ranked fifth in the current MW standings with 15 points. The New Mexico offense has six players with multiple goals on the year, led by Gwen Maly, who has scored five.
SERIES HISTORY - NEW MEXICO
» The Spartans hold a 6-2-3 lead in the series including two wins last season. Prior to the championship match, SJSU won 1-0 in the regular-season meeting.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT - SAN DIEGO STATE
» San Diego State had a slow start to the season as they played a difficult nonconference slate, but they have picked things up big time in league play with a 6-2 record and are currently second in the standings with 18 points. Led by 13th-year head coach Mike Friesen, the Aztecs will face Fresno State on Friday before welcoming the Spartans on Sunday.
SERIES HISTORY - SAN DIEGO STATE
» San Diego State holds the all-time series lead at 11-2-2. The Spartans last recorded a victory over the Aztecs on Oct. 2, 2016 in a 4-0 rout in San Jose. Last season, SDSU won 1-0.
AMAZING AMARIKWA
» Senior defender Kristen Amarikwa is without question one of the top leaders on the Spartans' roster. She is also considered one of the best players in the nation, checking in as No. 66 in Top Drawer Soccer's preseason top 100. She was also the lone Mountain West candidate on the 30-member list for the Senior CLASS Award.
WEINMAN PROVIDES A SPARK
» Freshman midfielder Sabrina Weinman has wasted no time making a name for herself at the collegiate level. Through the team's first 16 games, the Bakersfield product is the team leader with four goals, including the game-winner against Utah State, while making eight starts. She also leads the way with 10 points.
CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE
» The SJSU women's soccer coaching staff has a lot of experience when it comes to playing for and winning championships. The trio of Hanson, Tina Estrada and Adrianne Fass have combined for 16 combined trips to the NCAA Tournament as players and coaches as well as three College Cup Championships.