SAN JOSE, Calif. - It all boils down to the final match for Spartan Women's Soccer as they attempt the outstanding feat of securing a spot in their fifth-straight Mountain West Tournament, which will be hosted by Boise State Nov. 5-9. The Spartans will host rival Fresno State at the Spartan Soccer Complex on Friday at 7:00 p.m. The Bulldogs are currently in fourth place in the MW standings with 17 points while SJSU is in seventh at 14. San Jose State will honor their five seniors - Kristen Amarikwa, Jamilecxth Becerra, Carlie James, Jennifer Orozco and Darrian Reed - 15 minutes prior to the match. Fans that can't make it to the pitch can tune in to the Mountain West Network to hear Daniel Barrera's call and watch live.
LAST TIME OUT
» The Spartans spilit their final two road matches of the season, first defeating New Mexico, 2-0, before falling at San Diego State, 3-0.
SENIOR NIGHT
» SJSU will honor their five seniors prior to the start of Friday's match - Kristen Amarikwa, Jamilecxth Becerra, Carlie James, Jenny Orozco and Darrian Reed.
» The senior group has helped lead the Spartans to unprecedented success with three-straight trips to the Mountain West Tournament, a regular season conference title, a MW Tournament title and the program's second NCAA Tournament appearance.
DO OR DO NOT, THERE IS NO TRY
» All roads have led to this. The Spartans need a win over Fresno State to secure a spot in their fifth-straight Mountain West Tournament. SJSU is currently in seventh place on the outside looking in, but a win over fourth-place Fresno State would push them to at least sixth and secure their spot.
» If they advance, SJSU will be the only team in the conference to play in the last five tournaments.
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 netted four goals in four straight games. Her four goals in the stretch are the most of any player in conference play.
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 number, the Spartan defense continues to lock it down and has eight shutouts going into the weekend.
» The eight shutouts by goakeeper Ariana Romero are the second-most by a keeper in program history.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT - FRESNO STATE
» With 17 points and a 5-3-2 record, the Bulldogs enter the weekend in fourth place in the standings. Led by 10th year head man Brian Zwaschka, Fresno State features a strong defense that has only allowed two goals twice in conference play. Goalkeeper Milena Zink has allowed just four goals in her eight league games in the net.
SERIES HISTORY - FRESNO STATE
» Fresno State leads the long-standing rivalry at 15-10-3, but it was the Spartans that got the better last year. After playing to a scoreless draw in Fresno, the teams met a few days later in San Jose as part of the quarter final round of the MW Tournament. SJSU scored a brace to hold on for a 2-1 final and advance to the next round.
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. The Bakersfield product is the team leader 10 points and is tied for the lead with four goals, including the game-winner against Utah State, while making 10 starts.
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.
