San José, Calif. – San José State's red-hot start to WAC play continued on Friday as the club rolled to a record-setting 6-0 victory over visiting Kansas City at the Spartan Soccer Complex.
The six-goal win matched a program record for margin of victory in a conference match and marked the largest win in any contest since August 29, 2003 (6-0 vs. Notre Dame de Namur).
"We are continuing to get better and better in front of the goal," said head coach Simon Tobin after the match. "Our finishing has been much better as well. We had a tough non-conference schedule and it showed us some things we're making a conscious effort to improve on now."
Improvement was shown early and often in this one as the boys raced out to an early 6-0 advantage.
It was forward Rodolfo Castro who drew first blood in the match's 11th minute, converting on a penalty kick after midfielder Danny Sanchez was taken down in the box. Castro didn't waste much time adding to his ledger, striking four minutes later with a right-footed laser to give his club some insurance.
Tobin credited an emphasis on tempo and pace against a travel-weary Roos side to his team's early success.
"We used a real, real high tempo in the first 20 minutes," Tobin said. "It is tough to travel in the WAC and that kind of pace is something you hate to see early on in a match."
While the first 20 minutes of the match set the tone, the last 25 of the first half helped put the contest out of reach.
Sanchez would tally two goals (one in the 27th minute and another in the 44th) while juniors Omar Lemus and Nicolas Brenes added their own in quick succession, striking in the 31st and 33rd minute.
"It is always exhilarating to score," said Sanchez after the win. "It's obvious we are getting more and more comfortable with each other and we're starting to want it more."
All of the goals added up to a 6-0 advantage at the halftime break, allowing Tobin to tinker with lineups and rest some bodies ahead of a quick turnaround before their next match on Sunday afternoon. The multi-goal performances from Castro and Sanchez marked the program's first match with multiple multi-goal scorers since Oct. 10, 2014 (Rory Knibbs and Greg Harte at Air Force).
Defensively, goalkeeper David Sweeney continued to impress in his first season as a Spartan. The freshman notched his first career shutout in the victory, tallying seven total saves on the afternoon.
San José State ended the day with a 16-15 advantage in shots taken, ultimately making seven saves to Kansas City's five. Castro led all players with four shots in the winning effort.
The Spartans now have just one day off before returning to the pitch on Sunday to play host to Houston Baptist. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. at the Spartan Soccer Complex.