THE SCHEDULE
San José State will look to stay hot when it meets Grand Canyon on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at Spartan Soccer Complex.
FOLLOW ALONG
Saturday's match will be televised on the WAC Digital Network with the one and only Daniel Barrera on the call. Live stats will be available and you can follow every San José State men's soccer game live on Twitter, @SanJoseStateMS.
AN SJSU WIN WOULD
> Give SJSU its first 2-0 start since the 2010 campaign
> Mark the program's third straight victory in home conference openers
> Be better than a loss
FIRST TOUCHES
- This will be the ninth meeting all-time between San José State and Grand Canyon.
- Eight of the 11 starters in last week's season opener hail from Northern California.
- Senior Nicolas Brenes tops the team in shots (3), shots on goal (2), points (2) and goals (1). Brenes scored the game-winning goal in the 85th minute of Saturday's season opener at Dixie State.
CORNER KICKS
- San Jose State has advanced to the postseason in each of the last three seasons (have qualified for the WAC title match in two of those trips).
- Seven newcomers have been added to the roster for the 2020-21 campaign. The group consists of a trio of forwards, two defenders, one midfielder and one goalkeeper.
- Both of 2019's top minute-earners are back for SJSU this season. Seniors Carlos Gomez-Zavala (1574 minutes) and Max Allen (1555) paced the team a year ago while dominating in the midfield.
RUDI, RUDI, RUDI
Senior Rudi Castro was named the TicketSmarter WAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after tallying a pair of assists in last week's win. The offensive player of the week nod is the first for the program since Rory Knibbs received the award for the week of Aug. 31 in 2015.
CALL IT A COMEBACK
Saturday's victory in St. George marked the program's first win in regulation when trailing in the 79th minute or later since Sept. 26, 2010 (trailed San Francisco 0-1 in 87th minute - won 2-1).
CONFERENCE OPENERS UNDER HEAD COACH SIMON TOBIN
The Spartans have earned a result in six of the seven conference openers played since Tobin took over at the helm in San José. In addition, all but last season's opener were played away from home.
Season Opponent Result
2020-21 at Dixie State W, 2-1
2019 CSU Bakersfield W, 3-2
2018 at CSU Bakersfield W, 2-1
2017 at Utah Valley T, 1-1 (2OT)
2016 at Grand Canyon T, 1-1 (2OT)
2015 at Incarnate Word W, 2-1
2014 at CSU Bakersfield L, 5-1
ROAD WARRIORS
Undaunted by recent road trips, San José State has now earned a result in three of its last four away matches. The team's next road contest is scheduled for March 13 at Houston Baptist.
SENIORITIS
SJSU returns to the pitch this season with one of the nation's most experienced rosters. The Spartans boast 12 seniors on this year's side, which is the second-most in all of Division I soccer (Cal Poly - 15).
GO, GO USA
In one of the final international sporting events held before the world shut down in the spring of 2020, senior Eduardo Buenfil was called up to the U.S. Futsal Men's National Team last March. Competing in the Futsal Week Winter Cup, Buenfil tallied four goals to help lead the United States to a third-place finish in the tournament.
LOWDOWN ON THE LOPES
- Saturday's match will mark the ninth meeting between the two programs. The Spartans lead the all-time series 4-2-2.
- Lopes head coach Schellas Hyndman is in his sixth and final season at the helm in Phoenix. GCU went 4-9-4 in 2019, a mark that included a 2-2 draw against the Spartans.
- Grand Canyon currently hold a record of 1-0, defeating Houston Baptist 2-1 on Saturday at GCU Stadium.
TOBIN'S TEAM
- 2020-21 marks the seventh season at the helm in San José for Tobin, who joined the Spartans after spending the previous 27 seasons as the head coach at CSU Bakersfield. Tobin is a native of London, England, graduating from Nonington College in 1983.
- His 343 career victories entering the 2020-21 season ranked No. 10 in all of Division I among active coaches.
SOCIAL MEDIA
The men's soccer program can be found on both Twitter (@SanJoseStateMS) and Instagram (@sanjosestatems).