THE SCHEDULE
San José State will look to keep its momentum rolling when it meets UTRGV at Spartan Soccer Complex on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. (PT) in San José.
AN SJSU WIN WOULD
- Give SJSU its best start through four matches since the 2011 campaign (beat Fresno Pacific and Omaha, tied Saint Mary's, lost vs. Cleveland State)
- Mark the program's fifth result in its last six meetings with UTRGV
- Be better than a loss
FOLLOW ALONG
Saturday's match will be televised on the WAC Digital Network with the sensational 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.
FIRST TOUCHES
- This will be the eighth meeting all-time between San José State and UTRGV.
- 10 of the 11 starters in SJSU's last match hail from Northern California.
- Senior Nicolas Brenes tops the team in shots (11), shots on goal (7) and goals (2). Brenes was named the San José State Student-Athlete of the Month for the month of February.
CORNER KICKS
- A pair of Spartans - Kasper Poulsgaard and David Sweeney - have been on the pitch for all 290 minutes this season.
- San José 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).
SHOOTERS SHOOT
The 30 shots attempted by the Spartans at Houston Baptist mark the program's most in a single match since Sept. 18, 2008 (32 in 2-2 draw vs. Cal Poly). The shot total is the most for any WAC team this season and the sixth-most in all of Division I. In matches against D-I opponents, the 30 shot attempts rank No. 2 nationally (Northern Illinois – 31 vs. Chicago State).
RUDI, RUDI, RUDI
After leading the team in goals in his first year with the Spartans, senior Rudi Castro has dished out four assists through three matches to start the 2020-21 campaign. That has the San José native ranked third nationally in assists per match as the month of March continues.
Rank Player Assists Per Match
1st Kevin Smolyn (Saint Francis PA) 2.00
2nd Noah Jensen (Oakland) 1.43
3rd Rudi Castro (San José State) 1.33
COME BACK TO TEXAS
Despite being one of the nation's longest conference road trips, San José State has enjoyed a spectacular run as of late in the state of Texas. The program is now 6-1-3 in the Lone Star State since 2015 and still hasn't lost in the state since that 2015 season.
ROAD WARRIORS
Undaunted by recent road trips, San José State has now earned a result in four of its last five away matches.
CALL IT A COMEBACK
Last month's victory at Dixie State 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).
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).
BEST IN THE (FAR) WEST
San José State moved into the United Soccer Coaches Far West Regional Rankings this week at No. 10. UTRGV is currently ranked fifth.
STARTING STRONG
Now at 1-1-1 on the 2020-21 campaign, this is the program's best start to a season through three matches since 2016 (beat Pacific, tied at UC Davis, lost at Oregon State).
UNDERSTANDING UTRGV
- Saturday's match will mark the eighth meeting between the two programs. The Spartans lead the all-time series 4-2-1.
- Vaqueros head coach Bryheem Hancock is in his first season at the helm in Edinburg. UTRGV went 8-6-2 in 2019, a mark that included a 0-0 draw against SJSU at the UTRGV Soccer Complex.
- The Vaqueros currently hold a record of 3-0-1, most recently earning a 3-1 victory over UNLV on Saturday. The team was listed in the "Also Receiving Votes" category of the latest United Soccer Coaches Top-25.
TOBIN'S TEAM
- 2020-21 marks the seventh season at the helm in San José for head coach Simon 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).