THE SCHEDULE
San José State will look to continue its road success when it meets California Baptist at Championship Soccer Stadium on Friday. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. in Irvine.
AN SJSU WIN WOULD
- Give SJSU its best start through five matches since the 2011 campaign (started 3-1-1)
- Mark the program's first victory all-time against California Baptist
- Be better than a loss
FOLLOW ALONG
Friday's match will be televised on the WAC Digital Network. Live stats will be available and you can follow every San José State men's soccer match live on Twitter, @SanJoseStateMS.
FIRST TOUCHES
- This will be the third meeting all-time between San José State and California Baptist.
- Eight of the 11 starters in SJSU's last match hail from Northern California.
- Senior Nicolas Brenes tops the team in shots (13), shots on goal (9) and goals (2). Brenes was named the San José State Student-Athlete of the Month for the month of February.
CORNER KICKS
- Goalkeeper David Sweeney has been on the pitch for all 400 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 earlier this month 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).
SOCIAL MEDIA
The men's soccer program can be found on both Twitter (@SanJoseStateMS) and Instagram (@sanjosestatems).
RUDI, RUDI, RUDI
After leading the team in goals in his first year with the Spartans, senior Rudi Castro has dished out five assists through four 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 rolls on.
Rank Player Assists Per Match
1st Andrew Rent (Boston U) 2.00
2nd Noah Jensen (Oakland) 1.38
3rd Rudi Castro (San José State) 1.25
ABOUT THOSE TIES
The team's draw on Saturday was SJSU's second straight tie, marking the program's first set of back-to-back draws since the 2011 campaign (1-1 at UC Riverside and 1-1 vs. Santa Clara).
ROAD WARRIORS
Undaunted by recent road trips, San José State has 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).
COMEBACK KIDS
San José State has earned a result coming from behind in the second half in three of its four matches this season.
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 6-1-3 in the Lone Star State since 2015 and still hasn't lost in the state since that 2015 season.
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 up to No. 9 in this week's United Soccer Coaches Far West Regional Rankings. California Baptist is currently ranked seventh.
LOWDOWN ON THE LANCERS
- Friday's match will mark the third meeting between the two programs. The Lancers lead the all-time series 2-0.
- California Baptist head coach Coe Michaelson is in his fifth season at the helm in Riverside. CBU went 6-11-2 in 2019.
- The Lancers currently hold a record of 4-2-2, most recently falling in a 1-0 decision in overtime at UNLV on Monday.
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.