DAVIS, Calif. - Jordi Tortell Daly notched his second brace of the season and Fernando Duarte also scored a goal to lead the San José State men’s soccer team (7-8-3, 4-4-2 MW) in a 3-0 win over UC Davis (2-11-5, 2-6-2 MW) Friday night from Aggie Soccer Field to close out the regular season.
With the win, the spartans clinch a spot in the Mountain West Tournament and claim the No. 3 seed. The Spartans will face the No. 2 seed UNLV on the road on Tuesday, Nov. 10 in the tournament’s opening round.
The Spartans, needing a win or a tie to claim a spot in the Mountain West Tournament, took control early, outshooting the Aggies 11-3 in the opening half and creating consistent pressure through eight corner kicks. San José State broke through in the 41st minute. Set up on a corner kick, Isac Enriquez took a shot towards goal and Tortell Daly redirected the ball into the back of the net, giving the Spartans a 1-0 lead at halftime.
Tortell Daly doubled the advantage in the 64th minute, converting a penalty kick for his sixth goal of the season. Just under three minutes later, Duarte added an insurance goal, scoring his fourth of the season off assists from Angel Gutierrez and Ruben Flores-Thomas.
San José State finished with a 19-12 advantage in shots and held 53 percent of the possession. The Spartans also earned 10 corner kicks compared to five for UC Davis.
Goalkeeper Ronin Axelson made four saves to record the shutout.
- The Spartans have now qualified for their conference tournament for the 10th consecutive season
- The Spartans’ three goal margin of victory was their largest of the season
- The Spartans have now earned a result against UC Davis in four straight matches
- Tortell Daly now has six goals on the season which leads the team
- Duarte’s goal was his fourth of the year
- Duarte has recorded two points in four out of his last five games
- Flores-Thomas’ assist was his second of the season
- Gutierrez’s assist and Enriquez’s assist were both their second of the season
- Lawson Mettee made his collegiate debut
- Axelson’s shutout was his third of the season and sixth of his career
- Axelson’s four saves gives him 80 on the season which is the fourth most in the nation
- Axelson’s 80 saves on the year are the most in a season for the Spartans since Alex Clewis had 95 saves in 2018
UP NEXT: The No. 3 seeded Spartans will face the No. 2 seed UNLV on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. from Peter Johann Memorial Field. The game can be watched on MW+.
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