The San Jose State men’s 2020-21 soccer season came to an exciting end last Tuesday after a double-overtime loss went to penalty kicks against Air Force .
The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) quarterfinal game hosted at Peter Johann Memorial Field in Las Vegas was a nailbiter until the very end.
While the Spartans played one of their best games of the season against the Falcons, it wasn’t enough for them to continue toward the title.
SJSU dominated the field for most of the game, but Air Force rallied and didn’t back down.
During the first 30 minutes of the game the Spartans played incredible offense and was a force to be reckoned with.
Forward Rudi Castro had a phenomenal game averaging 6 shots with 5 of them on goal. He was also the big scorer for the night, scoring the game’s first goal within Minute 27.
Not even two minutes later, Castro scored again with an assist by midfielders Max Allen and Nicolas Brenes, giving the Spartans a 2-0 lead.
Both Brenes and Allen were key players.. Not only did they help the team gain an even bigger lead, but Brenes also ended the game with a total of 6 shots.
SJSU and the audience of around 100 people went crazy after Castro put up two goals within two minutes.
Although SJSU doesn’t allow spectors, Peter Johann Memorial Field in Las Vegas allowed a limited number of fans to attend the event.
The odds looked hopeful for the Spartans as they used their momentum to continue giving the game their all, but the Falcons didn’t give up easily.
After Castro's back-to-back goals, Air Force midfielder Tristan Trager was able to sail the ball right past Spartans’ goalie David Sweeney, advancing the score 2-1 before halftime.
Although SJSU had a 24-12 shot advantage, they did not score in the second half allowing Air Force to tie the score and send the game into overtime.
Both teams played excellent defense and offense during the overtime and eventually the game was sent into double-overtime.
During double-overtime, SJSU and Air Force still weren't able to score and the fate of the game was left to penalty kicks.
Unfortunately, the Spartans fell short and the Falcons won 4-3 in penalty kicks, potentially marking the end of SJSU’s season.
“One of the best seasons in school history, hopefully not done yet,” read a post from the official SJSU men’s soccer Twitter account.
With zero away losses, two WAC second-best RPI and seven all-conference selections, the Spartans had a great season and received a lot of support from fellow teams.
“Congrats to @SanJoseStateMS on a great run this spring. The future is bright, and I know @simontobin7 and this team will build on this and be ready to climb the mountain this fall!! #SpartanUp,” said head football Coach Brent Brennan on Twitter.
SJSU is awaiting to see if this is the end of the road for the season but is currently ranked No. 35 in the RPI.
