The San Jose State women’s soccer team scored on a late penalty, leading the Spartans to win 1-0 against Utah State, Sunday morning.
Freshman midfielder Sabrina Weinman gave the home crowd something to cheer for, converting a penalty with 20 minutes left in the game for the Spartans’ second conference win.
Utah State junior defender Imelda William’s handball led to the penalty after SJSU junior defender Darrian Reed tried crossing a pass into Utah State’s goal box.
The Spartans are now 2-2 in the Mountain West Conference and 4-6-2 overall.
With the win, head coach Lauren Hanson tied with previous head coach Philippe Blin - who resigned in 2000 - for most wins in school history with 53. Hanson said she was impressed with the overall performance of her team, but still thinks there’s room for improvement.
“This was one of our best games, just connecting with each other we just weren’t threatening,” Hanson said.
The Spartans stood their ground defensively in denying various shots on goal while sophomore goalkeeper Ariana Romero made several crucial saves.
“Get in front of the ball, sacrifice yourself and don’t let it [the ball] in that net,” senior defender Kristen Amarikwa said. “When you hesitate, that’s when you get hurt.”
Amarikwa, along with the rest of the defenders and midfielders, dominated center field, but there were several missed passes that the Aggies took advantage of, which created some dangerous counterattacks.
San Jose State’s defense stepped up time and time again, saving the team from close plays by Utah State, shutting out a team for the fifth time this season.
Many of the Aggies’ key chances came from sophomore forward Marli Niederhauser, who broke through the defense after precise through passes from Utah State midfielders.
These through passes from Utah State led to various one-on-one plays, leaving goalkeeper Romero alone, but Amarikwa and sophomore defender Jada Wilson were there almost every time to kick the danger away.
“Supporting each other, covering, you have to think pessimistically, ‘How can I fix this if all goes bad?” Amarikwa said.
She said her aggressive tackles came from knowing her job as a defender and what she needed to do.
“Sacrifice whatever you can, whatever you have to do,” Amarikwa said.
Romero also had her own moments with four saves, with one almost getting past her.
Just before Weinman’s goal, Romero took flight to nearly get a hand on Utah State junior midfielder Ashley Cardozo’s free kick, which barely hit the top crossbar.
Cardozo, who was one of Utah State’s biggest offensive threats, had many other chances on goal but was either stymied by the Spartan defense, or sent the ball into Romero’s hands.
Both teams had similar issues with finishing plays and driving the ball into the back of the net or not having enough power behind
the shots.
“We need to take more shots on goal,” coach Hanson said.
She added that whether it’s with the through passes or getting behind the defensive line, Hanson said her team needs to find those opportunities to make shots and take risks.
The Spartans and the Aggies both had 13 shots, with the Spartans leading shots on goal 5-4 and corner kicks 5-3. Aside from those few shots on goal, both teams kept the action contained to the center field while battling to maintain possession.
Hanson said the second half wasn’t as great in possession compared to the first half but overall she said she was really happy with her team’s performance.
Amarikwa said she was “happy we got the win today,” but said she needs to work on staying positive for her team moving forward.
Hanson said if there were more shots taken, they could have avoided those close-call penalty goals and could have relied instead on the multiple goals made.
“You love penalties, but you want to make sure that you get your shots on target,” Hanson said.
The Spartans will hit the road for a game against Wyoming on Friday.
