Utah Valley University’s loss to San Jose State Friday, Oct. 26, could be summed up by the 44th minute of the game. Junior forward Luis Vargas stole the ball, found an open shot and sent the ball far over the goal. The Wolverines consistently had some great looks, but just couldn’t execute as they lost 3-0 on the road.
UVU’s woes started 34 minutes into the game. SJSU sophomore forward Finlay Wood snuck past UVU’s defense and sent a great header into the goal.
The controversy here though was just before scoring, the refs had blown their whistle to signal that Wood had been offsides, and that his goal didn’t count. Upon further review the referees declared that their call was faulty and that SJSU’s goal would stand, now leading 1-0.
Due to the physicality of the game, both teams had plenty of free kicks close to the goal. One such kick was given to SJSU Junior forward Rudy Castro. His attempt went through the defense and past UVU senior goalkeeper Mitch Jensen. Castro put his team up 2-0, and kept the momentum with the Spartans. Castro would later score again, his eighth goal of the season.
Credit is also due to SJSU freshman goalkeeper David Sweeny. He garnered 11 saves on the night and held the Wolverines scoreless.
The loss to the Spartans is the second in a row for UVU. In both losses the Wolverines played well, outshooting their opponents 36-13, but only scoring one goal. Again Friday night, the Wolverines had many opportunities off corner and free kicks that couldn’t find the back of the net. The effort is there for the Wolverines, and they’ll be a force to be reckoned with when things come back together.
Sunday, Oct. 27, the Wolverines hope to better execute in a big game against Seattle University, the number one ranked team in the WAC. SU has yet to lose a WAC game. The winner of the game will likely determine the final standings in the WAC before tournament play, and could give UVU momentum going into the final games of the season.
