Saturday, September 25
USAFA, CO
11 am MT
Air Force Academy
2-4-1, 1-0-0
2
vs
0
San Jose State
2-5-1, 0-1-0
1
2
F
San Jose St.
0
0
0
Air Force
1
1
2
Photo by: U.S. Air Force photo / Trevor Co
Air Force Blanks SJSU in WAC Opener, 2-0
9/25/2021 1:33:00 PM | Men's Soccer
USAF ACADEMY – A strong 90-minute performance pushed Air Force past San Jose State, 2-0, Saturday afternoon at Cadet Soccer Stadium. The Falcons improve to 2-4-1 on the season while the Spartans fall to 1-5-1.
Air Force controlled the offensive possessions and dictated the pace of play with a stout defense anchored by co-team captain Jared Dove who played all 90 minutes. The Falcon defense staved off eight Spartan corner kick attempts. On paper, the Falcons outshot the Spartans, 11-7, taking three shots on target to SJSU's two. Seniors Lathan Spadafora and Tristan Trager led the offense with three shots apiece.
Senior goalie Kainoa Likewise made two saves on the day, both of which critical to the Falcons' success. SJSU keeper David Sweeny made one save on the match.
The first strike of the game came from a free kick inside the 18-yard line in the 29th minute where Trager sent a rocket to the top shelf, clearing the Spartan goalie's reach while keeping it just a hair under the crossbar. The goal marked Trager's second this year. At the end of the first half, Air Force held the one-nil advantage.
The second and final strike of the match came from Luke Hill at the 51st minute. Hill, who received a fantastic long-ball from Giuliano Daniel, finished left foot across the frame for his second goal this season.
"It was a great 90 minutes of soccer, especially on the defensive side of the ball," head coach Doug Hill said. "The guys bought into the plan we set out to accomplish and we kept them at zero—as good as the goals were, so was the shutout. We have a little time to recover before we head to Chicago State, a team we don't know much about, but the guys are eager to listen and learn and are fully bought in."
Next up, the Falcons hit the road to take on WAC newcomer, Chicago State, on Friday, October 20. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT, at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois.
Air Force controlled the offensive possessions and dictated the pace of play with a stout defense anchored by co-team captain Jared Dove who played all 90 minutes. The Falcon defense staved off eight Spartan corner kick attempts. On paper, the Falcons outshot the Spartans, 11-7, taking three shots on target to SJSU's two. Seniors Lathan Spadafora and Tristan Trager led the offense with three shots apiece.
Senior goalie Kainoa Likewise made two saves on the day, both of which critical to the Falcons' success. SJSU keeper David Sweeny made one save on the match.
The first strike of the game came from a free kick inside the 18-yard line in the 29th minute where Trager sent a rocket to the top shelf, clearing the Spartan goalie's reach while keeping it just a hair under the crossbar. The goal marked Trager's second this year. At the end of the first half, Air Force held the one-nil advantage.
The second and final strike of the match came from Luke Hill at the 51st minute. Hill, who received a fantastic long-ball from Giuliano Daniel, finished left foot across the frame for his second goal this season.
"It was a great 90 minutes of soccer, especially on the defensive side of the ball," head coach Doug Hill said. "The guys bought into the plan we set out to accomplish and we kept them at zero—as good as the goals were, so was the shutout. We have a little time to recover before we head to Chicago State, a team we don't know much about, but the guys are eager to listen and learn and are fully bought in."
Next up, the Falcons hit the road to take on WAC newcomer, Chicago State, on Friday, October 20. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT, at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois.
Team Stats
SJS
AFA
Goals
0
2
Shots
7
11
Shots on Goal
2
3
Saves
1
2
Corners
8
2
Fouls
8
6
Scoring Plays
Tristan Trager (2)
GOAL by AFA Trager, Tristan.
28:54
Luke Hill (2)
Assisted By: Giuliano Daniel
GOAL by AFA Hill, Luke Assist by Daniel, Giuliano.
50:09
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
Midfield
/ Men's Soccer
Defender
/ Men's Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Men's SoccerForward
/ Men's SoccerMidfielder
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