Slow start, strong finish not enough for men’s soccer

A slow start sealed the Hornets’ fate in their 3-1 loss to San Jose State on Wednesday.

The Spartans took advantage of the Hornets early, scoring their first goal in the game’s second minute.

"We came out really flat today and I don’t know why," head coach Mike Linenberger said.

The Hornets did respond in the 13^th minute with a goal by sophomore midfielder Vjeko Odich. A failed clear by the Spartans set up a steal by sophomore forward Rosendo Flores who assisted Odich on the goal.

The Spartans took a 2-1 lead into halftime on senior forward Aman Kebreab’s converted a penalty kick. A controversial foul in front of the Hornet goal set up the scoring opportunity two minutes before the end of the first half.

"The first half was the worst half of soccer this year and we got into them about it during halftime," Linenberger said. "We did remind them that despite how poor we played we were still only down by one goal."

The Hornets responded by coming out strong in the second half.

"They came out to prove that they can play better," Linenberger said. "They played for their pride."

The Hornets came close to tying the game on three opportunities, but could not convert.

Four minutes into the second half, junior midfielder Matt Scammacca’s shot hit the crossbar and missed.

Assistant coach Cesar Plasencia was yelling to his players to work with the momentum that the Hornets had built.

In the 121^st minute the Hornets came close again when sophomore forward Sean Luigs blocked a goal kick that passed the goalkeeper but was cleared by a Spartan player just before crossing the goal line.

In the closing minutes the Hornets failed to convert a header and the Spartans scored again – icing the game with two minutes remaining.

"The game was a lot closer than the score shows," Linenberger said. "We were pleased with the play in the second half."

The Hornets head south this weekend for the University of San Diego Tournament. Their first game is Friday against Fullerton, followed by a match against host San Diego on Sunday.