"We are building on our performance from last week," said head coach Brad Agoos. "I thought there were areas we could have been better in, but I give a lot of credit to the guys for battling to the end. They made some big plays when they needed to on the defensive end and we need to be better on the attacking end. I give San Jose State credit, they are a good team."
The first half was played fairly even between both sides, with each team seeing seven shots in the period. The Spartans edged the Redhawks with three shots on target to their two, but the Seattle U's freshman goalkeeper Jake Feener (Rocklin, Calif.) easily made the saves.
Feener made his collegiate debut in the contest and performed like a seasoned veteran. In his first career contest, he helped guide the Redhawks to their third shutout of the season. Along with posting a clean sheet, Feener tallied seven saves in the 110 minute contest.
"I think we were looking to make a change and maybe take a chance," commented Agoos on starting Feener between the pipes. "Jake has been playing very well in training and sometimes a goalkeeper that is real good form is such a big difference. I think he came up huge today and I am really happy for him."
After a scoreless first half, the Redhawks and Spartans continued to go back-and-forth in the final period of regulation. SU outshot SJUS 6-3 in the second half, but could not get shots fired off on target. Feener continued to manage the backline and tallied a pair of saves to send the game into extra minutes.
In the first overtime period, San Jose State upped their aggressiveness and pushed the ball deep into the Redhawk half of the field. The mix of Seattle U defenders: Ryan Blair (Albuquerque, N.M.), Kevin Cook (Gresham, Ore.), Brandon Hamer (Carmichael, Calif.), David Raney (Lynnwood, Wash.) and Demaci Roussos (Sacramento, Calif.) protected the Redhawk goal on point. Despite the Spartans late offensive attack, tallying seven shots, SU maintained a strong defensive wall and they were able to push the ball out of their box.
The final overtime period saw much of the play between the 18's, with possession favoring the Redhawks. SU repeatedly worked to push the ball into the Spartan box, but were unable to get clear shots on frame to earn their first victory of the season at home.
Seattle U (2-5-3 overall, 0-1-1 MPSF) will take on their third straight California-based MPSF opponent on Sunday, Oct. 10. The Redhawks will square off with Sacramento State in a 1:30 p.m. contest at Championship Field.