MSOC | Offensive Outburst Highlights Exhibition Victory
8/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
MORAGA, Calif. -- Midfielder Jakub Svehlik scored a brace, while two other Saint Mary's freshmen scored their first collegiate goal as the Gaels defeated South Bay rival San Jose State 4-1 in an exhibition match Sunday in Saint Mary's Stadium.
The Czech Republic native finished a one-time shot in front of the goal off an assist from classmate Anders Engebretsen in the 35th minute, then, less than three minutes later, collected and finished a mishandled ball by the SJSU goalkeeper for the eventual match winner.
In total, 10 different players made their SMC debut against the Spartans and accounted for all four goals and nine of the team's 17 shot attempts. As a team, the Gaels outshot SJSU 17-5, including a dominating 11-1 margin during the first 45 minutes.
SMC junior goalkeeper Andrew Konstantino registered two saves without allowing a score in his 76 minutes of action as the starter, while his counterpart, Nedin Tucakovic, allowed three goals with four saves before leaving the game in the 80th minute.
"This is our first game since we started training and I'm happy with the progress we have made," said Cooper. "We were able to take a look at a lot of new guys, today. Several players showed well. They are making my job difficult. There is a lot of competition at every position. Obviously, that is a good thing as we prepare for the long season ahead."
After owning the majority of possession during match's first half hour, Cooper introduced five substitutions, including four freshmen, into the game in the 31st minute. Grad student Frederick Karman quick made his presence felt quickly with a pair of narrow misses in the 34th minute.
Just a minute later, Norwegian freshman Anders Engebretsen took the ball toward the goal down the left side and sent a low cross into the path of the trailing Svehlik. After beating SJSU's Uriel Ayala to the ball, he hit a short right-footed shot past Tucakovic for the first score of the match.
Less than three minutes later, Stephen Dougherty sent a high free kick from 40 yards out into the penalty area. Tucakovic went over the top of SMC senior Alex Braman, but was unable to control the ball. It fell to the top of the penalty area and Svehlik placed it cleanly into the open net to put SMC up 2-0.
"I was very excited to play today," said Svehlik. "It was the first game and it was a difficult match. We won 4-1, which was a great start for us. But, we need to keep working. We will have very difficult teams in our (upcoming) matches. We have good chemistry. But, we have to show in matches."
Things only got worse for SJSU as Engebretsen took a pass from Ben Braman on the right flank, dribbled into the penalty area and curled a left-footed shot past Tucakovic inside the far post in the 39th minute to give SMC a 3-0 lead.
"I was very excited to play today," said Engebretsen. "When I got the chance (to enter the game) after 30 minutes, I just wanted to make the best of it. We got some goals and had a good team performance. You always have to adapt to new formations and new players. I think we have done a very good job in the preseason and got off to a good start. We have to keep momentum with tough matches coming up."
With both teams substituting liberally throughout the second half, SJSU got on the scoreboard when Carlos Valdovinos took a pass from teammate Alex Alcaraz and placed a low shot under SMC reserve goalkeeper Kevin Hanan in the 78th minute.
With just less than a minute left in regulation, SMC freshman Joseph Restani added an insurance score for the Gaels. Ever De La Torre dribbled into the middle of the field and a quick pass to the right side found Karman going toward the goal. The German forward drew SJSU reserve goalkeeper Kristopher Donaldson out, then sent a low cross in front of the goal for Restani to run on and tap in for the final score of the match.
Saint Mary's opens its regular season Friday with a 4:30 p.m. match at local rival Cal, then travels across the Bay to face defending national champion Stanford on Sunday. Live coverage links to both matches are available on SMCGaels.com.
"We need to clean up some of our mistakes from today as we look ahead to our match Friday at Cal," said Cooper. "We know we have our work cut out for next with back-to-back matches at Cal then at defending national champion Stanford. The main story is that we need to keep getting better every day."
The Gaels open their 8-match home schedule on Thursday, Sept. 1 against the University of Washington in a 4:30 p.m. start in Saint Mary's Stadium. Season, single match and specially priced group and team ticket packages are available by clicking here or by calling the SMC Athletic Ticket Office at (925) 631-GoTx (4689) during weekday business hours.
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