San Jose State senior goalkeeper David Sweeney jumps at the ball to stop Vaquero senior forward Michael Washington in the second half of the game earlier tonight at the Soccer and Track & Field complex on the Edinburg campus. The Vaqueros defeated the Spartans 3-2. Ryan Lugo/THE RIDER
The UTRGV Men’s Soccer Team defeated the San Jose State University Spartans 3-2 in the final game of the regular season at the Soccer and Track & Field Complex on the Edinburg campus.
The Vaqueros will finish their 2023 campaign 5-9-1 overall, with a conference record of 2-5-2.
The Spartans will finish their regular season 6-7-4 overall, with a record of 3-4-1 in the WAC, which still qualifies San Jose State for the WAC Tournament beginning Nov. 5 in Las Vegas.
Before the final game of the season, UTRGV honored its graduating players before the game in a pregame ceremony. UTRGV President Guy Bailey, Athletics Director Chasse Conque, UTPA alum and former player Noe Hinojosa, men’s soccer head coach Bryheem Hancock and women’s soccer head coach Mark Foster were present to give graduating players their honors in their final game.
“Our seniors have put in a lot of work here,” Hancock said. “[These] guys [will] now be graduating along with degrees [and] possibly pro opportunities.”
Ryan Lugo/THE RIDER
The first half of the game began with action right out of the gate as both teams scrambled back and forth to create good chances to score. In particular, Vaquero graduate forward Bryant Farkalun created opportunities for UTRGV.
Farkalun’s play would pay dividends in the 26th minute as the forward lined in the game’s first goal to put the Vaqueros up 1-0.
The Spartans created some opportunities to score toward the end of the first half. However, the Vaqueros defense kept them off the board to keep the score 1-0 going into the second.
Farkalun would continue his dominant performance in the second half as he hit an unassisted screamer in the 51st minute to give him a brace, bringing the score to 2-0.
“It feels good because I have gone three games without scoring,” he said. “It’s kind of depressing. So, when I had to press one, and this is my last game in college, so it means a lot to me. It’s a memory.”
Hancock said Farkalun missed all preseason and two weeks of matches.
“It took him some time to mesh with the team, but we expect the quality he has and tonight was just a showcase of what he’s done his whole career,” the head coach said. “Whether it was with us at UTRGV or his past school, I’m proud tonight with the way he performed.”
The drama would begin to unfold in the 74th minute when San Jose State sophomore midfielder Angel Iniguez would get the Spartans on the board with a goal, assisted by junior midfielder Sebastian Ruiz-Hurst, bringing the score to 2-1.
A handball penalty would give UTRGV a chance to answer within the same minute. Sophomore forward KG Sukati would take the penalty and made the most of it. His 74th-minute penalty goal would give the Vaqueros a 3-1 lead.
In the 75th minute, the Spartans would answer right back again with another goal from Iniguez, giving him a brace of his own and bringing them back to within one at 3-2.
Both teams would surge back and forth. However, the Vaqueros would outlast the Spartans and finish a hard-earned 3-2 win in the season’s final game.
The Vaqueros will finish one point short of the playoff picture and, thus, will not participate in the upcoming WAC tournament.
