Air Force Men's Soccer Faces San Jose State in Road Match

This matchup will be the 47th encounter between the two programs, a long-standing rivalry with San Jose State leading the all-time series 26-14-7. The Spartans have won the last three meetings, while the last positive result for Air Force against SJSU was a draw in 2022. The last victory for the Falcons over the Spartans was a 2-0 win in 2021 at the Air Force Academy.

San Jose State is currently guided by interim head coach Jesus Sanchez, who is in his ninth season with the team. Since joining the coaching staff in 2018, Sanchez has led the Spartans to the WAC Tournament in each season.

On the offensive front, Amir Anwary leads the Spartans with four goals, supported by Neo Ruiz with two goals. Jordi Tortell Daly tops the conference with four assists, while teammate Cameron Cook has three. In goal, Ronin Axelson posts a 1.73 GAA and a .716 save percentage, leading the Mountain West with an average of 4.36 saves per game.

In the Mountain West standings, Air Force is currently tied for third place with UC Davis, each holding four points. Grand Canyon sits at the top with nine points, followed by UNLV in second with six points. San Jose State and Utah Tech are yet to secure a win, both holding a record of 0-2-1.

Air Force has recorded six positive results this season, the best since 2022. The team's performance against UTRGV saw them score three goals, the highest in a single match since a 3-3 draw against the Vaqueros in 2023. With 11 goals so far this season, the Falcons are one goal shy of last year's total and equal to the final tally from the 2024 season. This year marks the first time since 2023 that four Falcons have scored multiple goals.

Freshman goalie Hunter Anderson ranks second in the MW for saves per game (3.80) and save percentage (.717). Even after conceding five goals to UNLV, he maintains a GAA of 1.52, the third-best in the conference, with a total of 38 saves this season.

Following the match against San Jose State, Air Force will challenge Grand Canyon, the conference frontrunner, in Phoenix on Wednesday, October 14, with kickoff scheduled for 7 PM MT. Grand Canyon remains unbeaten as the fourth week of conference play approaches.

In their last outing, Air Force lost 5-1 to UNLV on October 4 at Cadet Soccer Stadium. The Rebels’ five goals marked a season high, with Sean Odle scoring for the Falcons in the 66th minute. Despite the scoreline, Air Force managed eight shots, with Tucker Kern and Quinn Muderlak leading their team with two shots each.

Fans can watch all the matches live on MW+, the official streaming platform for Mountain West men's soccer.