Six graduating student-athletes of

the Sacramento State men’s soccer team played their final game at

Hornet Field Saturday, a 3-2 overtime win against San Jose

State.

Only one overtime was needed as

Isaac Ikyurav netted the game-winner with 49 seconds left in the

first period. Ikyruav took advantage of a faulty clearance from the

Spartan defense and bended a low shot into the right bottom corner

giving the Hornets the victory.

Coach Michael Linenberger said

Ikyurav’s finish was as good as it can get.

“Isaac (Ikyurav) took it very well,

he was calm, composed and was clinical with his finish,”

Linenberger said.

Defender Rory O’Day said the Hornets

came in wanting a win and Ikyurav’s game-winner was not

surprising.

“He does that shot all day in

practice, bending it in low into the corner. It is his go-to shot,”

O’Day said.

Coach Linenberger said the game was

great to watch and the two teams had their chances to score.

“Both teams had their moments,

moments of domination. Coming into today, this game did not have

significant meaning. It was entertaining but lacked a little bit of

emotion,” Linenberger said.

In the second half, the Hornets

capitalized more on the counter but coach Linenberger said that was

not planned.

“It was not designed. It was just

the way it played it out,” Linenberger said. “We were pretty

dangerous on the counter.”

Sac State opened the scoring in the

24th minute when midfielder Adam Bettencourt received the ball at

midfield, broke away from a defender and guided a pass inside the

box to forward Chris Bettencourt who fired a low shot into the far

post.

Four minutes later, San Jose State

would level the score. Midfielder Nick Cashmere delivered a cross

into the box only for the ball to be deflected off a Hornet

defender and into the net. They went into halftime at one

apiece.

However, it did not take too long

for the Hornets to grab the lead again. In the 47th minute, Chris

Bettencourt kicked a short pass to Isaac Flores who turned and

delivered a powerful shot into the top left corner leaving no

chance for San Jose State goalkeeper Jonathan Lester.

The Spartans had a chance to tie yet

again in the 63rd minute, but forward Dylan Murphy was denied by

Hornet goalkeeper Bryan Oliver.

Sac State had a couple of chances to

extend its lead. One coming in the 57th minute when Flores

delivered a ball from midfield to Chris Bettencourt who shot just

wide of the goal. Another came in the 78th minute when Chris

Bettencourt controlled the ball well off his chest and raced into

the box but shot straight into the goalkeeper.

Seven minutes from regulation,

Spartans forward Steven Sanchez led the counter-attack and fed a

through ball to Cashmere who shot past the keeper for the tying

goal.

In the dying seconds of the game,

with all men forward, Sac State put the ball in the box taking a

few deflections before Chris Bettencourt headed the ball toward the

goal only for Lester to make the save just before it crossed the

goal line.

The six graduating Hornet

student-athletes are Bryan Baker, Adam Bettencourt, Chris

Bettencourt, Rory O’Day, Cody Shields and Matthew Tellez.

With this victory, Sac State will be

seeded No. 4 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament

next week in Denver, Colo. They will play San Jose State again in

the opening round of the tournament next Thursday.

Daniel Morales can be reached at

[email protected].