DENVER -- Continuing to play the role of the spoiler, fourth-seeded San Jose State defeated second-seeded Tulsa in the Western Athletic Conference women's soccer championship match on November 5 at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, Calif.
After a scoreless first half, the Spartans found momentum when junior Kristina Jacob beat the Tulsa defense and nailed a shot past freshman goalkeeper Pam Devore in the 47th minute. The lead was increased to three after Spartan seniors Karli Silverira and Jolene Keel netted back-to-back goals in less than two minutes.
The Hurricane, playing in its first WAC title game, avoided the shutout when senior Julie Davidson lofted a shot over the head of San Jose State sophomore goalkeeper Eryn Meyer from 30 yards away to put Tulsa on the board with less than 18 minutes remaining.
Tulsa, who handled Fresno State in a 2-1 double overtime win the semifinals, returns home with an overall record of 13-6-1. Under the direction of second-year head coach Damon Gore, the Hurricane took second-place in the conference both in the regular season and in the tournament with a 5-2 mark.
In the first round of the WAC Championships, San Jose State defeated UTEP 2-1, before upsetting SMU 3-1 in the semifinals on Friday, November 3. With the upset victory over Tulsa, San Jose State received an automatic bid to the 2000 NCAA Tournament for the first time in the programs history.
San Jose State will host the NCAA Womens Soccer Final Four on December 1 and 3 at Spartan Stadium.