PHOENIX – No. 5 San Jose State recorded the upset of the 2024 WAC Men’s Soccer Tournament on Wednesday night at GCU Stadium, erasing a two-goal deficit to down top-seeded San Diego State 3-2 in the first tournament semifinal. No. 2 Seattle U withstood a second half rally from No. 3 seed and two-time defending champion California Baptist in a 3-1 victory to punch the second ticket to Saturday’s conference final at 6 p.m. MST on ESPN+.
 
San Jose State advanced to the final of the WAC Men’s Soccer Tournament for the second time in the last three seasons, and the fifth time overall in program history, after handing San Diego State its first defeat since Sept. 28 across all competitions. Seattle U is due to make its sixth WAC championship match appearance, having taken home the conference hardware in each of the previous five occasions, after giving CBU its first WAC tournament loss since the Lancers made their tournament debut in 2022.
 
No. 5 San Jose State 3, No. 1 San Diego State 2 (PDF Box Score)
 
San Diego State did not even need a full minute to get on the scoreboard. Austin Brummett sent a perfect corner kick from the near flag swinging in to the head of Andre Puente inside the box, and Puente finished off his third goal of the season just 42 seconds in for the 1-0 Aztec lead. Puente got back into the act in the 51st minute, re-directing a Beto Apolinar shot off a Brummett corner into the goal for the brace at 50:24 and the 2-0 San Diego State advantage.

San Jose State began to claw back with a goal from Cameron Cook in the 61st minute. Cook slotted home a setup from Daniel Fregoso Bautista and Diego Nieves inside the six-yard box to trim the deficit to 2-1 at 60:50, Cook’s third goal of his freshman season. WAC Offensive Player of the Year Angel Iniguez brought the Spartans all the way back in the 64th minute, rocketing a right-footed blasted from 20 yards out off the left post and into the net. The Iniguez goal from Jarette Barajas at 63:07, Iniguez’s ninth of the year, squared the match at 2-2.
 
A second yellow card on Puente sent him off in the 76th minute. Iniguez won a free kick at the top of the box on the play and sent a looping left footed strike into the right corner of the mesh at 77:16 to bring San Jose State into the lead at 3-2. The Spartans finished the match with a 16-9 edge in shots, including 6-2 in shots on goal.
 
No. 2 Seattle U 3, No. 3 California Baptist 1 (PDF Box Score)
 
Seattle U broke through during a back and forth opening half with a goal in the 27th minute. WAC Freshman of the Year Edgar Leon made a clean run up the right flank and finished off a looping cross from Luke Hammond at the near post in the penalty area for his fifth goal of the season at 26:59. Richy-Lapointe Guevera got into the scoring act before the half, knocking down a beautiful lob from Mo Mohamed and wheeling around with a right-footed strike from 10 yards out for his fourth goal of the season and a 2-0 Redhawk lead at 41:50.

Leo Mendez got things going for CBU in the 60th minute, running on to a lob pass from Luca Contestabile that found space behind the Seattle U defense to trim the deficit to 2-1 at 59:58. The rally for the Lancers was not to be, as Leon found space slicing through the CBU defense and buried his second goal of the contest at 77:30 to vault Seattle U up by two at 3-1.
 
CBU goalkeeper Hugo Do Rego contributed six total saves in defeat, while Seattle U keeper Charlie Lanphier was credited with four saves.