San Jose State improves to 11-5-3 and 7-2-1 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, while the Hornets, who dropped their first game of the year at home, end their season with a 9-7-2 overall record and 4-5-1 in the MPSF.

Sacramento State took an early lead in the 20th minute when junior forward Eliot Ricks-Chambers scored his third goal of the season, ending his year on a three-match scoring streak.

Pedro Lupercio’s corner was headed to the near post by freshman Jeff Buddenbohn and flicked across the goal by Ryan Rhoads to set up Ricks-Chambers, who scored with an open net. Rhoads ends his season with five goals and five assists, improving his career numbers to 13 goals and nine assists.

San Jose State tied things at 1-1 in the 38th minute with a low shot to the far post after a pass from Dan Oka split the defense.

It was again Diaz who scored the game winner in the 72nd minute. He received a pass from Oka and finished his shot to the low far post after getting behind Sacramento State’s defense.

Rhoads created the Hornets'' most dangerous scoring opportunity in the second half with a breakaway in the 50th minute, but his shot was deflected wide of the goal.

The match was a physical contest with both teams being whistled for a combined 45 fouls. Senior goalkeeper Matt McDougall made a match-high seven saves, including three point-blank stops in one-on-one situations.

The Hornets end their season with the program’s best record since 1992. Sunday’s match was also the final for seniors Ricky Rodriguez, Marco Ramirez and McDougall. Rodriguez, a fifth-year senior, served as the Hornets’ playmaker in the central midfield for three seasons, ending his career with seven goals and nine assists.

Ramirez, Rodriguez’s partner in the midfield the last two seasons, has not missed a match in the last two years and earlier this year was named Tournament MVP at the LIU Soccer Classic and to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week. He ends his career with six goals and five assists.

McDougall has been the Hornets’ top goalkeeper the past three seasons and leaves the program first in Div. I history with 299 saves and second with 11 shutouts.