Josh Boemecke is a holding central midfielder who transferred to San Jose State from the nationally-ranked Saint Louis University program following his freshman season. After making eight reserve appearances for the Billikens in 2007, the native of O’Fallon, Ill., has started each of the first six matches during the current campaign.

Boemecke and the Spartans, now 3-1-2, begin a season-long five-game road stretch this Wednesday night, September 24, contesting their annual Rivalry Series face-off with South Bay rival Santa Clara. Start time at Buck Shaw Stadium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

We asked Josh, a business administration major with a concentration in finance, to spend a few minutes with SJSUSpartans.com for this latest edition of our occasional website mini-feature, Men’s Soccer Q&A.

1. Who are some of your favorite musical artists?
O.A.R. (Of a Revolution)

2. Any favorite movies? Do you have a favorite soccer movie?
My favorite movie is The Shawshank Redemption. Favorite soccer movie is Green Street Hooligans.

3. Do you have any favorite television shows?
“Entourage.”

4. What professional soccer teams do you root for? Are there any professional soccer players who you admire?
Manchester United and Valencia. For players, I like Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan and Italy), Xavi (FC Barcelona and Spain) and David Villa (Valencia CF and Spain).

5. What are some of your favorite foods?
Steak and lasagna.

6. Coming from Illinois and Saint Louis University, how did you wind up at San Jose State?
When talking to (head) Coach (Gary) St. Clair, he made it obvious that (San Jose State) best fit the things I wanted and needed from a soccer program and school.

7. Any major differences you’ve noticed so far between being on campus at Saint Louis and now here at San Jose State? What are your impressions so far of the Bay Area?
The weather, for one, is much better here. No humidity is a definite plus. The campus is nice in that it’s not spread out. It’s all in close proximity.

8. You’ve stepped right into a pretty solid starting role in the Spartan midfield. Were you expecting to become such an integral part of the squad this soon when you made the move? How would you rate your personal performance so far in the early going?
My goal was to come here and make an immediate impact on the team, and I think I’ve done so. So far, I’ve had some good performances, and in others I’ve struggled a little to find a rhythm. At this point, I’m looking to establish more consistency from game to game.

9. For those that are not entirely familiar with soccer, talk about what is expected out of a holding central midfielder.
As a holding midfielder, I play in front of the defenders and behind the attacking mid and strikers. My job is to dispossess the other team of the ball and retain possession of it, moving it to different players on the field, from the defenders, to the outside and attacking mids, to the strikers. In essence, I make a lot of the other guys’ jobs on the field easier by doing a lot of the dirty work.

10. This next game for you guys really needs no introduction for Spartan fans. It will mark your first San Jose State-Santa Clara clash. How much do you know about the rivalry and what thoughts can you share with us about this Wednesday night’s match?
A cross-town rivalry is self-explanatory. It’s just as exciting for the fans as it is for the players. It’s certainly going to be a big game, because it will be a good test of where we’re at in the quality of our play as our conference schedule nears. No matter their record, Santa Clara is always a quality team, and we must be sharp and at our best to come away with a favorable result.

Past 2008 Men's Soccer Q&A Guests 
September 9 - Bobby Jackson, Redshirt Freshman Midfielder

September 23 - Josh Boemecke, Sophomore Midfielder