PORTLAND, Ore.- The Pacific men's soccer team (4-6-1, 1-0-0) secured their first WCC victory of the 2019 regular season on Saturday night by blanking Portland (5-4-1, 0-1-0), 1-0, at Merlo Field.
 
Despite much of the first half being back-and-forth, the Tiger offense was able to break through in the 40^th minute as sophomore Jose Angel Reyes found senior Tariq Branche in the opposing box, who then put the ball in the back of the net for what proved to be the game-winning goal for Pacific.

 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• UOP would come out of the gates firing as Branche recorded his first shot on goal at the 00:52 mark of the match. The Pilots countered with four shots of their own in the following ten minutes, but the Tiger defense held firm and denied Portland's early attack.
• Both teams continued to trade shots, but neither were successful in scoring through the first 39 minutes. However, Angel Reyes delivered a perfect pass to Branche in the opposing goal area in the 40^th minute. Tricking one defender as he approached the net, Branche scored his second goal of the season, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead as the match approached halftime.
• Sticking to their game plan, Pacific entered the locker room at the break leading 1-0.
• Aiming to keep their momentum from the first half, sophomore Louis Etienne Nzonza fired his lone shot of the match in the 55^th minute.
• As the match continued, the Tiger defense remained solid throughout all levels as the Pilots did not record a shot until the 60^th minute of the match. Branche would have another opportunity for a shot on goal at 62:40, but was ultimately denied by Pilot goalkeeper Nico Campuzano.
• Applying the pressure all night, the Tigers limited Portland's attack throughout the entire second half, with the Pilots final shot of the match coming in the 78^th minute.
• Although the Tigers were outshot overall, 12-6, by Portland, Branche's goal would be all the Pacific offense would need to secure their first conference victory, blanking the Pilots 1-0.
• This marks the third shutout of the season for UOP. The other two came in back-to-back wins vs. CSU Bakersfield and UC Davis on Sept. 16 and 19.

 
UP NEXT: Pacific will play their final of four consecutive road games and second straight conference match when they travel to Santa Clara next Saturday, Oct. 19 for a 7:00 pm showdown. The Tigers next home match is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 26 at 7:00 pm versus LMU, when UOP will honor Breast Cancer Awareness.