STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific men's soccer team (5-9-1, 2-3-0) got back in the win column Saturday night after defeating San Diego (10-5-1, 1-4-0), 4-2, at Knoles Field.
Taking the lead in just the fourth minute of the match, the Tigers never looked back, securing their first victory since a 1-0 win at Portland on Oct. 12.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Looking to use their home field advantage early in the match, Pacific scored at 3:07 on a corner kick as sophomore Ryan Her placed a perfect ball into the box, setting up freshman Derick Roque to deliver a header to freshman Emory Rapaport, who then netted his first collegiate goal to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
- Aiming to take command in the opening minutes, UOP pushed the score to 2-0 on Ryan Her's first goal of the season at the 10:58 mark.
- Finding their grove on offense, the Tigers extended their lead to three a sophomore Mamoru Kamisasanuki found Roque for his team-leading third goal of the season at 24:49. Locking down on defense through the opening half, Pacific was out in front at the halftime break, 3-0.
- Attempting to make a comeback, San Diego scored their first goal of the match in the 50th minute om Aidan Marmion's first of the season, cutting the Tiger lead to 3-1. However, UOP responded on a free kick goal at 61:18 as Mathias Saether found the back of the net for the first time at the Division I level to put Pacific back up by three.
- Despite a penalty kick goal by the Toreros in the 77th miunute, the Tigers would on to secure their first win since Oct. 12. Overall, the offense shined for Pacific in the victory as the four goals scored sets a new season-high.
- Applying pressure throughout, Kamisasanuki also registered one shot on goal for UOP. Junior Ethan Bandre also came up clutch for UOP in the cage, notching three saves overall in the win.
- Prior to USD's goal in the 50th minute, the Tigers delivered a tremendous display on the defensive end, having not allowed a goal in the field in 140 consecutive minutes before this goal, dating back to their previous match at No. 11 Saint Mary's on Oct. 30.
UP NEXT: Pacific will make their final road trip of the season next week when they travel to San Francisco to face USF on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 4:00 pm. UOP will then return home to Knoles Field for their final regular season match on Nov. 16, when the Tigers will host Gonzaga on senior day.
FOLLOW US: For more information on Pacific men's soccer, be sure to follow along on Twitter and Instagram @PacificMSoccer and on Facebook @PacificMensSoccer.
