LA JOLLA, Calif. - The University of Pacific men's soccer team kicked off the 2023 season with a 2-1 road win over host UC San Diego on Thursday night. It was the first win in the season opener for the Tigers since a 2-1 win over CSUN in 2021.

Pacific (1-0) picked up the game-winning goal in the 74^th minute when Stockton native and sophomore Jose Maria Barrera ended a 1-1 tie with his first collegiate goal. To set up the goal, teammates Derick Roque and Samuel Saiz Herraiz set the stage for the tally.

UC San Diego (0-1) equalized the contest on a penalty kick by Alessandro Allen in the 57^th minute.

"Always great to get the first one, especially on the road," said an excited Pacific head coach Adam Reeves. "This was a tough test for the guys, against a very organized, well coached team. The first half was atypical of who we want to be, but with some adjustments and calming influences at halftime, we were able to be a bit more methodical and get guys into better areas. We created a number of very good chances and Jose Maria's winner was a very good goal. I was very impressed with the grit we showed to close out the game. This is not easy to do and we dealt with the pressure in a confident manner."

The Tigers ended the scoreless contest in the 56^th minute when Cory Johnson successfully converted a penalty kick. For Pacific, they controlled most of the contest with an 18-9 advantage in shots with both teams recording five shots on goal. The Tigers built an 8-1 advantage on shots in the first 45 minutes

Pacific goalkeeper Joshua Moya got the win in his Tigers debut, making four saves – all of which came in the second half - to anchor the defense.

Next, Pacific will travel to UC Santa Barbara for its next matchup on Monday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. The matchup will be the first of three matches in a seven-day span for the Tigers.