STOCKTON, Calif— Pacific men's soccer (4-2-3) begins West Coast Conference play this weekend as it travels to face No. 11 Portland (5-2) at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
 
The Tigers posted a 3-0 non-conference shutout over Houston Christian on Sunday. Junior Jorge Galvan and fifth-year senior Vinzent Zingel notched the first goals of their Pacific careers. Senior Cory Johnson earned his second goal of the season and third overall for Pacific on a penalty.
 
The Tigers are led by fifth-year senior Derick Roque who has been the leading scorer with 15 points on seven goals and one assist. The Southgate, Calif. native is second in the WCC in total goals, which are also tied for eighth nationally. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Joshua Moya, who has collected two shutouts so far this season, is fourth in the league in shutout percentage with .286.
 
For the last nine years, the Tigers have held an 5-4-1 record against the Pilots and are seeking their first win in the series since the 2020 season. Pacific beat Portland, 2-1, during a home match at Knoles Field on Mar. 7, 2021.
 
Last year, the two teams met again in Stockton where the Pilots defeated the Tigers by a score of 4-0.
 
Portland is the lone WCC team in the NCAA Top 25 rankings and were picked to win the conference title in the 2023 preseason poll. The Pilots are ranked second nationally in scoring offense, averaging 3.14 goals per game. Portland also leads the WCC with 67 points on 22 goals and 23 assists while Pacific is fourth with 44 points on 15 goals and 14 assists.
 
All-WCC Preseason Team member Jacob Babalai is the leading scorer for Portland and leads the WCC in goals (7) and points (16). He is also tied with Roque for eighth nationally in total goals. Kevin Bonilla, another player who was selected to to the preseason team, is the league's leader in assists having tallied eight. Goalkeeper Angel-Miguel Hernandez has allowed a conference-best three goals this season.

The Pilots won their first three games of the season over Sacramento State (3-0), UC Santa Barbara (4-2) and Utah Valley (6-0). The Tigers lost to both the Hornets and Gauchos while playing the Wolverines to a 2-2 draw.

Next week, Pacific will host LMU for Family/Alumni and YMCA Night at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7.