MORAGA, Calif. – The Pacific men's soccer program makes the short drive toward the Bay Area, gearing up to face Saint Mary's at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Saint Mary's Stadium.

The Tigers (2-8, 0-2 WCC) are in search of their first West Coast Conference win of the season, going up against a winless Gaels (0-4-5, 0-1-1 WCC) squad on the road.

Last time out, the Tigers suffered a setback against WCC newcomer Seattle in the Emerald City. In that contest, senior Alberto Cruz and junior Massimo Erfani scored their first career goals in the effort offensively.

After last weekend's performance, senior and captain Luca Baltzer has now registered a team-best two goals, two assists and six assists – all representing career-highs for the second-year Tiger. Three other Tigers have at least one goal and one assist on the season.

From the shot attempt department, sophomore Ezekiel Padilla leads the category with 18 shots taken on the year, including eight on target. Padilla, who scored two goals in WCC play last season, is still looking for his first of 2025.

Defensively, junior Mateus Ruiz-Hurst has started every contest for Pacific up until now. Ruiz-Hurst owns a 2.55 goals against average with 32 saves to his name. Junior Milo Risenhoover made an appearance in the last contest against the Redhawks as well, collecting two saves in 17 minutes in his relief outing.

Saint Mary's has yet to make an indentation in the win column, although has five draws in their 2025 slate thus far. The Gaels opened up their WCC schedule with a 1-1 draw in their conference home opener to Seattle and followed that up with a 3-0 loss in Corvallis to then-No. 19 Oregon State last Saturday.

Leading the scoring charge for the Gaels is Bastian Toelhoej with four goals and nine points. He paces their offense with 13 shot attempts and six on target.

Sam Bentley has been the go-to option for the Gaels in goal, sporting a 1.82 goals against average with a .680 save percentage and 34 saves. He has faced 160 shots through nine games.

Pacific and Saint Mary's meet for the 14th all-time meeting that dates back to 2014. The Tigers won last year's matchup against the Gaels by a 3-1 score at Knoles Field on Senior Day. In that contest, senior Matteo Carbone notched a goal in the 19th minute of play that proved to be the game-winner. Senior Jose Maria Barrera and senior Jacob Heisner also managed assists on Pacific goals in the victory. The Tigers seek their first all-time victory in their eighth trip to Moraga in program history.

The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+ for the scheduled 1 p.m. kick-off.

Stay Social
For all the latest on Pacific Men's Soccer, be sure to follow the team on X (@PacificMSoccer) Instagram (@pacificmsoccer) and "like" the team's official Facebook page (Pacific Men's Soccer).
 
#PacificProud