SAN ANTONIO – The Pacific men's soccer program kicked off the 2025 season, dropping a 1-0 decision to the University of the Incarnate Word Thursday night at Gayle & Tom Benson Stadium.

The Tigers (0-1) strung together several key scoring chances early in the contest, but the defenses on both sides ultimately held up to just one goal for the Cardinals (1-0) across the 90 minutes.

A back-and-forth match saw Pacific put seven shot attempts throughout the night, compared to UIW's eight. Four Tigers recorded shots on target with one apiece from senior Matteo Carbone, senior Luca Baltzer, sophomore Carlos Maldonado and sophomore Ezekiel Padilla.

Junior Mateus Ruiz-Hurst made his first career start in goal for the Tigers. The native of San Jose, California collected six saves on the night and allowed just one on eight shots faced for a save percentage of .857.

Sophomore Muharif Abdul-Kadir, freshman Josephat Yangyuoru, sophomore Rodrigo Fernandez Martinez, freshman Dominic Berrios, sophomore Montgomery Carey and freshman Emmanuel Frimpong each made their Tigers' debuts tonight.

The Cardinals scored their lone goal of the match in the 22nd minute by Diego Robles.

Pacific continued to apply pressure offensively throughout the match, but the first-ever meeting between the two programs ultimately resulted in the 1-0 decision for UIW.

The Tigers continue their Texas road trip, facing Houston Christian Sunday at 5 p.m. PT at Sorrels Field.

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