STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific men's soccer program prepares for its 2025 home opener, hosting Utah Tech Sunday at 7 p.m. at Knoles Field.

The Tigers (0-2) have returned from their Texas two-step road trip as they look to secure their first victory on the young season, just like their first home opponent in the form of the Trailblazers (0-1-2).

Pacific seeks a spark on offense, looking to sophomore Ezekiel Padilla, who leads the Tigers with seven shot attempts and three shots on goal through two games. 
West Coast Conference preseason team member Luca Baltzer and sophomore defender Muharif Abdul-Kadir have played all 180 minutes on the pitch thus far. Baltzer is second on the team with a pair of shots on target.

Junior Mateus Ruiz-Hurst has started both games in goal for the Tigers, collecting 11 saves on 23 shots faced. The native of San Jose, California looks to make his first career start at Knoles Field.

Coming off a second straight conference tournament appearance, Utah Tech makes its second trip to the west coast this season after visiting Sacramento State last Sunday. The Trailblazers began the year with two straight 1-1 draws against Gonzaga and Sacramento State before falling to St. Thomas by a 2-1 score on Thursday.

Utah Tech's Stockton Short was named the 2025 Western Athletic Conference Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, based on voting by the conference's head coaches. Short was also named to the preseason All-WAC team along with teammate Samir Cuevas. The pair are the first Trailblazers in program history to earn preseason honors from the WAC.

Short led the nation in saves with 105 stops last season, setting the Utah Tech single-season record. The native of Pleasant View, Utah, played all 1,620 minutes of last season, starting 18 matches in goal in 2024. A Second Team All-WAC honoree in 2024, Cuevas led Utah Tech in goals (4), points (8), shots (25) and shots on goal (12) last season.

Pacific and Utah Tech battle it out for the first all-time meeting between the two programs on Sunday. The Tigers are in search of a third-straight win in a home opener after defeating UC Davis and UC Riverside by one-goal margins in their last two openers at Knoles Field.

Sunday's match can be viewed on ESPN+ with Dennis Ackerman on the call.

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