STOCKTON, Calif. – A spirited match went to the way of the visitors as the Pacific men's soccer program dropped a 2-1 contest to Cal State Northridge on Sunday night at Knoles Field.

The Tigers (1-5) and Matadors (3-0-3) battled throughout the entire night, creating several scoring opportunities through the fanfare of the match. While Pacific earned more shots on goal than CSUN, the Matadors were able to get one more on the scoreboard, ultimately earning the result.

Senior Jose Maria Barrera was a catalyst for the Tigers all night, generating a game-high three shots on goal – one of which rewarded him with his first goal of the 2025 campaign in the 26th minute.  It was Barrera's first goal since Nov. 9, 2024, when he put up a multi-point performance in a 2-0 win at Gonzaga.

Senior Luca Baltzer and sophomore James Andrew picked up assists on the deflection goal by Barrera. Baltzer extended his point streak to two games after scoring against Sacramento State last Thursday and Andrew notched the first point of his Tiger career with the secondary helper.

Junior Mateus Ruiz-Hurst came up large in the early going in goal, making two critical saves that kept the Matadors at bay in the first 20 minutes. Sunday's contest marked the sixth straight start for the native of San Jose, California.

CSUN opened the scoring on a penalty kick conversion in the 24th minute following a hand ball review in the box. The Tigers would be quick to respond, scoring two minutes later on the goal by Barrera, leveling the game up at 1-1. The Matadors tacked on another goal and the eventual game-winner in the 40th minute to go up 2-1.

The Tigers would press in the final moments of the contest, despite being down a player, but ultimately came up on the wrong side of the 2-1 decision.

Pacific will look to regroup, hitting the road for its next contest at UC Davis at 7 p.m. on Thursday. The Tigers will be back in action at Knoles Field at 6 p.m. on Sunday against San Jose State.

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