STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific men's soccer program kicks off its West Coast Conference slate, hosting LMU at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Knoles Field.

The Tigers (2-6) will play their fourth match in their last five games in the friendly confines of Knoles Field, looking to get off on the right foot against the Lions (4-3-2) in WCC play.

Senior Luca Baltzer has points in three of his last four matches with a pair of goals and five points to his name. The WCC preseason team member is second on the Tigers with nine shot attempts and six shots on goal.

Four other Tigers have found the back of the net as well, including three with at least one goal and an assist. Freshman Josephat Yangyuoru looks to return to his form from the home-opening win over Utah Tech where he posted his first career goal and multi-point performance.

In goal, junior Mateus Ruiz-Hurst has been summoned every game during the non-conference schedule. Ruiz-Hurst is among the top two in WCC goalkeepers with his 30 saves. The native of San Jose, California picked up his first career wins over Utah Tech and UC Davis earlier in the year.

Heading into conference play, LMU earned four wins during that portion of the season, including setting a program record with nine goals in a 9-2 victory over Cal State Fullerton. The Lions also notched victories over American, UCLA and Utah Tech. LMU has yet to win a match away from Sullivan Field, owning a 0-3-1 mark thus far.

The Lions have seven players with two or more goals with Ismall Nieves carrying the torch offensively with a team-high ten points. His four assists are tied for fourth among WCC players.

Defensively, Philip Hovers is the go-to option, sporting a 1.44 goals against average with 21 saves and a shutout under his belt. Hovers made a season-high six saves in his lone clean sheet of the season over the Trailblazers.

Pacific and LMU have met every season since 2014 with the Tigers owning a 4-6-1 record in the head-to-head match-up. When playing at Knoles Field, the Tigers hold a 2-2-1 record over the Lions, including a 2021 victory by a 1-0 margin that represents the last time Pacific has defeated LMU in the series.

The match can be viewed live on ESPN+ with Dennis Ackerman on the call for the scheduled 4 p.m. kick-off.

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