STOCKTON, Calif. – With a two-match home slate this week, the Pacific men's soccer program hosts UC Davis in its home opener at 7 p.m. on Thursday and UC Irvine at 7 p.m. on Sunday at Knoles Field.

Following a season-opening split on the road last week, the Tigers (1-1) will get their first taste of regular season action in Stockton, taking on a pair of UC schools in the Aggies (0-1-1) and the Anteaters (1-0-1).

Coming off head coach Andres' Ochoa's first career victory in the 3-2 result over Utah Tech last Sunday, Pacific carries confidence into Thursday's tilt against a crosstown rival in UC Davis.

Freshman Fateh Singh has been an early catalyst of the Tigers' offense, scoring a goal in each of the first two contests in 2026 and pacing his team with four points through those two matches in Utah. Singh is tied for the West Coast Conference lead with two others with two goals after the opening week of action.

Sophomore Edwin Moreno and senior Massimo Erfani also found the back of the net for their first tallies of the season last time out, guiding Pacific in the second-half comeback over the Trailblazers in St. George.

Sophomore Alejandro Caracheo Luna has started the first two matches in between the pipes for Pacific, collecting his first career win as a Tiger last Sunday and a total 15 saves across his first two appearances. Caracheo Luna paces the WCC with his 15 saves. The 7.50 saves per game mark ranks tied for fifth in the nation as a team with Stonehill and fifth individually with Siena's Bennet Glinder and Stonehill's Felix Van der Hagen.

UC Davis opened its 2026 campaign with a 3-1 loss on the road at Sacramento State and followed that with a 2-2 home-opening draw with Cal Poly on Sunday.

The Aggies, who were picked to finish third in the newly joined Mountain West's preseason coaches' poll, have scored three goals in their first two matches, including erasing a two-goal deficit at halftime to equalize with the Mustangs last time out.

In goal, Talin Morgan has drawn the starting assignment in both of UC Davis' matches, owning a 2.50 goals against average with four saves in 180 minutes.

Pacific and UC Davis will meet for the ninth time since 2015 where the series evened up at 4-4. The Tigers have won three straight matches over the Aggies, including a 2-1 victory on the road at Aggie Soccer Field on Sept. 18, 2025. In that contest, graduate student Luca Baltzer and junior Muharif Abdul-Kadir scored for the Tigers with Abdul-Kadir netting the eventual game-winner on a header in the 60th minute for his first career goal. The Tigers also defeated the Aggies last time at Knoles Field during the 2024 season with a 1-0 clean sheet decision on Aug. 28.

The Anteaters started the year with a tough 3-3 draw against then-No. 19 Oregon State at home and ensued with a 3-1 victory over WCC member LMU on Monday. Sunday will mark UCI's road opener in Stockton.

Representing as last year's Big West title winners, UCI was picked to finish second in the 2026 Big West preseason poll, behind only UC Santa Barbara.

The Anteaters currently own the 12th best scoring offense in the country with six goals in their first two matches. Gage Lyons will be one to keep an eye on in Sunday's match-up as he leads UCI with two goals and an assist in 164 minutes of playing time thus far.

Joe O'Shaughnessy has earned the first two Anteaters' starts defending the goal. He sports a 2.00 goals against average with nine saves across those two matches at home.

In the head-to-head match-up between the Tigers and the Anteaters, the two programs will meet more for the fourth time overall and first clash since 2019. In the only match at Knoles Field between one another, Pacific claimed a 4-2 victory over UCI with all four goals scored in the first half of that performance. The Anteaters won the most recent meeting in Irvine, California on Sept. 29, 2019, with a 3-0 decision.

Both contests this week will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Kyle Morrison on the call for Thursday's 7 p.m. and Sunday's 7 p.m. kick-offs.

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