STOCKTON, Calif. – The Pacific men's soccer program battled whistle to whistle, ultimately coming up on the wrong side of a 3-0 result to UC Irvine on Sunday night at Knoles Field.
The Tigers (1-2-1) were composed for most of the night, keeping within striking distance of the Anteaters (2-0-1), who came away with an early strike and a pair of late tallies to take the match.
Despite no goals to show for, Pacific had its moments throughout the middle of the match to equalize, including shot attempts by senior
Massimo Erfani and sophomore
Joaquin d'Escoto that nearly found the back of the net.
Graduate student
Mateus Ruiz-Hurst held down the fort for his first start of the 2026 campaign, notching six saves across the evening. One of those stops by the native of San Jose, California came on a penalty kill attempt by UCI that he denied in the 53rd minute of play to keep Pacific within one at the time.
The Anteaters struck first in the eighth minute when Gage Lyons headed in a cross by Brady Treinen to give the visitors a 1-0 edge. UCI added to its lead in the 71st minute via Marcus Lee, followed by a penalty kick conversion in the 88th minute that put the final margin at 3-0.
Looking at the stats, the Tigers held their own in the second half, having more of the possession time in search of a tying goal that narrowly eluded them. Pacific had three corner kicks in each half, winning that margin, 6-5, across the contest. UCI doubled up the shot attempt count, 14-7, in the effort.
Pacific now turns its attention toward the road, beginning September with a trip to face UC San Diego on Saturday, Sept. 5 at Triton Soccer Stadium.
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