LA JOLLA, Calif. – Continuing the non-conference portion of the season into the September slate, the Pacific men's soccer program heads south to face UC San Diego on Saturday at 7 p.m. from Triton Soccer Stadium.

For the third consecutive opponent, the Tigers (1-2-1) will go head-to-head with a UC school with the Tritons (3-0) next up in line for this week's lone contest for head coach Andres Ochoa.

Sophomore Josephat Yangyuoru was a burst of energy for the Tigers in the last homestand, notching a brace in the first half of the home opener against UC Davis. It marked Pacific's first brace since the 2024 campaign when Vinzent Zingel collected one in a 2-0 win at UC Riverside. Yangyuoru and freshman Fateh Singh are tied for third in the West Coast Conference with two goals apiece after the opening two weeks of action.

Sophomore Alejandro Caracheo Luna started the first two matches in between the pipes for Pacific, collecting his first career win as a Tiger and a total 15 saves across his first two appearances. Caracheo Luna is second in the WCC with his total 17 saves, while his .708 save percentage is fifth in the conference. Graduate student Mateus Ruiz-Hurst made his first start of the season in goal against UC Irvine last time out, notching six saves in his season debut, including one on a penalty kick attempt by the Anteaters.

The Tritons picked up a pair of 1-0 road victories last week, defeating Houston Christian on Thursday and Air Force on Sunday.

Nic Thiele made eight combined saves across the two matches last week. His six stops at Air Force are tied for the second-most in his career. Thiele's efforts in securing the two clean sheets saw him earn Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors on Tuesday. Oren Stuppel has a team-high three goals and six points with seven shot attempts.

The Triton defense has yet to allow a goal this season, marking the team's longest shutout streak in its Division I era. The previous record was a 251-minute stretch in 2022. UC San Diego's Division I record for most consecutive wins is three, achieved in 2022 and at the start of this season. Saturday's match is a preview of what's to come for UCSD as the program will join the WCC next year.

Pacific and UC San Diego will meet for the third time in the head-to-head history in the modern era of men's soccer. The Tigers defeated the Tritons, 2-1, in La Jolla, California during the 2023 season. Daniel Govea is the only Tiger from that result to have played in that match, logging 15 minutes in the effort.

Saturday's contest can be viewed live on ESPN+ with an expected kick-off at 7 p.m. from Triton Soccer Stadium.

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