Box ScoreFOREST GROVE, Ore. – A 74th minute goal by
Ian Farley proved to be the game winner as the Pacific men's soccer team held off a late offensive charge from Puget Sound in a 3-2 Boxers victory at Hanson Stadium.
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Pacific set the pace early in the match with a shot in the second minute by
Garrick Knowles (Sr., Roseburg, Ore.) that was saved off the line by a Puget Sound defender. Over the following 25 minutes the two sides exchanged shots, but were unable to place any on frame.
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Puget Sound forced Pacific goalkeeper
Leyton Thommasen (Fr., Des Moines, Wash.) to record his first save of the match in the 29th minute, before the Boxers defended back-to-back corners from the Loggers over the next two minutes.
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Pacific broke away from the defensive end in the 34th minute when
Elan Yogi (So., Mililani, Hawaii) dribbled down the left touchline and sent a cross toward Knowles at the corner of the 18-yard box. With a quick one-touch pass, Knowles found the left foot of
Diego Lopes (Fr., San Francisco, Calif.) and watched as Lopes curled a shot inside the far post for the games opening goal.
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Lopes third goal of the season was followed up by Pacific's second goal of the afternoon only two minutes later.
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With the ball near the top of the penalty area, the Boxers drew a free kick and saw
Esteban Cruz (Fr., Dayton, Ore.) set-up over the ball. Once Cruz received the go ahead from the center official, he sent a shot from 25-yards out into the back of the net for his first goal of the year.
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After seeing the first half off with a 2-0 lead, the Boxers were put on their heels by a tactical change by the Loggers at halftime. Puget Sound came out of the break on the attack, pushing men forward in waves to attack Thommasen's goal. After the Loggers fired off five shots early in the second half, a header by Andrew White off a corner from Josh Sonico beat Thommasen to pull Puget Sound within a goal of the Boxers.
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Pacific quickly answered as Farley (Sr., Spokane, Wash.) corralled a pass from
Matt Kimball (Fr., Tigard, Ore.) and beat the Puget Sound keeper to the inside of the goalpost for his sixth goal of the season.
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Farley's goal wound-up the game winning strike as the Loggers scored a late header goal with 30 seconds remaining in regulation.
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Thommasen stopped five shots in the victory, while Farley led Pacific with two shots in the match.
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Pacific returns to Hanson Stadium on Friday for a Senior Night match-up against George Fox, set to kickoff at 7 p.m.
