A goal in each half sparked the Pacific University men's soccer team to a 2-0 win over Linfield on Sunday afternoon at Hanson Stadium.

The Boxers (5-4, 3-1 NWC) got on the scoreboard, late in the first half, when after back to back corner kicks freshman Robert Nurmi (Gig Harbor, Wash.) scored on a throw in from junior Weli Alamillo (Aiea, Hawai'i). Pacific added an insurance tally in the 51^st minute when sophomore Josh Napoles (Boise, Idaho) found the back of the net after a pass from Nurmi, who had a match-high five shots.

The Wildcats (0-8-1, 0-4 NWC) challenged the Boxers' defense for most of the contest, especially in the final 45 minutes. In the closing minutes, Linfield had three chances to cut into the lead. A Brian DeGrandmont shot in the 85^th minute went high. Plus, back-to-back shots by Malachi Stalberg and Isaias Flores in the 88^th minute were blocked and saved by the Boxers' goalkeeper' Leyton Thomassen (Des Moines, Wash.), respectively to preserve the shutout.  
 
Pacific out shot Linfield by a 7-1 margin in the first 45 minutes and 11-10 for the entire match. Thomassen made four saves for the Boxers for his third shutout – all of which came at the friendly confines of Hanson Stadium. Pacific head coach Eric Mild was pleased with the performance of his team. "It is not necessarily pretty all the time," said the veteran head coach. "I thought our energy level was very high. There were lots of nice things to take from the match."
 
Next, the Boxers will be on the road for its next three Northwest Conference matchups. First, they will travel to Whitworth (Oct. 1 at 2:30 p.m.) and Whitman (Oct. 2 at 2:30 p.m.), respectively.