A pair of first half goals and an aggressive defense led by senior goalkeeper Jack Cuevas led the Pacific men's soccer team to a 2-0 win over Linfield on Saturday afternoon.

The Boxers (2-10-3, 1-6-2 NWC) went ahead in the 16^th minute on a well-timed shot, following a pair of bounces as freshman Nico Allen ripped a shot past the Wildcats' keeper to put Pacific ahead 1-0.

Later in the half, sophomore Grant Rutledge added the second goal of the half, emerging from a scramble with a shot to the lower right to put the host Boxers ahead 2-0.

The Wildcats (4-10-1, 2-7-1) sought to break into the scoring column throughout the contest. Linfield had a 13-7 advantage in shots. However, the Boxers held a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal.
 
Facing a 2-0 deficit, early in the second half, Cuevas made a save on a header attempt by the Wildcats' Chase Whitaker. Later in the half, Cuevas came up with a save that he pushed aside to preserve the shutout. He also had the save on a one-time attempt by the Wildcats' Dayton Farrow in the 82^nd minute to preserve the clean sheet.
 
Allen finished the game with a team-high three shots for the Boxers, while Connor Heintz accounted for a match-high four shots in the loss for the Wildcats.
 
Next, Pacific will travel to Salem to face Willamette in a matchup on Sunday at noon.