"Rip it and hope for the best."

That was Pacific junior Chanyn Santos' mindset as she one-touched a through-ball from teammate Makaila Takahashi and launched a shot over the Linfield goalkeeper's head into the back of the net in the 40th minute.

The Boxer defense took over from there as Pacific shut out previously undefeated Linfield 1-0 Wednesday night at Hanson Stadium.

"I saw Mak with the ball, I took off and it was just the perfect pass," Santos said of her goal. "I'm so excited for my team. We've been working so hard to get this and it's a big celebration for all of us right now."

The win was the Boxers first of the 2024 season after earning two ties. 

"It's a relief. I'm proud of the girls," said Kellan McNamara after recording his first win as Pacific's head coach. "They played very well. It was a team effort, a lot of great individual performances, but we really came together as a team tonight. I'm just super proud of them."

Pacific was also coming off a 2-1 loss at Linfield just three days earlier.

"We were not happy with our performance on Sunday and we knew we were capable of a lot better and the players responded," McNamara said. "They showed up ready to play and wanted to be their best selves tonight and they did that.

"We didn't want to lose to the same team twice," Santos said. "The team culture, we're all really close and we were really hyped for this game and really wanted that win."

Next: Pacific (1-3-2) travels to Walla Walla, Wash. to take on Whitman (3-1) Saturday at 2:45 p.m.

For the latest information on Pacific Athletics, make sure to check out GoBoxers.com. You can also find the Boxers on social media at @GoBoxers on Instagram and Twitter.
 
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