(St George, UT - Aug 23, 2026) – Utah Tech men's soccer falls to Pacific after a second half surge by the Tigers, 3-2, in the 2026 home opener.
Utah Tech's (0-2-0) first scoring chance came in the fourth minute when
Seth Powder got off a shot, but the Pacific (1-1-0) netminder was able to make the stop.
In the 16th minute, the Trailblazers drew a penalty in the box, leading to a penalty kick opportunity. Sophomore midfielder,
Zach Taylor, stepped up and put it past the Tigers' goalkeeper to give UT an early 1-0 lead. The goal was Taylor's first of his collegiate career, and the Trailblazers' first as a team in 2026.
Continuing the attack,
Jacob Cinelli was able to regain possession after a goalie deflection popped the ball up into the air, and zig-zagged his way between four Pacific defenders before getting a beautiful shot off and finding the back of the net to push the Trailblazer lead to two. The goal was also Cinelli's first collegiate score.
The two teams then traded scoring opportunities, but neither side were able to convert, as Utah Tech took a 2-0 lead into halftime.
Pacific came out strong in the second half, scoring in the 51st minute. Just over two minutes later, Pacific got the equalizer from Fateh Singh, knotting the score at two apiece.
In a hard-fought, physical game, where ten total cautions were given out, both sides traded blows and scoring chances. In the 81st minute, Pacific was awarded a penalty kick after a confirmed VAR review of a foul in the box. Pacific's Massimo Erfani got it past UT's keeper, to pull the Tigers ahead 3-2.
That penalty kick conversion ended up being the deciding score, as Utah Tech couldn't find the equalizer in the final ten minutes of play.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- Utah Tech outshot Pacific 18-12, and had more shots on target 12-8
- There were a total of 10 yellow cards given and 31 total fouls
- Freshman goalkeeper Zach Jarvie made his collegiate debut, recording 5 saves
ON DECK
The Trailblazers will travel up to the state of Washington to take on Gonzaga in Spokane on Thursday, Aug. 27, at 7 p.m. PST / 8 p.m. MST.
