NEWBERG, Ore. – The George Fox men's soccer team tied with Pacific after a tense push-and-pull battle, resulting in a 1-1 deadlock for the second time this season. 

How It Happened
The Bruins came out swinging in the first half, taking 10 shots to challenge the Boxer defense early. Elijah Soon started the offensive assault, taking the first shot within the opening five minutes of the game. Eugene Peltier followed with attempts of his own in the 10th and 12th minutes. Both shots were competitive, but neither produced an early lead for George Fox. Alec Buongervino tallied a shot in the 20th minute, followed by another attempt from Raiden Renggli two minutes later.

Despite the early Bruin shots, it was the Boxer offense who capitalized on an opportunity to score; Cole Affolter streaked down the sideline and found a hole in the lower right corner of the Bruin goal from a nearly impossible angle to put Pacific ahead, 1–0.

George Fox was quick to retaliate, refusing to let the lead deter them from taking more shots. In the 41st minute, Peltier finally broke through for the Bruins. Breaching the penalty box, Peltier—assisted by Carson Tapia and Liam Urbina—shot from the left goalpost and found the back of the net, low center, just avoiding the Pacific goalkeeper. Having equalized the score with only four minutes remaining, the Bruins entered halftime tied 1–1 with the Boxers.

Rolling into the second half, the Bruins didn't give the Boxers room to breathe. Isaac Williams kept the aggressive offense going, attempting a shot in the 49th minute. Aguiar followed with an effort to put the Bruins on top but just missed over the crossbar. Peltier was relentless, attempting to break the stalemate late in the second half. In the 70th minute, he came close to netting his second goal of the night, continuing to pressure the Boxer defense. In the 83rd minute, Peltier struck again—assisted by Williams—taking his second consecutive shot. Just a minute later, he created another opportunity, attempting three back-to-back shots in a relentless push to take the lead for the Bruins. Aguiar took a final shot in the last-minute scramble to break the deadlock, but the score remained 1–1. Though a steady Bruin defense would hold the Boxers without a shot in the second half, the offense couldn't break through.

George Fox earned a corner kick in the final minute, hoping to tip the score in their favor. The ball was promptly headed out by Pacific, granting a second corner kick for the Bruins. This led to a shot from Quincy Walker, but the Boxer goalkeeper hit the deck just in time to make the save.

In a final Hail Mary, Tapia attempted a high, arcing shot from nearly midfield that found the upper left corner of the goal—but the buzzer-beater came just a moment too soon, as the goal was nullified due to the clock expiring before the ball crossed the goal line. Despite a tremendous effort by both teams, neither was able to break the deadlock, resulting in a tense 1–1 tie.

Top Performances
Eugene Peltier scored the only goal of the night for George Fox, also leading the Bruins with seven shots attempted on the evening. Kellin Aguiar attempted three shots. Carson Tapia recorded two, and Quincy Walker attempted one. Patrick O'Brien collected two saves to help control Pacific. Kilinahe Waring, Elijah Soon, and Liam Urbina also contributed 90 minutes on defense to make for a low scoring game for the Boxers; Urbina and Carson Tapia each tallied an assist on the Bruin goal.

Coach's Thoughts
Coming soon. 

What It Means
George Fox adds another tie to their season, raising their record 3-5-4 (1-4-3 NWC).  Pacific advances 2-6-3 (2-4-2 NWC) on their season. 

What Comes Next
The Bruins hit the road to play Linfield in McMinnville, Ore. on Saturday October 11 at 2:45pm.