Homecoming Weekend Athletics Preview
Photo by Mōhailani Peloso
Pacific pride at a high as four programs set to host on October 11th
As the annual celebration of Pacific school pride and appreciation for all of those who make Pacific great approaches, so too approaches the Pacific Day of Athletics, an invitation for alumni and current students alike to join together in collective support of our university’s athletic programs. Homecoming Day will be jam-packed with activities and events happening all across campus, so let this serve as your essential guide to where to catch all the action on October 11th.
The day of Pacific’s sporting prowess kicks off on the links in North Stockton, as the men’s golf team hosts the Visit Stockton Pacific Invitational at The Reserve at Spanos Park. The Tigers will look to improve on last year’s runner-up finish in the competition as they face non-conference and conference opponents, including the University of San Diego (USD), last year’s overall team champion by just four strokes. Senior Travis Robbie will be back to defend his individual title from the Invitational’s 2024 edition, Pacific’s first victory at a home meet in 14 years. The Tigers head into the competition with some momentum after opening the season with a 3rd-place finish at Washington State’s Palouse Collegiate. Followed by an 8th-place finish at The Tindall, the squad moved up in the rankings during the last day of the prestigious invite hosted at the University of Washington. Most recently, at Central Michigan’s Jim DeLapa Collegiate, the Tigers again secured 8th-place overall, led by a top-ten performance from redshirt junior Deitrek Gill. The action at The Reserve will begin its final day at 8:00 a.m. on the 11th and continue into the late afternoon.
However, we head back to campus just before noon to watch the seventeenth-ranked Water Polo U take on sixth-ranked San Jose State in a top-twenty clash with large implications heading towards the back half of the season. Pacific has one of the top young attackers in the country in Apostolos Georgaras, who continues to net goals at an unmatched pace, but has dropped recent games against other top-ranked opponents. Most recently, the Tigers suffered a heartbreaking upset at the hands of number seventeen UC Santa Barbara (UCSB), leading by two goals with under four minutes to go before the Gauchos turned the game on its head, netting four in three minutes. Pacific was able to pull back to within one goal with 30 seconds left, but the late defensive breakdown had made the comeback an insurmountable task. This makes a win on Homecoming Day vital for the squad to maintain their position in the national rankings, and they will need the support of the crowd at Eberhardt Aquatics Center behind them as they attempt to turn the tide on the season.
After, hopefully, a big win for the Tigers in the pool, we head straight to Knoles Field for an afternoon showdown in women’s soccer between Pacific and conference rivals Santa Clara University at 2:00 p.m. The women’s soccer squad is still early in their 2025 campaign, but are looking to make their presence known in the WCC after a slow start offensively. After wins against Nevada and Eastern Washington, the Tigers opened conference play with a goalless stalemate at San Diego, followed by a 0-1 loss to Portland in a grueling defensive battle. The Tigers’ defense, led by keeper Lis Van Herwijnen, will look to continue their stifling form against the 2024 conference champions, as the offense aims to net its first goals of Conference competition in front of what is sure to be a raucous home crowd.
After a break for dinner, the party continues in the Spanos Center as Pacific’s women’s volleyball team takes on the University of San Francisco in the fourth of a streak of home games for the Tigers. After a victory in straight sets against CSU Bakersfield, the squad struggled in its first two games of conference play, falling to both Portland and Oregon State. The crowd in attendance at their home opener saw the Tigers take the victory over LSU in four sets, winning three straight after dropping the first. Pacific split its contests with USF in 2024, with the away team taking the win in five sets each time, and the Dons have also had a slow start to their season, as they are one of four teams with an 0-2 record looking to turn things around. Led by Central California Challenge all-tournament team members Mila Stojakovic and Olivia Keller, the Tigers look to generate momentum on Homecoming going into the remainder of their homestand.