SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Senior
Zac Giles finished with a brace as part of a five-point day and junior
Hiroshi Yang celebrated his birthday with a pair of assists as the Sacramento State men's soccer team defeated Pacific, 4-2, on Thursday evening at Hornet Soccer Field.
The victory snapped a five-match skid for the Hornets, who improved to 2-5 overall on the year, while the Tigers fell to 1-5-2 overall.
Sacramento State's four goals are a season high, surpassing the three scored in a season-opening win over UC Davis, and were the most since the Hornets put five past the CSUN defense in a victory on Oct. 16, 2024. The four goals came on a season-high 18 shots — 13 of which were on frame for the Hornets, who were led by Giles' career-high tying nine attempts and eight on goal.
As a team, the 18 shot attempts were the most since Sacramento State had 18 at Saint Mary's on Sept. 15, 2024, while the 13 shots on goal were the most since the Hornets put 13 on frame against UC Riverside on Nov. 5, 2016, in the first round of the Big West Tournament.
Meanwhile, Pacific finished with 16 shot attempts, but the Sacramento State defense held firm, allowing only four of those to get on frame.
The Hornets scored the only goal of the first half as sophomore Jesus Magana netted his first Division I score in the 22nd minute. Yang's corner from the near side took a deflection in a crowd near the top of the six and skidded out to Magana, who took a running start and slammed home the loose ball from near the penalty spot for the 1-0 lead.
That advantage lasted until the second half when Sacramento State doubled its lead just two minutes in. Yang sent Giles on a run down the left side where the senior's first touch chipped past the defender and into the box. Giles won the foot race, put the ball on his right foot and shot pas the Tigers' goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
Junior
Sean Battistessa made it 3-0 in the 57th minute firing home a loose ball after a collision in the box for his third score of the year. Giles sent a ball across the top of the 18 that was deflected into no-man's land after
Nick Strangio and a Pacific defender collided, freeing up Battistessa to send it home.
The Tigers, however, did not go quietly, clawing back to within a goal thanks to a pair of scores nearly four minutes apart to make it 3-2. Harrison Chapura netted his first in the 71st minute and Xavier Cisneros made it a one-goal contest with his third of the year in the 74th.
However, the Hornets remained calm and got one of the scores back in the 77th minute thanks to Giles, who converted passes from
Evan Battistessa and a flick by
Ronan Rattigan for the final 4-2 score.
For Giles, it was the senior's first career brace, as he moved into the team lead with three goals and four assists for 10 points, while his four assists this year are the most by a Hornet since he had five in 2024. His five points are the most in a single match since
Sean Battistessa had a hat trick against CSUN and
Donovan Sessoms duplicated the effort against UC Santa Barbara three days apart in 2024.
Sean Battistessa now has nine goals in his three-year Hornet career — the most of any active Hornet — while Yang added his first two assists of the season. The assists by
Evan Battistessa and Rattigan were also the first points of their respective collegiate careers.
Sacramento State closes out non-conference play on Wednesday (Sept. 23) at home against UC Riverside — normally a member of The Big West, but an affiliate member of the Pac-12 for men's soccer. The match is scheduled for a 1 p.m. kick-off at Hornet Soccer Field.
