The Pacific Tigers men's soccer is the intercollegiate varsity soccer team representing the University of the Pacific, located in Stockton, California. The team is a member of the West Coast Conference athletic conference of NCAA Division I.Division I - Stockton, CA | University of the Pacific on ncaa.com
The team was established in 1964 by a group of Latin American students at Elbert Covell College. The program lasted until 1985, when it was closed by the University. In 2014, the men's soccer program was reinstated, and has remained since then.
The Tigers' current head coach is former player and captain (2014–17) Andrés Ochoa, who took position in November 2025.Pacific Hires Alumnus Andres Ochoa as Head Men’s Soccer Coach Ochoa is the Pacific's all-time assist leader with 12 assistances.UCLA assistant coach, former Pacific star takes reins as men’s soccer head coach at pacific.edu. 24 Nov 2025 Ochoa had previously worked as assistant coach at the University of California, Los Angeles from 2021 to 2025.Andres Ochoa profile and stats on UCLABruins.com
Pacific play their home matches at Knoles Field since 2014, the year the program was re-established by the University.
History
Records of a Pacific soccer team dates back to 1964, when the university fielded its first squad captained by David Cohn and Leonel Pizarro.
The team was launched by twenty-six Spanish speaking students at Elbert Covell College (a unique inter-American college established by the University in 1963, with half its students from the U.S. and half from Latin America, and classes taught in Spanish)Elbert Covell College. El Centro on HMdb.org. Coached by Dick Davey, Pacific achieved a 3–3 record in their first season.Naranjado 1965, Pacific Yearbook, p. 272-273
The following year saw Pacific to achieve a 5–5 record, with some remarkable wins over Chico State (6–0), Santa Clara (10–1), and San Francisco State (6–0).Naranjado 1966, Pacific Yearbook, p. 290-291
In 1966 Pacific became a member of the "Northern California Intercollegiate Soccer Conference", playing a full schedule for the first time.Naranjado 1967, Pacific Yearbook, p. 143 The team had a 6–4 record that season, with 29 goals scored and 22 conceded to finish 5th. in the WCISC. The most notable win was a 6–2 to San Francisco State.Naranjado 1967, p. 34 In 1967 Pacific was coached by Oscar Litz, finishing the season with a 3–4–1 record, which included a notable 7–2 win over Stanford.Naranjado 1968, Pacific Yearbook, p. 222-223
1969 was the debut of coach Joseph Oyewiusi, and the Tigers ended with a 65 record. Some highlights were the wins v Chico State (rated #1 at national level) 3–1, and Saint Mary's 5–1, and Santa Cruz (5–1). On the other hand, the team suffered hard defeats to Stanford (1–7) and San Francisco (0–8). Sophomore Gustavo Wilson was the leading scorer.Naranjado 1970 Yearbook, p. 74-77
Pacific ended the 1971 season with a 762 record, finishing third in the WCISC. Jay Negus was the leading scorer with 7 goals.Narajado 1972, p. 108-109 By 1973, Pacific was coached by Jim Santomier and played the season with a team mostly formed by young players who were gaining experience through the season.Narajado 1974, p. 145-146
Photographs and chronicles of those times are documented on the University's yearbook, The NaranjadoNaranjado 1969, Pacific Yearbook (a Spanish form for orange, the university's primary color)UPac color palette, p. 26 at UPac brand guideliness, June 2020.
Tom Pucci, a tennis players with no experience in soccer coaching, took over the team in 1970. The season ended with a 7–4 record, ranking the Tigers 6th on the West Coast, although the team could not qualify for the NCAA tournament."El fútbol" article by Mike Costello on Naranjado 1971 Yearbook
The University cut off the program in 1985, restarting it in 2014 when the Tigers rejoined the WCC. The team play their home matches at Knoles Field since then. The stadium also hosts the women's team since 2012.Knoles Field
Prior to joining the Big West Conference, the Tigers competed in the Pacific Soccer Conference and the Northern California Intercollegiate Soccer Conference.
Stadium The Tigers play their home matches at Knoles Field since 2014, the year the program was re-established by the University. On the other hand, the women's soccer team has been using the stadium since 2012.
Knoles Field has a natural grass surface, scoreboard, and a lighting system. The stadium hosted the first NCAA tournament match on November 16, 2017, when the Tigers hosted Cal State Fullerton to win 2–12017 Men's Soccer Division I Championship - First Round at ncaa.com with an attendance of 564.
Players
Current roster 2025 men's soccer roster at pacifictigers.com
Records Source: No records for the 1964–85 period
Top scorers
# Nat. Player Goals Tenure 1 Camden Riley 19 2015–18 2 Tristan Blackmon 16 2014–17 Derick Roque 2019-23 3 Ryan Her 14 2018–22 Anthony Orendain 2016-19 4 Julio Cervantes 11 2014–16 Tariq Branche 2016-19 5 Tyson Fox 8 2014–17 Jonathan Jimenez 2018–19
Most assistances # Nat. Player Assist. Tenure 1 Andres Ochoa 12 2014–17 2 Bob Groenendijk 10 2016-18 Camden Riley 2015–18 3 Tristan Blackmon 9 2014–17 Derick Roque 2019–23 Ryan Herr 2018-22 4 Anthony Orendain 8 2016–19 5 Alfredo Alcala 7 2015–18 Yazid Omri 2020–22 Mamoru Kamisasanuki 2018–21
Professional players Pacific players that play/have played at professional levels are:
Player Professional career (teams) Ref. Camden Riley 2019 Sporting Kansas City, Rio Grande Valley, San Diego Loyal, Oakland Roots Camden Riley drafted for Sporting Kansas City, 19 Jan 2019Camden Riley profile on ESPN Colombia
Notes
Coaches
Current staff
Position Name Head coach Andres Ochoa Assist. coach Brian Lanoye
Coaching history Source:
# Name Tenure Seasons 1 Ryan Jorden 2014–18 5 42–43–7 2 Adam Reeves 2019–25 7 29–50—13 3 Andrés Ochoa 2025–present
Team statistics
NCAA appearances Pacific's appearances in NCAA tournaments (NCAA D-I tournament are listed below:
Season Stage Rival Res. Score 2016 First round Cal State Northridge W 1–0 Second round Stanford L 0–2 2017 First round Cal State Fullerton W 2–1 Second round Stanford L 0–0 2018 First round UC Riverside W 1–0 Second round Duke L 0–1
References
External links