STOCKTON, Calif. – Saint Mary's Men's Soccer struck quickly at Pacific on Wednesday night, scoring in the first minute of the game in a 3-1 win over the Tigers.
 
SMC (6-6-3, 1-1-2) hadn't scored in their last two matches, but wasted no time at all getting on the board on Wade Muttitt's third goal of the season.
 
Muttitt received a long pass from Boyd Curry and blasted a right-footed shot on one touch from just inside the penalty area, past a leaping keeper into the left side of the net. It was Curry's first assist of the season, and just the beginning of Muttitt's big night.
 
Pacific (2-9-2, 1-2-1) would even things up in the 20th minute, with a goal from close range, but the tie would be short lived, as the Gaels answered just one minute and 22 seconds later.
 
Christian Engmann launched a throw in into the six-yard box that was deflected and ended up on the foot of Tyler Hardin. The junior from Maple Valley, Wash. absolutely crush a shot into the upper left corner of the goal to put the Gaels right back on top at 2-1 in the 21st minute on his second goal of the season.
 
Just 10 minutes later Saint Mary's struck again on Muttitt's second goal of the night, and it was all created by the Crowthorne, England native's defense. Muttitt took the ball off the foot of a Tigers defender and raced ahead into the penalty area where fired another right-footed shot into the back of the net.
 
Muttitt's first brace of the season gave him the team lead with four goals. It put the Gaels up 3-1 in the 31st minute and SMC's defense did the rest. Saint Mary's out shot Pacific 11-5 in the first half, but the Tigers had a 9-8 lead in shots in the second.
 
The Gaels kept the pressure on offensively in the second half, and as the Tigers pushed foward in need of two goals, Saint Mary's either blocked Tigers' shots or it was handled by Kash Oladapo, who had a strong second half. Muttitt led the way with three shots on goal, with Hardin, Riley Lynch, and Valentin Kurz each with two.
 
UP NEXT:
The Gaels will host Gonzaga on Saturday, October 29 at 1:00 p.m. in Saint Mary's Stadium.