MORAGA, Calif. – Saint Mary's Men's Soccer was back on their home field and got back in the win column with a 3-2 victory over Pacific on Wednesday afternoon. The Gaels had twice as many shots as the Tigers with a 26-13 advantage, and got a game-winning goal from Riley Lynch off a free kick just outside the box in the 74th minute.
 
CATCH THE TIGERS BY THE TOE
SMC got on the board in the 13th minute after Lynch forced a Tigers turnover about 40 yards from the goal. Lynch gathered the ball and worked his way to the left of the six-yard box where he blasted a left-footed shot that forced a diving, one-handed save from the keeper.
 
The rebound came right to Wade Muttitt who was charging towards the goal and he chipped it in with a left-footed shot at the edge of the six-yard area for a 1-0 Gaels lead. The Goal was Muttitt's fourth of the season, while Lynch netted his fifth assist of the year via the rebound like a hockey pass off the pads.
 
Less than two minutes later however, Pacific tied it up on a good feed from Derick Roque from the left of the penalty area, as his pass into the box was headed in by Emmanuel Benson-Oladeinbo on the run into the lower right side of the net to make 1-1 in the 14th minute
 
Pacific's Avery Whipple would give the Tigers the lead in the 39th minute, when his right-footed shot from the right of the penalty dot was slowed down by keeper Jack Landreth before trickling in across the goal line for a 2-1 Tigers lead.
 
SECOND HALF COMEBACK
The Gaels came out of the intermission like a team on a mission, as the final 45 minutes had a wild, all-out pace to it, with each team putting max effort into every touch, pass, save, and tackle.
 
Saint Mary's would have a bit more life in their attacks however, feeding off the home crowd, which including the SMC Women's Soccer and Baseball teams cranking up the volume for their fellow Gaels.
 
Using that momentum the home side would level the match on their second-straight corner kick. The first right-footed swing from Storm Schmidt Hollensted out of the far corner was headed by Louis Sterobo and forced a leaping punch away by the Tigers keeper, who was very upset with his defense before prepping for the nex corner piece.
 
On Hollensted's next corner kick, he again placed it directly in front of the goal, and Justin Sosa wedged himself between defenders, and flicked the ball into the left side of the net with his left foot to tie the match at 2-2. It was Sosa's first goal of the season after being a play maker for others during the conference slate, and it was Hollensted's third assist.
 
Saint Mary's would go ahead for good in the 74th minute when Muttitt got a pass from Timothy Stephens and raced ahead before being fouled less than a foot outside the penalty area. Lynch would take the free kick and bend a left-footed shot around Pacific's wall and into the left side of the net, past a frozen goal keeper who was screened by the traffic in front. The goal gave the Gaels a 3-2 lead on Lynch's team-leading seventh goal of the season.
 
The SMC defense shined from there, allowing just three more Pacific shots, with two of them being blocked by the Gaels.

Not only did Saint Mary's double up the Tigers in shots in each half, they'd doubled the time they had in their opponents end of the field, with 31% in the attack zone to 14% for Pacific. Saint Mary's also had a 53% to 47% advantage in possession time overall.

UP NEXT:
Saint Mary's will cross the Bay Bridge and play at San Francisco on Saturday, October 28 at 7:00 pm.