SAN DIEGO — In a downpour at Torero Stadium, No. 25 San Diego men's soccer rallied from three goals down to within one and pushed WCC-leading Portland to the final whistle before falling 5-4 on Saturday night.
The Toreros (6-3-3, 1-1-2 WCC) played without two key defenders against Portland (6-3-2, 3-0-0 WCC), which came in as the only WCC team with a perfect league record. Team captain
Mathias Bauer is out with an injury, and wing-back
Luca Fava, who had started all 11 matches this season, sat out after a red card in the Oct. 3 draw at San Francisco.
Portland scored in the third minute, and San Diego answered in the eighth. After
Taj Eagleston and
Iain Wagner had shots blocked, a cleared cross fell to
Oliver Rhoades, who had his first try blocked before burying the rebound first time with his left foot from 16 yards for his first goal of the season. The Pilots went back in front in the 12th minute when a free kick deflected off the wall and was tapped in from close range, and the 2-1 score held through halftime.
Steven Ramirez pulled the Toreros even in the 51st minute with his team-leading sixth goal.
Matteo Salcedo's free kick from the left found
Tobias Polz at the far post, and Polz nodded it back across the goalmouth for Ramirez to head home.
The tie lasted 42 seconds. Portland scored twice in the 52nd minute, 21 seconds apart, and converted a penalty kick in the 64th for a 5-2 lead.
Within five minutes of re-entering in the 69th minute,
Kevin Pena had made it a one-goal game. He struck a right-footed free kick from 25 yards into the upper-left corner in the 71st for his first goal of 2026. Less than two minutes later, Rhoades and
Lucien Wa Bwanda combined on a give-and-go down the right flank, and Pena took Wa Bwanda's cross, dribbled forward and lofted a looping right-footed shot over the goalkeeper and in from 18 yards.
San Diego kept pressing for an equalizer, earning four corner kicks and taking five shots in the final six minutes.
Ethan McNaughton forced a save in the 87th minute, and Portland blocked the other four attempts. At the other end,
Lucca Adams made a save in the 90th to keep the Toreros within one.
The 867 fans who braved the rain saw the highest-scoring San Diego match of the season, and the Toreros' four goals topped the three they scored against Liberty on Aug. 23. San Diego outshot Portland 17-14, including 12-7 after halftime, and earned seven corner kicks to the Pilots' two.
Pena's two goals came in 38 minutes off the bench. Rhoades finished with a goal and an assist, and Wa Bwanda, Polz and Salcedo each had an assist.
The all-time series between the programs is now even at 23-23-8 after 54 meetings.
UP NEXT
San Diego opens the second half of its WCC schedule Saturday, Oct. 17, at Pacific, with a 7 p.m. kickoff at Knoles Field in Stockton, Calif. The Toreros then return home to host Santa Clara at Torero Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. Both matches stream on ESPN+.
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