First half goals from James Allison and Gabriel Palomares were all the scoring needed as UC Santa Cruz opened the 2019 Slugfest with a 2-0 win over Pacific Lutheran.

UCSC goes to 3-2 after their second shutout in a row over Northwest Conference opposition.

Allison converted on UCSC's first shot of the day from the left side of the six-yard box in the 13th minute to give UCSC the lead. Palomares added his nine minutes later on a 19-yard blast after a cross from fellow freshman Liam Linas.

The hot day yielded much back-and-forth soccer but few opportunities for either team. PLU finished with a 9-2 shot advantage.

Goalie Andrew Pimentel had 3 saves for UCSC to earn the shutout.

The Banana Slugs close Slugfest Sunday afternoon at 1:30 when they take on Puget Sound on the Lower East Field.