SANTA CRUZ, Ca. – The UC Santa Cruz men's soccer program improved to 2-0 on the young 2024 season with a 2-0 victory over the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens. Both goals came in the second half as Michael Braun struck first in the 53rd with Caleb Lee adding the insurance goal in the 67th. The Slugs held a 9-4 advantage in shots on the contest with an 8-3 edge in shots on goal but both teams only recorded two shots in a quiet first half. Tobias Jacobson-Bell made the start in between the pipes today and recorded one save to keep the Sagehens off the board. The Banana Slugs will stay in Santa Cruz for their next contest when they host the Whittier Poets on Friday, Sept. 6 at 11:00 a.m.
 
How It Happened
The first half of action was mainly a midfield battle as the Slugs and Sagehens traded possession with little scoring opportunities in the opening 45 minutes. The Slugs and Sagehens both recorded two shots before entering the halftime break tied 0-0.
 
UC Santa Cruz got to work quickly after the halftime break, scoring in the 53rd minute off the foot of Michael Braun to go up 1-0. The Slugs were able to double their lead with Braun finding Caleb Lee inside the box before Lee struck the back of the net to make it 2-0 in the 67th minute. From there, the Slugs and Sagehens battled through a physical final 20 minutes of action, but UCSC was able to outlast Pomona-Pitzer down the stretch to win the contest 2-0 on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Banana Slugs will be back in action on Friday, Sept. 6 when they host Whittier College at 11:00 a.m. on the Lower East Field.