A second-half goal by senior midfielder Will Kelly (Seattle, WA) proved to be the difference in a gritty clash of two non-conference foes as the No. 22 University of Redlands men’s soccer team prevailed over Pacific University (OR), 2-1, on Saturday night in Redlands.

Sophomore defender Danny Day (Beaverton, OR) posted his first career goal as a Bulldog when he took advantage of a header by senior forward Nick Gundersen (Park City, UT), which wound up deflecting off of a Boxer defender. Day eyed the ricocheted ball and put it in the back of the net to give Redlands the early 1-0 lead.

In the 50th minute, senior midfielder Jeff Willey (Medina, WA) threaded a through ball down the center of the midfield, and Kelly capitalized off of the crisp pass to give the Maroon and Gray a two-goal cushion.

Ten minutes later, Pacific cut the lead in half when Travis Birrell headed in a shot, which had come off the bodies of two of his teammates.

The Boxers squandered two attempts toward the end of the game to tie the score, and the Bulldogs emerged as the eventual victor.

Senior goalkeeper Evan Hobson (San Diego, CA) picked up the win between the pipes, notching two saves. Andrew Stevermer, the 6-foot-5 Pacific goalkeeper, shouldered the loss despite stopping six shots and sniffing out numerous well-played crosses.

Redlands (1-1) takes to the road next weekend, facing UC Santa Cruz and Linfield College (OR). The Bulldogs’ first test of the northern California trip comes in the form of its annual test against the Banana Slugs on Saturday at 2 p.m.