Tariq Branche picked an excellent time to score his first goal of the season.
The freshman forward scored late in the second half to give Pacific its only goal of the match, and it was enough to keep the season alive. The Tigers beat Cal State Northridge 1-0 on Thursday night at Performance Field in Northridge in the first round of the round of the NCAA Tournament.
Pacific (13-3-2) advances to meet No. 5 Stanford at 5 p.m. Sunday at Cagan Stadium in Stanford.
"Going on the road is never easy, especially on the west coast where every team is very good," Pacific head coach Ryan Jorden.