Box Score

FPU trailed for the first 80 minutes of Wednesday's conference home opener, but a late goal by Gustavo Da Silva shifted the game's momentum and sent it to overtime where Mihailo Jovanovic would score to give FPU a 2-1 win over #23 The Master's.

The win was the team's fourth straight and puts the Sunbirds at 2-0 in the GSAC. All four of FPU's losses this season have come against ranked opponents and this win pointed to some significant growth in the young team.

“I don't know what's going to happen in our next game,” said coach Jaime Ramirez, “but this can be a defining moment and a turning point in the season because we worked through it. We were able to withstand their onslaught.”

The Mustangs outshot the Sunbirds 11-2 in the first half and got a goal from Joel Peluffo in the 31st minute to take the lead.

 “We were very tentative in the first half,” said Ramirez. “They're a veteran team. They have a sense of confidence and they were just passing and moving, running circles around us. They created a number of chances due to their ability to play fast.”

Going into the break trailing 1-0, Ramirez inspired his team through some constructive criticism, telling them they were getting outworked by the more experienced Mustangs.

“I called the guys out on it at halftime,” said Ramirez. “I told them 'It's not that they can run harder or faster than you, it's just that they're playing faster.”

The team took the advice to heart coming out of the break and despite struggling for much of the second half, FPU's persistence and team fitness was clearly a factor by the night's end.

When Da Silva stole the ball from a TMC defender in the 81st minute and proceeded to dribble across the top of the box and fire a difficult shot on the move into the left corner of the net, the bench and crowd erupted as the team finally saw some of that hard work pay off.

That goal reinvigorated the Sunbirds, who'd been plagued by inconsistency and some bad breaks until that point.

“I think the criticism from our coach had a big influence on us,” said Jovanovic. “We started to pick it up in the second half and work harder. That kind of criticism really woke us up and we know if we give 100 percent that we can expect something. We were rewarded for that tonight.”

Jovanovic would put the exclamation point on the victory in the second overtime. Paul Islas had stretched the defense yet again and it resulted in an FPU corner. Islas took the corner and after a slight touch by Luke Tyler it was hammered home by Jovanovic, igniting a mass celebration.

That goal wouldn't have been possible without some key plays at the end of regulation by goalie Gildardo Villaruel, who had five saves on the night. TMC's Peluffo broke away from the defense in the game's final minutes and had a clear shot on goal. He fired a rocket, but Villaruel reacted and made the crucial stop.

The Sunbirds would also have a great chance of their own to go ahead in the game's closing minutes when Islas outran two defenders and had a shot barely miss to the left. Islas was a factor all night, taking a team-high five shots and forcing the defense to focus on stopping him.

“They're a very good team,” said Jovanovic of the Mustangs. “This was the hardest game for us so far.”

The Sunbirds host Concordia (6-2, 1-0), a team that just fell out of the top 25, at 2:30 pm.

Around the GSAC

Concordia 2, Point Loma Nazarene (H) 1
#13 Azusa Pacific 3, Hope International (H) 0*
#5 Vanguard (H) 3, San Diego Christian 0*
#7 California Baptist 1, Biola (H) 0*