#10 Loyola Marymount 13, Fresno Pacific 5

An undermanned Fresno Pacific team faced off against one of the NCAA's best on Friday, falling to #10 LMU 13-5 in Los Angeles. FPU played without some key players, but gained some valuable experience against the D1 Lions.

"I feel good about the game considering how strong LMU is and the fact that we were missing both our centers," said FPU coach Bryan Suhovy. "With a freshman-heavy team today we held them to two goals in the third and scoreless in the fourth."

The Sunbirds did play very well on defense in the second half, thanks in large part to Jake Finney who totaled 10 saves on the day. Mateja Maksimovic and Nick Fadden each scored twice for the Sunbirds, with Stephen Chafi adding the other goal.

FPU vs. Loyola Marymount could become a conference game within the next couple years, as the Sunbirds join the NCAA and likely the Western Water Polo Association.

"As we transition to the NCAA, I feel very confident our freshmen will be ready to match up against this WWPA power when we join their conference in a few years," said Suhovy. "Our young guys stepped up to the challenge and it was a good day with a strong showing from a young group."

FPU (10-23) now turns it attention to the NAIA National Invite, hosted by Cal Baptist. The Sunbirds will play nationally ranked Concordia and CBU, as well as Vanguard on November 18-19 in Riverside.