Saturday
Fresno Pacific 15, Vanguard 5
Box Score

Fresno Pacific 8, Azusa Pacific 7
Box Score

Fresno Pacific closed out the NAIA Invitational in Riverside with two signature wins, one a definitive 15-5 defeat of Vanguard and the other an 8-7 nailbiter over Azusa Pacific.

The game with APU would come down to the closing minutes with the teams tied 7-7. Jennifer Cobb delivered the game-winner for the Sunbirds with 2:32 remaining to put the team up 8-7 after the Cougars had tied it just 26 seconds prior. Cobb got good position and held it, firing a perfect shot into the net.

Nicolette Haley led the Sunbirds with three goals as FPU defeated APU for the third time this season, and the second time by a one-goal margin. The FPU defense was the story though, giving the Cougars fits all day. Dani Mortimer finished with 16 saves in goal.

"Our defense was just nails this weekend," said coach Bryan Suhovy. "They played really smart defense, picked things up in the third and played with a real desire to win."

The Sunbirds survived a couple ferocious comebacks by the Cougars. FPU led 3-1 at the end of the first quarter, goals coming from Michelle Kaplan, Jenn Wolter and Haley. By halftime APU had cut the score to 4-3, then proceeded to tie the game at four early in the third.

Katie Rayner, Haley and Brittney Guerrero would all score quick goals though to put the team back up 7-4. APU refused to go away however and came all the way back to tie the game with three minutes remaining before Cobb scored the aforementioned final goal for FPU.

In the first game the Sunbirds put yesterday's losses behind them and wasted no time taking it to Vanguard, coasting to a 15-5 win.

Katie Rayner scored four times to lead FPU. Nicolette Haley and Jaimie Lugo added three goals apiece.

"After yesterday the girls were really fired up," said Suhovy. "They really rallied together this morning and it was that attitude that ended up being a catalyst today."

The Sunbirds quickly jumped out on top, scoring the game's first four goals. Brittney Guerrero got the scoring started and Rayner would add two more in that span. The Lions would bring the score back to 4-2 early in the second quarter, but FPU proceeded to score six unanswered to end the half.

The team added three more after the break and the 9-0 run put them ahead comfortably at 13-2. Lugo, Haley and Rayner each scored two goals during the run. From there the Sunbirds would put it away easily.

Dani Mortimer finished with 12 saves in goal, playing just the first half. The Sunbirds finished in third place in the NAIA Invite, behind Cal Baptist and Concordia. FPU is back in action tomorrow to conclude the season, taking on NCAA #6 Michigan at 1 pm and NCAA D3 power Pomona-Pitzer at 3 pm.

Both games will be hosted by Pomona-Pitzer.


Friday
Concordia 17, Fresno Pacific 11
Box Score

Cal Baptist 13, Fresno Pacific 8
Box Score

Fresno Pacific dropped its first two games of the NAIA Invitational in Riverside today, falling 17-11 to Concordia and 13-8 to Cal Baptist. The Sunbirds played tough, but drew the NAIA's top two teams on the first day of play.

Katie Rayner led the Sunbirds offensively, with five goals.  She was followed by# Jaimie Lugo# and Jennifer Cobb, each with three. Michelle Kaplan, Nicolette Haley and Jenn Wolter had two goals apiece, while Mallory Retig and Brittney Guerrero each had one. Dani Mortimer had 11 saves.

Against Concordia, the Sunbirds struggled to find the back of the cage early in the game, going into half down 8-2.

In the fourth quarter, the Sunbirds had better luck, putting in six goals. The effort wasn't enough though and the Eagles ended up with the 17-11 win.

Fresno Pacific had CBU against the ropes in the second game of the day, going into half within one goal at 5-4.

The Sunbirds would briefly take the lead in the third quarter, only to let the Lancers get away from them in the fourth to take the 13-8 win.

“We played awesome against Cal Baptist,” said head coach Bryan Suhovy. “We were with them the whole way. We played smart defense, drew a lot of ejections, and capitalized on our power plays. We're playing the mental game now. We've just got to get over that hump.”

The tournament continues tomorrow as the Sunbirds take on Vanguard and Azusa Pacific. FPU's match-up against APU should be a great game, as the Sunbirds are 2-0  in two close matches this season against the Cougars, a GSAC rival.