The Sunbirds put together a strong showing against two Division I schools at the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunner Invitational.

Despite the losses, the Sunbirds put together two of the best matches against some of the toughest competition they will see all season.

“We played two tough games against DI teams, one of those an MPSF team,” said head coach Bryan Suhovy. “The girls applied what we have been working on and we are showing growth heading into the conference championships.”

Fresno Pacific fell behind early in the first match against the host school CSU Bakersfield. The Roadrunners held a 5-2 advantage after one quarter and continued to push the pace taking a 9-5 lead into the half.

Dani Mortimer led the Sunbirds scoring four out of the five goals in the match. Jennifer Cobb added a goal in the second.
CSUB put down the hammer on defense in the second half holding FPU scoreless in the final 16 minutes of the opening match of the tournament. Goalie Kelsey Harvey stopped seven shot attempts from the Roadrunners in the loss.

In game two, the Sunbirds rebounded defensively allowing just nine goals to Brown University. Mortimer, Cobb, Brenna Woods, Candice Cobarrubias and Samantha Clark each scored in the 9-5 loss.

FPU was rock solid in the first quarter on defense allowing just two goals, as the Bears were only able to pull in front by a single goal. In the second frame Brown outscored the Sunbirds 3-1 to go into the half up 5-2.

Fresno Pacific remained in the game throughout thanks in large part to a masterful performance in goal by Harvey. The sophomore registered 14 saves including seven in the third quarter alone.

“As long as we continue to apply solid fundamentals we are feeling confident for CCAA's,” said Suhovy.

The Sunbirds will await their matchup for the first ever CCAA Championship Invitational on April 13-14. The tournament will be host by Fresno Pacific. Check back at fpuathletics.com for more details next week.