As Fresno Pacific begins its second season of NCAA Division II play, the Sunbirds feel primed to take a huge leap forward behind a strong core of senior leadership and an infusion of incoming freshman talent.

Last season the team showed flashes of potential behind one of the PacWest's top defenses, but the inability to score consistently ultimately doomed the Sunbirds down the stretch as they suffered their third consecutive losing season.

Head coach Erik Farfan is confident that the program is on the cusp of greatness and that a few adjustments and a heralded recruiting class will pay huge dividends for a team that played in an all-time high eight overtime games with five ties a year ago.

"Last season, our win percentage wasn't great, but our competitiveness was," said Farfan. "With as many close games as we played last year and with the players we have coming in, we feel like we're on the verge of a highly successful season."

"We've brought in a number of good, attack-oriented players. We have a significant number of seniors that have a lot of experience and can lead, but we also have freshmen that are going to immediately contribute."

Defenders

There was no denying defense was the strong point in 2012 as this group kept the Sunbirds in nearly every game, including posting shutouts of NCAA Division I CSU Bakersfield and D1-bound Grand Canyon. The majority of those players that made the defense one of the program's all-time best in 2012 return this season.

Leading the way is sophomore Caressa Archie, coming off a freshman season in which she established herself as one of the league's elite defenders with her superior speed and anticipation. Archie also finished second on the team in goals, becoming a formidable weapon on set plays.

Directing the defense from the back once again will be senior Sarah King, who as a junior set the school record for shutouts in a season with six. King made 87 saves last season and will be among the league's top goalkeepers as a senior.

The team returns two more senior starters on defense with outside backs Brianna Reyes and Clara Buettner, both an integral part of the staunch defense a year ago.

Though the Sunbirds were pretty set on defense, the team bolstered that side of the ball even more as the recruiting class includes at least one immediate starter.

Alyssa Nakaguchi joins the team from Clovis North High School where she was the top defensive player in the Valley as a senior. She'll likely join Archie on the backline, giving the Sunbirds two players that are already familiar with each other having been a part of a Valley championship Clovis North team two years ago.

The team added three more talented recruits on the defensive side of the ball with the additions of Brooke Bingham (Clovis East HS), Ana Walker (Madera South HS) and Summer Hammond (Buchanan HS).

Bingham brings size and toughness, and has experience playing forward as well. Walker was one of the Valley's top defenders in high school and Hammond was an all-conference goalie who will join sophomore Vanessa Escobar in providing depth behind King.

Midfielders

The Sunbirds have plenty of veteran options in the midfield, including three returning starters and additional veteran players returning from injury.

Nayeli Deniz, Jessica Castillo and Sara Vega are the returning starters and the Sunbirds will rely heavily on each one's leadership and progression. Ashley Tallon returns from an injury-riddled season and could be an impact player as a senior.

Junior Tori Sena made significant strides in the offseason and should be a factor as well after coming off the bench the last two seasons. Grecia Bustos is a versatile player that saw a lot of playing time last season and will be a major contributor as well.

The team's recruiting class yielded a highly touted incoming freshman with the addition of Bianka Garcia (Central HS). Garcia led Central to its first conference title in school history and plays an attacking style that should benefit the Sunbird offense right away.

Forwards

The most glaring positional need heading into the offseason was the forward spot, as the team's inability to score consistently was magnified even more with the graduation of its two top scoring threats.

The Sunbirds addressed that need in the offseason with some very high-profile recruits that will look to step in right away.

Jerrica Babb (Caruthers HS) comes in as perhaps the most heralded recruit in a very strong class. A player that flew under the radar at a smaller high school, Babb finished her career fourth in Central Section history with 142 career goals (in addition to 36 assists). She led Caruthers to two Valley titles including an undefeated season last year. Babb gives the Sunbirds a prototypical top forward, with the size, speed and technical ability to compete with the PacWest's best.

The Sunbirds brought in two more freshmen forwards with impressive résumés with the additions of Hannah Coyle (Buchanan HS) and Amber Rodriguez (Sanger HS). Coyle was a key offensive component on three Valley championship teams. Rodriguez, a 5'0" speedster, expects to make an immediate contribution after leading Sanger to the Valley title match last season.

The team returns a host of players that could factor in on offense as well.  The Sunbirds are hoping a year of development will lead to increased productivity for sophomores Amanda Hudec and Jay Valtierra, who saw a lot of playing time as freshmen.

Also back is senior Haley Tallon, who spent time as an attacking midfielder and at forward. Tallon tallied four points on the year last season and has proven to be an effective distributor with good speed.

"We feel like the group we have coming in, combined with our returners, will help change our ability to score goals this year and be more productive offensively," said Farfan. "We're optimistic and we feel like this is that final piece of the puzzle that was missing last year."

A Look at the PacWest

The Sunbirds got no love in the preseason polls, being picked to finish ninth out of 13 PacWest teams. The rest of the former GSAC teams however, that joined the conference along with FPU, have quickly established themselves as the class of the PacWest.

Last season California Baptist, Azusa Pacific and Point Loma finished 1-2-3 in the conference, with the Lancers winning the title for the second straight year. That left fourth-place BYU Hawaii as the conference's representative in the NCAA tournament, because each of the top teams were ineligible for postseason play while transitioning from the NAIA.

CBU is now eligible for the postseason for the first time and the Lancers are predicted to repeat as champions behind reigning conference player of the year Bernadette Witz. APU and PLNU are close behind, as each team brings in a group of talented transfers and freshmen to mesh with their returners.

BYU Hawaii is ranked fourth, followed by Notre Dame de Namur and Dominican. Dixie State, picked seventh, could be the darkhorse candidate to contend as the traditionally strong Red Storm have a new coach, following a dismal season in 2012.

With the league's top teams being ones the Sunbirds have been familiar with for years, Farfan believes the Sunbirds know what it takes to get into the conference's top half.

"The GSAC was highly competitive and it prepared us well for the transition to Division II," said Farfan. "The three that came over with us have set the bar for the PacWest. We've proven we can certainly compete, so this year the emphasis is to turn the competitiveness into a potential conference-championship contending season."

FPU played tough matches with CBU, APU and PLNU last season, including taking PLNU to double overtime.

"Even though we lost those matches we were certainly in each one," said Farfan. "If we play to our potential we can not only finish in the top half, but challenge for that top spot. We're proud of what we've done but now is the time to raise the bar even more."

Matchups to Watch

*All home games will have livestats at the following link. Most road games will have livestats as well, available on the team schedule page or the calendar on the home page. Updates can also be found on Twitter (@fpusunbirds).

Sept. 11 at Sacramento State, 5:00 pm

The Sunbirds get a shot at an NCAA Division I opponent for the second year in a row. Last season FPU tied CSU Bakersfield on the road, but will likely face a tougher task against the Hornets in Sacramento.

Sept. 17 vs. Dixie State, 4:30 pm

The PacWest home opener features the first ever matchup between FPU and Dixie State. The Red Storm are a traditionally strong program coming off a dismal season. DSU features a new head coach and one of the league's top forwards in junior Jennifer Mason.

Sept. 25 vs. California Baptist, 5:00 pm

FPU welcomes the two-time defending PacWest champions to Fresno. CBU defeated FPU 3-1 last season, making the Sunbirds' signature 3-0 win against CBU in 2010 a distant memory. This year's seniors were freshmen on that 2010 team and will be looking to regain some of the magic from that upset victory.

Oct. 30 vs. Azusa Pacific, 4:30 pm

The annual APU match has been circled on Sunbird calendars for quite some time now, as the program is hungry for its first ever victory against the traditional powerhouse Cougars. Since the program's inception in 2001, FPU is without a win or tie against APU despite many close calls.

Nov. 2 vs. Point Loma, 11:00 am

The final chance to knock off one of the league's top teams comes at home on senior day against a team the Sunbirds took to double overtime last season in a 1-0 loss. Point Loma expects to have one of the top players in the PacWest with University of Michigan transfer Shelby Murphy.

The Sunbirds are ineligible for NCAA postseason play until next season so the team will be aiming to earn a berth to the National Christian College Athletic Association tournament in Florida in December. To qualify for the NCCAA West Region playoffs, the team likely needs to finish in the top three in the conference standings.

FPU opens the season at home this Thursday night against Cal State East Bay at 7 pm.