AZUSA, Calif. - Fresno Pacific fell in heartbreaking fashion on Thursday night as Azusa Pacific scored with 38 seconds left to hand the Sunbirds a 1-0 loss. The Sunbirds (6-7-2, 6-3-2 PacWest) fought hard for 90 minutes against one of the league's perennial powerhouses but the Cougars (10-7-1, 8-3-1 PacWest) would ultimately prevail as Katelyn Rogers buried a shot in the closing minute.

"It's definitely disappointing and we feel a bit deflated after a loss like that, but we feel good about the effort the girls put forth," said head coach Erik Farfan. "We put together a great defensive effort against a good team. The determination was there and we had good organization defensively."

The Sunbirds defended an onslaught of APU shots, being out-shot 33-5 in the match, but the defense refused to back down until the final minute. Vanessa Escobar played a strong game in goal and defenders Caressa Archie, Alyssa Nakaguchi and Amanda Hudec were instrumental throughout the match.

"We did a good job of absorbing their attack and neutralizing their chances," said Farfan. "Unfortunately we weren't able to create enough of our own opportunities on the offensive end. The girls showed a lot of fight and a lot of character and we're looking to regroup and finish strong."

The Sunbirds now travel to Utah to take on Dixie State on Saturday at noon in the final game of the season. FPU was mathematically eliminated from postseason play with tonight's loss, as the Sunbirds will be unable to finish in the league's top three.