FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno Pacific nearly upset #18 Santa Clara Saturday, falling 8-7 at Sunnyside Aquatics Center in Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) action. FPU (10-12, 1-4) battled from three down in the second half before the Broncos (12-12, 2-3) scored with 1:48 remaining to earn the victory.

"I thought we were a little lethargic, we moved a little but slower than normal with the slow paced game," said head coach Bryan Suhovy. "Santa Clara is a strong team and we knew we had our work cut out for us today. We had some opportunities to grab the lead, but a couple of mistakes here and there that Santa Clara capitalized on were costly. Overall I was happy with how our guys played."

The Sunbirds trailed 5-3 at the half and 6-4 after three quarters. Ian Roos opened the final period with a goal from two-meters to give FPU momentum, which was capitalized on by David Maes a few possessions later. The sophomore tied the game at six with a powerful shot from outside with 4:22 remaining.

After the Broncos responded with a score, Daniel Seymour found the back of the cage to knot the game at seven. SCU managed to score on the next possession, however, which proved to be the game-winning goal. FPU had a man-up advantage with 30 seconds remaining before SCU forced a steal to seal the victory.

The Sunbirds were led by two scores from Kyle Mauriello, Roos and Maes apiece. Dillon Robinson finished with 13 saves in the cage for FPU to spearhead a solid defensive effort.

"We knew who they were looking for and we trained specifically for that," noted Suhovy on the defense. "Dillon has really stepped up in the cage and had some great saves today. Our shot blocking was also key in the defensive effort. We can continue to be successful if we stay patient, play our game and continue to work hard ahead of our last game."

FPU concludes its season at home next Saturday against #14 UC Davis in WWPA action.