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Fresno Pacific had its chances, but couldn't capitalize as the Sunbirds dropped their home opener 1-0 to UC Merced on Monday night, falling to 0-2 on the season.

The Bobcats (2-0) got a 42nd minute goal by Ashley Bennett, who delivered a booming kick from over 30 yards out over the goalkeeper's head for the game's only goal. FPU out-shot the Bobcats 9-8 and had a couple great opportunities in the second half on shots inside the box from Bianka Garcia and Amanda Hudec. Both shots were right at UCM keeper Maggie Morales however, who recorded the shutout in goal.

Vanessa Escobar posted a scoreless second half for the Sunbirds with two saves and the team played well on defense throughout the match, however too many poor touches and missed opportunities hurt the Sunbirds on offense.

"Tonight we didn't compete at the level we expect to," said head coach Erik Farfan. "We struggled to find our confidence and UC Merced came out with a lot of determination. We feel like our team has a lot more to give. We're looking to find the right combinations, what works and what doesn't during these non-conference games so that we can be ready for the PacWest schedule."

The Sunbirds host NCAA Division I Sacramento State on Friday night at 7:30 pm. FPU fell 1-0 to the Hornets in Sacramento in a tightly-contested match last season.