SAN FRANCISCO - Fresno Pacific defeated Academy of Art 2-1 on Wednesday, improving to 6-4-1 on the season and 4-2-1 in PacWest play. With the victory, the Sunbirds have already equaled last year's season win total.

"Academy of Art came out with a lot of energy and an effective gameplan," said head coach Rob Podeyn. "I thought we adjusted well. I think we're starting to play some of our best soccer and it's encouraging to see us beginning to peak at the right time."

Alyssa Nakaguchi got the scoring going for the Sunbirds in the 29th minute, taking a through ball from the left side and dribbling past defenders before evading the goalkeeper for a quick shot. Hannah Coyle added to the lead in the 54th minute when she finished a cross from Taelor Williams. The Urban Knights (4-7, 3-3 PacWest) made things interesting late in the game with a goal in the 86th minute but the Sunbird defense held strong to close out the win.

FPU out-shot the Urban Knights 23-15, including 19-8 in the second half. Selena Braun made seven saves to earn the victory in goal.

The Sunbirds return home this Saturday to take on Azusa Pacific at 5 pm. FPU will be looking for its first win or tie against the Cougars in program history.

"We know they're one of the best teams in the conference but we're playing with a lot of confidence right now and feel we match up pretty well with them," said Podeyn.