Game Notes

THE SCHEDULE
Match 18 – Senior Night
vs. Dixie State (10-1-4, 8-0-4 PacWest)
Saturday, Nov. 7 • 7:30 p.m.
Ramirez Field • Fresno
Live Stats
 
PACWEST TITLE ON THE LINE
The #15 Fresno Pacific men's soccer team holds a three-point lead over Dixie State in the PacWest standings with one game to play. The two teams meet this Saturday (7:30 p.m.) in Fresno at Ramirez Field with the winner being crowned the PacWest champion. In the case of the game ending in a draw after two overtime periods, FPU will be crowned the champion by virtue of points. The Sunbirds are looking for their second conference championship in the last three years, while the Red Storm are in search of their first title. FPU is currently 7-1-1 at home this season, while DSU is unbeaten at 4-0-3 away from St. George. The Sunbirds will also have an opportunity to give head coach Jaime Ramirez his 300th career win in front of their home fans.
 
SENIOR NIGHT
FPU will honor nine seniors on Saturday prior to the game as they play in their final home game at Ramirez Field: Andrew Luis, Dallas Whitlow, Renato Bustamante, Nick Starr, Alvaro Nogales, Emmanuel Ochoa, Eli Gallegos, Chris Rosas and Martin Kams.
 
POSTSEASON PICTURE
The Sunbirds have an opportunity to make the NCAA Division II postseason in their first season as active members with a win on Saturday. In the most recent West Region rankings released by the NCAA on Wednesday, FPU was tabbed at #6 ahead of DSU at #7. The top-6 teams in the region will advance to the postseason, which will be hosted at two different sites by the top-two teams in the West. Full rankings can be found by clicking here.
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
FPU made its way into the national Top 25 for the first time since joining NCAA Division II on Oct. 27. The Sunbirds sit at #15 in the nation in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll. FPU debuted at #16 and had been receiving votes the previous four weeks in the poll.
 
SUNBIRDS FLYING HIGH ON OFFENSE
The Sunbirds boast the highest scoring offense in the PacWest and in the West Region in terms of goals per game at 3.18, which ranks eighth nationally in Division II. FPU is second in the nation in total assists with 52 and fourth in total points with 160. The Sunbirds scored a season high nine goals their last time out in a 9-2 win over Concordia (10/31). The scoring output ranks fourth in D2 this season and was the highest mark in program history since 2004. FPU also dished out 12 assists in the win, which ranks second in the nation for a single game. The Sunbirds have also scored seven goals this season on two occasions – 7-2 over Dominican (10/7) and 7-3 against Holy Names (10/28).
 
WEEKLY HONORS
Renato Bustamante was named the NSCAA Division II Player of the Week on Tuesday, the first time in program history for the distinction. The Sunbirds have also earned the PacWest Player of the Week honor six times in 2015, as Bustamante (9/21, 10/19, 11/3), Joey Belzil (9/28) Jorge Chedraui (10/5) and Alvaro Nogales (10/12) have earned the award. Andrew Luis earned the PacWest Defender of the Week (10/5) as well this season.

SUNBIRD NOTES
Renato Bustamante leads the PacWest in points (30), assists (12) and game-winning goals (tied-four), and is fourth in goals (nine)…The senior captain ranks ninth nationally in total assists and 24th in points…Bustamante also ranks 10th in career assists (tied-22) and 13th in career points (74) in program history…Jorge Chedraui leads the PacWest in goals (13) and game-wining goals (tied-four)… Chedraui ranks 19th nationally in total goals…the junior sits in seventh in career goals (tied-37) and 11th in points (85) in FPU history…Alvaro Nogales is third on the team with 23 points…Nogales sits in third in career assists (tied-33), sixth in career points (113) and seventh in career goals (40) in program history…Joey Belzil, the team's third leading scorer with 10 goals, has recorded two hat tricks this season (9/26, 10/31)…the Sunbirds have scored two or more goals in 13 games in 2015…FPU has only been shut-out twice this season, in a 1-0 loss at Sonoma State when Nogales was out with an injury (9/5) and a 0-0 draw at Hawaii Pacific (10/1)…The Sunbirds were picked second in the PacWest preseason poll and received one first-place vote, with Bustamante being tabbed the preseason player of the year…FPU has posted a winning record in four-straight seasons entering 2015 under head coach Jaime Ramirez…Ramirez currently holds an all-time record of 299-149-31 (.624).
 
ABOUT THE RED STORM
Dixie State, under first-year head coach Josh Pittman, enters at 10-1-4 overall and 8-0-4 in PacWest play. The 2015 campaign will mark the Red Storm's first-ever winning season in D2 play. DSU has found its success through tremendous goalkeeper play and a stout defense. The Red Storm sports the nation's second-ranked defense in terms of goals against average (0.44), while goalkeeper Bradley Trella ranks first in Division II in save percentage (.904) and third in goals against average (0.441). Meanwhile, the offense ranks ninth in the PacWest in scoring average at 1.33. Santiago Alejandro leads DSU in points (16), goals (six) and assists (four).
 
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's matchup will mark only the third meeting between the two programs, with the all-time series record even at 1-1-0. Each team won at home, with FPU's victory coming in 2013 with a 3-1 win, while DSU won last season's meeting in St. George 4-1.
 
FOLLOW #TeamFPU
FPU Athletics on Facebook
(/fpuathletics)
FPU Athletics on Twitter
(@fpusunbirds)
FPU Athletics on Instagram
(@fpusunbirds)
FPU Athletics on YouTube
(fresnopacificuni)
FPU Soccer on Twitter
(@FPUsoccer)
FPU Men's Soccer on Facebook