FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno Pacific claimed its second Pacific West Conference championship and likely secured its first ever NCAA Division II tournament berth on Saturday, as the Sunbirds defeated Dixie State 3-0 in a battle between the PacWest's top teams. FPU scored three goals in a 13-minute span in the first half against a DSU defense that came into the match ranked second in the nation (0.44 goals allowed per game).
 
The Red Storm hadn't given up more than one goal in any PacWest match this season, but 26 minutes in found themselves facing their largest deficit of the year. FPU had all the momentum with more than 800 fans on hand to cheer them on, the largest home crowd of the season at Ramirez Field.
 
"This win means the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of different people," said head coach Jaime Ramirez. "We believed at the beginning of the season that we had the makings of a very solid offensive attacking team, and with some very good adjustments defensively, everything fell into place."
 
Benjamin Cowdrill scored twice for the Sunbirds, striking in the 13th minute for the game's first goal and again in the 26th to make it 3-0. Dylan Rusconi scored on a diving header in the 21st minute. FPU's crisp passing, led by midfielder Renato Bustamante, allowed the Sunbirds to dominate the possession that led to quality shots on goal. Bustamante, Cowdrill, Rusconi and Alvaro Nogales all recorded assists in the win.
 
FPU out-shot the Red Storm 21-10 in the win and held a 13-3 advantage on corner kicks. Andrew Luis recorded a shutout in goal for FPU and finished with three saves.
 
"Dixie State entered with a tremendous defense, but we didn't want to accommodate to their style and of play and change who we are as a team," said Ramirez. "We are in a groove offensively to where I think we can put up points on anybody. The focus stayed on what we know to do best, and our men did a great job of executing that tonight."
 
The Sunbirds closed out the regular season at 14-2-2 overall and 11-1-1 in league play, while DSU likely ends its season at 10-2-4 overall and 8-1-4 in the PacWest.
 
The win gave Ramirez his 300th career victory while at the helm of the men's soccer program.  
 
FPU came in ranked #15 in the nation (#3 in the region) in the coaches' poll, but is #6 in the official NCAA region rankings which decide postseason seeding. DSU was ranked #7. The Sunbirds will now await their fate in the NCAA tournament, with the selection show scheduled for Monday at 3 p.m. You can watch the show live on the ncaa.com website.