FRESNO, Calif. – Dallas Whitlow's header in the final minute of regulation earned Fresno Pacific a 2-2 draw with Cal Poly Pomona Saturday night in the 2015 season opener at Ramirez Field. The intense matchup between NCAA Division II West Region foes featured 27 shots and great play before the match was forced to settle as a tie.

"To have a match that has a playoff atmosphere against a good team like Cal Poly Pomona is important for our guys," said head coach Jaime Ramirez. "I'm encouraged by our play tonight and think we have a lot of important pieces to build on. We really showed an ability to fight back. We made a few mistakes, but the best way to learn is to play a team like tonight who has great tradition."
 
The Broncos (0-0-1), coming off a 17-1-2 season in 2014, opened the scoring in the first half with a goal from Alexander Turkson in the 36th minute and took the 1-0 lead into halftime.
 
The Sunbirds (0-0-1) finally broke through in the 72nd minute to knot the game at one on a goal from Jorge Chedraui. The play was set up from senior Alvaro Nogales, who navigated his dribble through the defense to find a cutting Chedraui in the box.
 
The Broncos answered 10 minutes later with a goal from Sergi Monso in the 82nd that looked to be the game-winner. The Sunbirds answered in the 89th minute, however, after Renato Bustamante fired a corner kick to the back post to find Whitlow, who headed the ball into the back of the net and sent the crowd to a roar.
 
Each team had multiple chances in overtime for the golden goal before the game ended in a 2-2 draw. CPP fired first for the win, but FPU's Andrew Luis saved the game with a block in the opening minutes of the second overtime. The Sunbirds best chance came on a breakaway run from Dylan Rusconi in the 106th minute, but his shot was blocked by the leg of a diving Fernando Pablo Quevedo.
 
The Broncos outshot the Sunbirds 16-11 on the night, which also included a 6-5 advantage with shots on goal. CPP created seven corner kicks to FPU's six. The Sunbirds back line forced the Broncos offside 11 times on the evening.
 
The matchup marked the fourth all-time meeting between FPU and the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) affiliated Broncos, with the series record moving to 1-1-2. CPP was recently picked to finish second in the CCAA in 2015.
 
The Sunbirds are back in action this Saturday at Sonoma State at 5 p.m.