RIVERSIDE, Calif. -  The Fresno Pacific University men's soccer team came away with a 4-1 victory on Thursday afternoon, defeating California Baptist for the fourth consecutive time. With the win, the Sunbirds improve to 6-6-3 overall, including a 5-3-2 mark in the PacWest Conference.

CBU was named by the NSCAA as the seventh-ranked team in the West Region on Tuesday. 

"We could tell right away that both teams wanted to open it up, and even after they fell behind, they created some confusion for us. We were able to stay with our game plan, and this was the most complete game of our season," head coach Jaime Ramirez said. "We have had success in the first game of our road trips this year, and that helps us. I don't know that anyone had a weak game."

After a cross from Jorge Chedraui and a quick flick from Eric Sanchez, Joao Ravasio gave FPU the first lead of the day in the game's 17th minute. Chedraui added his own goal 75 seconds later to give the Sunbirds a 2-0 advantage, and the Blue and Orange seemed to be in an early rhythm.

CBU's Luca Tschaidse put the home team on the board with a penalty kick in the 24th minute, but Chedruai struck again three minutes later to provide the Sunbirds with a 3-1 advantage heading into the locker room at intermission. Victor Rodriguez connected from long range in the 68th minute for the final score of the game, and FPU's defense ensured the Lancers would not score again.

Matias Fernandez recorded five saves between the posts for FPU, and his teammates outshot their opponents 23-15. The Sunbirds also fired nine shots on frame, the sixth time this season they have taken at least that many.

Fresno Pacific is back in action on Saturday, when they take on Concordia in the final road contest of the year. Opening whistle from Irvine is slated for 11:30 a.m. 

"We want to respect them. They're sitting in second place and that's for good reason," Ramirez said. "That game will mean a lot for them and they will be highly motivated, but we have to stay focused because we have nothing to lose."