FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno Pacific concluded the 2016 regular season on Saturday, as the Sunbirds fell to a pair of nationally-ranked opponents at Sunnyside Aquatics Center. FPU played well in a 17-8 setback to #5 UC Santa Barbara before dropping the Senior Day finale to #15 Pomona-Pitzer 8-5.
 
Senior David Maes led the Sunbirds on the day with six total goals, while fellow senior Dillon Robinson amassed 29 saves in the cage.
 
In the opener against the Gauchos, Maes found the back of the cage four times to lead the Sunbirds. FPU hung around for much of the match before UCSB scored four of the final five goals of the game. Senior Kyle Madel chipped in with two scores, while Jacob Fairchild and Jamison Shapland added one goal apiece.
 
Robinson totaled 15 saves in the cage, as the Gauchos fired 42 shots his way.
 
The Sunbirds were limited to 23 shots, but did capitalize on six-of-14 man-up opportunities.
 
In the evening game, the FPU defense stifled the 15th-ranked Sagehens offensively. Robinson totaled 14 saves and the defense held Pomona-Pitzer to a 1-of-5 mark on powerplays, but the Sagehens proved too tough too handle to earn the 8-5 win.
 
Maes and Fairchild led the offense with two goals apiece, while Erik Brown found the back of the cage once. The Sunbirds were out-shot 34-25 in the match and were held to a 1-of-8 mark in man-up opportunities.
 
Robinson, Maes, Shapland, Madel and Steven Kaufmann were honored prior to the match, as the seniors were playing their final home games of their careers.
 
The Sunbirds finish the regular season at 9-18 overall. FPU now turns its attention to the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Championships on Nov. 18-20. Seedings will be released in the coming week.