FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific University women's soccer team earned a 4-2 victory on Saturday night, knocking off Hawai'i Pacific in the season finale. The Sunbirds wrap up the year with a 9-7-1 record and have now put together the winningest two-year stretch in program history.

"Getting the goal early helped us relax, but we got out of the flow of game. Once we got back into it, we were able to separate, and I never felt like we were in danger of losing it," head coach Rob Podeyn said. "Taking 300 shots for the year was a benchmark for us, and 29 more tonight helped us get there."

Senior defender Ana Walker started the scoring early with a booming free kick from midfield that started as a cross and ended in the back of the net. The Hawai'i Pacific keeper was caught off guard, and less than six minutes into the game, FPU took a 1-0 advantage.

Fellow senior Alyssa Nakaguchi fired another lengthy shot from 35 yards out in the 29th minute, and the Sunbirds again connected from long distance. The scoreboard read 2-0 in favor of the home team at the intermission, but HPU's Sky Nanoo put the Sharks on the board in the 69th minute to trim the FPU lead to one.

Mariah Montoya dribbled past her defender and made a quick flick to Rachel Anderson in the 86th minute, and Anderson responded by adding her fourth game-winner of the year. Leonica Lopez scored in the 89th minute to inch the Sharks closer once again, but a goal from Paige Jano in the final minute helped the Sunbirds close out the season with the 4-2 win.