FRESNO, Calif. – Courtney Hall's 28 saves weren't enough on Saturday as Fresno Pacific suffered a doubleheader sweep at Sunnyside Aquatics Center. The Sunbirds dropped a Golden Coast Conference (GCC) match to Azusa Pacific 8-6 in the early match before falling to Sonoma State 6-4 in non-conference action in the evening.
 
FPU falls to 9-14 overall and 1-5 in league action with its fifth straight loss.
 
The Sunbirds struggled in the early going in the opener and trailed 3-1 at the half against Azusa Pacific (10-19, 2-4). Down 7-2 as the final quarter approached, FPU mounted a furious comeback and cut the Cougar lead to a pair with 1:38 to play. It proved too little too late, however, as the APU defense held strong to pick up its seventh-straight win.
 
Hall kept the Sunbirds within striking distance with 18 saves and one steal. FPU forced seven turnovers and limited the APU offense to one goal in 10 power plays.
 
Emily Knowles, Emily Marr and Alyssa Stevens led the Sunbirds offensively with two goals apiece. Mikayla Scheer facilitated the offense with two assists.
 
The Cougars received two goals apiece from Britt Harris, Mar Pastor and Arianne Yeo in the win.
 
The second game of the day featured a low-scoring first half as Sonoma State (12-13) held a 2-1 advantage at the intermission. A mini 2-0 run by the Seawolves in the middle of the third quarter proved to be the difference, as each team exchanged goals the rest of the way. FPU trailed 5-4 with just under two minutes to play, but couldn't find the back of the cage before SSU put away the game with a goal with a minute left.
 
Hall made 10 blocks and grabbed one steal to lead the FPU defense. The Seawolves managed to capitalize on three-of-six power plays.
 
Marr led the Sunbirds offensively with two goals and two assists, while Julia Ponce and Nia Apodaca rounded out the scoring with a goal apiece.
 
Carleigh Robinson and Kaysie Lewis led SSU with two goals apiece.
 
The Sunbirds close out the regular season on Thursday, April 21 against Santa Clara in GCC play. A special Senior Day ceremony will take place prior to the first sprint at 7 p.m.