TURLOCK, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific men's soccer team began the 2016 season on Thursday night but ultimately came away with a 2-2 draw against Stanislaus State. Down 2-1 with less than :30 to play in regulation, the Warriors found the back of the net to force overtime, and 20 minutes later, defense had prevailed.
 
"In soccer, we like to say 'the last minute still has sixty seconds', and that was a hard lesson for us tonight. We were the better team on the field, but we have to be more disciplined and take advantage of the opportunities we have," head coach Jaime Ramirez said. "We have to take positives out of a game like this. Our guys that came off the bench gave us good minutes and were able to sustain the rhythm of the game. This team is competitive, intense and disciplined in their style, so for us to steal a point from them is almost like a victory for us."
 
The Blue and Orange started the scoring in the game's 24th minute, when Gabriel Batista launched a near perfect corner kick. After a defensive miscue from Stanislaus State, Isaiah Asencio found the back of the net to give the visiting Sunbirds a 1-0 lead. Sean Baird gave the home team their first goal of the year 15 minutes later, and the two squads went to the locker room at intermission with the scoreboard reading 1-1.
 
Senior forward Jorge Chedraui dribbled down and turned for a quick pass in the 72nd minute, connecting with Jose Segura to put the Birds back in front by a tally of 2-1. Baird struck again with :28 remaining in the second half by sinking a shot from just left of the penalty line, and after a pair of 10-minute sudden-death periods, both teams left Warrior Stadium with a tie.
 
Fresno Pacific is set to return to action on Saturday evening, when they play host to Cal State Monterey Bay. Opening whistle from Ramirez Field is slated for 7:00 p.m.
 
"Monterey Bay is a blue collar team that plays hard and physical, and they will have a couple of guys that do some really good things with the ball. We have had relative success against them in the last few years, but every year is new," Ramirez said. "This game will have playoff ramifications for us, and we can't afford to take a step backward. We are excited to play in front of our home crowd for the first time this year."