THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific women's water polo team coasted to a pair wins on Saturday as the Sunbirds completed a perfect weekend at the Tina Finali Invitational. The Sunbirds used a strong second half to down NCAA Division I St. Francis Brooklyn 16-4 in the opener before exploding for a 20-6 win over Occidental in the afternoon game.
 
FPU improves its win streak to five after the 4-0 weekend and jumps over .500 on the season at 6-5.
 
"It was a great weekend for our women," said head coach Bryan Suhovy. "We have shown a lot of growth since week one. Everyone stepped up contributing to the success we had the past four games. They continue to play with a mentality of having something to prove. I'm proud of the how they all played and continue to grow with each game."
 
In the opener, the Sunbirds got off to a slow start before using a 4-0 second period to take a 6-3 lead into halftime. FPU closed out the win by out-scoring the Terriers 10-1 in the second half.
 
Amber Penney led the way with six goals, while Emily Knowles had three and Julia Ponce and Sam Witt added two. Kaitlin Groothuyzen, Savannah Mangrum and Emma McBride each added one goal apiece. Ponce and Penney added three assists.
 
Courtney Hall led the defense with 11 saves in the cage.
 
FPU continued the offensive momentum into the afternoon game and jumped out to an 8-0 lead after the first period against Occidental. The Sunbirds then cruised to a 20-6 final, which marked their highest scoring output since 2008 (23-8 win vs. Caltech).
 
The Sunbirds used a balanced scoring attack in the win, as every offensive FPU player scored in the game. Ponce and McBride led the way with a hat trick apiece.
 
Kaylin Drum started in the cage and totaled five saves. Melanie Thomas made her collegiate debut in the second half and made four blocks.
 
The Sunbirds are back in action at the Convergence Tournament on March 3-4 with four games.