CLAREMONT, Calif. – Fresno Pacific split a pair of games on Friday to open the Claremont Convergence Tournament, seeing a comeback bid fall short in the opener against Whittier before putting together a dominant all-around performance in the second game over Occidental.
Sam Witt scored eight goals on the day, including five in the 14-6 victory over the Tigers.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
- Game 1: Whittier 12, Fresno Pacific 10
- Game 2: Fresno Pacific 14, Occidental 6
- Records: FPU (2-15), Whittier (6-4), Occidental (1-3)
- Location: Axelrood Pool | Claremont, Calif.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Game 1
- The Poets jumped out to a 3-1 lead after one quarter, but second quarter goals by Amy Zaninovich, Sam Witt and Lily Dinis helped the Sunbirds even up the score at four. Whittier scored three unanswered however, heading into the break with a 7-4 lead.
- Whittier carried that momentum into the third, building up a 12-6 advantage.
- The Sunbirds turned things around in the fourth, with goals from Willow Brown, Zaninovich, Tatum Benson and Witt. The FPU defense stifled the Poets, holding them scoreless throughout the quarter, before time ran out for the 12-10 final.
Game 2
- Brown scored 19 seconds into the game, followed by a steal from Witt and a Rosemary Chapman goal to give the Sunbirds an early lead.
- FPU maintained a 5-3 lead at halftime before dominating the second half with five goals in the third and four in the fourth.
STATS FROM THE DAY:
- Witt totaled eight goals and three assists on the day to lead FPU's offensive attack. Katie Kisling added three goals and three assists for the Sunbirds.
- Camryn Berra finished with 12 saves in the net.
BEYOND THE BOX:
- FPU has won the last four matchups with Occidental and improved to 5-5 all-time against the Tigers. The Sunbirds dropped their sixth consecutive matchup with Whittier, falling to 3-8 all-time vs. the Poets.
SOCIAL:
UP NEXT
- The Sunbirds continue the tournament tomorrow, taking on Division I programs St. Francis-Brooklyn and La Salle.
#TeamFPU
