RIVERSIDE, CALIF.  – Uros Pelemis netted seven goals in the season opener for the Fresno Pacific men's water polo team, but it wasn't enough, as they fell to California Baptist 23-9 on Friday afternoon.   
 
QUOTABLE:

• "Overall, I was proud of our men. Despite the circumstances, they showed up to play. This was our first time in a full-size pool, first game in over a year and we only had one sub on the bench. These guys showed real grit today. There wasn't a moment in the game that I felt they backed down, Uros stepped up big time scoring seven of our nine goals. I was really happy with our performance and excited to be back on the pool deck with these guys." – head coach Bryan Suhovy

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Lancers rushed out to a 9-2 lead in the first period.
• The second period belonged to the Sunbirds, as the team outscored their hosts 4-2.
• FPU struggled to keep pace with CBU in the second half, as the Lancers closed out the match.

STATS OF THE GAMES:

• Pelemis set the pace with seven goals, while Trevor Riley and William Green each added goals to the Sunbird total.
• The Blue & Orange finished with a .360 shot percentage.
• Clay Maroney spent 16 minutes in goal, recording five saves on the afternoon.

SOCIAL:

• Twitter - @fpusunbirds
• Instagram - @fpusunbirds 
• Facebook - /FPUathletics 

UP NEXT:

• The Sunbirds next match takes place on February 27 against Santa Clara at the Sullivan Aquatic Center at 11 a.m.