HONOLULU, Hawaii - It's now four victories in a row for FPU Men's Soccer, who defeated Chaminade 2-0 Wednesday thanks to a brace from PacWest Conference leading scorer Lucas Ribeiro. This victory marks back-to-back wins over the Silverswords, having won last year's meeting in Fresno 3-0. The streaking Sunbirds have improved their PacWest record to 5-3 and are currently positioned to qualify for the conference tournament in two weeks' time.

Fresno Pacific took the lead in just the ninth minute when Brandon Lopez was left alone in space and fired a cross over to Ribeiro on the wide left flank.  The Brazilian, in a similar fashion to his goal Monday against Hawaii Pacific, cut in to elude his defender and scored a dynamo from mid-range distance.  

The half saw a series of shots on goal by both teams, with the Sunbirds' Ribeiro and Julian Aran Martin making multiple attempts, all saved by Silverswords' goalkeeper Jonah Valmonte. Fouls were frequent, with the Sunbirds committing the majority, including two by Julian Aran Martin, while the 'Swords' Remo Merlo also committed two fouls. Despite several corner kicks and shots throughout the half, both teams ended the half without additional goals, leaving the Sunbirds ahead 1-0.

The second half started aggressively with both sides committing numerous fouls to set the tone. A FPU counterattack led to a 60th minute penalty awarded to the Sunbirds, converted by Ribeiro. The captain from São Paulo stepped to the spot and buried it in the lower left corner to make it 2-0, and the Sunbirds would hold on to that lead until the final whistle.  With the win, the Sunbirds have now outscored their Hawaiian opponents 5-0 in the first two of their three-game Island swing.  

Fresno Pacific Top Performers
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Lucas Ribeiro
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- 2 goals
- 9 shots

Elmer Carballo
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- 4 saves
- Clean sheet

Brandon Lopez
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- 1 assist

After the win, FPU Associate Head Coach Cameron Shahrokhi couldn't speak more highly about his game-winning captain.  "Lucas Ribeiro is one of the top players in the country and he continues to show it day in and day out," Shahrokhi said. "He is humble, hardworking, and an amazing leader for us."

The Sunbirds will look to close out the Hawaii trip a perfect three for three on Saturday against Hawaii-Hilo. Kickoff is set for 3:30pm PT and will be streaming live on the PacWest Network.  
 

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