IRVINE, Calif. - It was a Cinderella story heading towards a storybook ending.  But ultimately the inaugural PacWest Championship game turned out to be a tale of two halves.  Three second half Westmont goals saw the #2 seed Warriors defeat #4 seed Fresno Pacific 3-2 Saturday to claim the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.  

The contest began with the upstart Sunbirds on the front foot from the jump with Lucas Ribeiro registering numerous early shots on goal including one that required Westmont 'keeper Brady Highfill to save.  They traded shots and possession for the better part of 30 minutes before the Sunbirds were able to draw first blood in the 34th minute.  Attempting to pass out from the back, Sunbirds midfielder Bryan Lopez stole the ball off the Westmont defense and drove down the left wing.  His low shot on goal caught the Westmont keeper out of position and unable to deflect the strike.  It hit the back of the net, and the Sunbirds faithful erupted when the lead was theirs at 1-0.

Less than 90 seconds later their lead was doubled.  Westmont lost possession on a throw in deep in their own territory when Bryan Lopez dug the ball out to his twin brother Brandon.  He turned and fired to a wide-open Ribeiro who was streaking down the left flank unmarked.  The Westmont defense attempted to close down the Brazilian, but it was too late - the sharpshooter from São Paulo fired inside the near post to make it 2-0 FPU with under 12 minutes remaining in the first half.  

Westmont's Leonel Olivo Ortiz committed multiple fouls early on and Serkan Durna received a yellow card, reflecting a challenging half for the home team.  The Sunbirds outshot the Warriors 8-6 in the first half.  

The second-seeded Warriors completely flipped the script in the second half.  The All-PacWest duo of Connor Lynch and Erik Guerrero displayed the type of play that earned them First Team honors.  Lynch, along with Second Team selection Landon Amaral, led a 16-shot half for the Warriors who attacked the Sunbirds routinely.  With 27 minutes left, Amaral pulled the Warriors back within one off a corner set piece goal.  And like FPU in the first half, it would not take the Warriors long to bag another.  Just over three minutes later, on another set piece, it was Amaral again who met Guererro's free kick with a head into the top corner.  The Sunbirds were in disbelief as their lead was squandered and they were back level with under 25 minutes left to play.

FPU managed to make their situation worse moments later when defender Liam Nichols-Shipley committed a poorly timed slide tackle and was dismissed with a red card, putting the 'Birds in a man disadvantage against the potent Westmont offense who had the bit between their teeth.   Wave after wave of Westmont attack were absorbed by the weakened Sunbird defense, but they could only hold so much given their 10-man predicament.  With 90 seconds remaining, Westmont set up for another corner set piece and yet again were able to find a man, this time Lynch, open in the box needing nothing more than a toe poke to see the Warriors through to the Tournament.  It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Sunbirds, who at halftime were in the driver's seat for the PacWest's automatic bid.  All three goals conceded by FPU came on right-sided set pieces into the box.  

Westmont will move on to the NCAA West Regionals, while the Sunbirds will hold on to the faintest of hopes for an at-large selection to the Tournament on Monday.   If the season did indeed end for FPU Saturday afternoon in Irvine, Cameron Shahrokhi's squad can find plenty of moments to savor when looking back.  From being predicted to finish 11th in the conference yet ultimately disrupting the PacWest Playoffs, to defeating unbeaten regular season champs Point Loma twice, and having the conference's leading scorer in Ribeiro, it was certainly a season to remember for Sunbird soccer.

The NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament field will be announced Monday, November 18th.


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