STOCKTON, Cailf.-The Fresno Pacific Men's Soccer team kicked off their 2024 season with a bang, defeating Division I's University of the Pacific by a final score of 2-1 in an exhibition match. The road victory is as historic as it is impressive, because it is the program's first victory over a Division I opponent since 2001. It was Cameron Shahrokhi's first match as Associate Head Coach, and the squad rewarded him with a memorable exhibition win.
"The guys worked hard from start to finish," said Shahrokhi. "A strenuous 5 day training camp, capped off with a big time win!"
The Sunbirds fell behind in the first half after Zion Vaughn put the Tigers in front in the 25th minute. But the tables quickly turned immediately into the second half, after back-to-back strikes in the 46th and 49th minutes from
Lucas Ribeiro and
Bryan Lopez put FPU on top to stay. The victory was well-earned over their West Coast Conference competition; In addition to the winning scoreline, the Sunbirds also outshot their opponent 11-6 and earned five corner kicks compared to Pacific's three. FPU scored two more goals disallowed by the referee, but their confidence did not waver.
"Great response after going 1-0 down," Shahrokhi added. "We made some halftime adjustments tactically. As the match went on, our guys grew stronger. Great match to learn and build from!"
The Sunbird Men's Soccer squad looks to carry this momentum into their next preseason showdown at home against West Hills/Lemoore College this Wednesday August 21. A final home exhibition against Lincoln University is set for Thursday, August 29 before opening up regular season play against Cal State LA on Thursday, September 5 at Ramirez Field. Tickets for all home soccer regular season games are just $10 for fans 18 & over and free for 17 & under.
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