FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno Pacific men's soccer rallied against Jessup University in the non-conference match on Wednesday evening, ending with a 3-3 draw. The Sunbirds tallied all three of their goals in the second half, matching Jessup's two late goals to even the score.

Coming into the non-conference match, a quick lineup change resulted in several Sunbirds starting for the first time this season, specifically freshmen Alexis Lopez and Brayden Garcia, senior Diego Lopez Ching and graduate student Daniel Villalva.

The first half began with the Sunbirds establishing early pressure, earning multiple corner kicks within the opening minutes. Brayden Garcia and Bryan Lopez each took shots that narrowly missed the target, while Lucas Ribeiro's remarkable attempts at the 20th minute were saved by Jessup's goalkeeper. The São Paulo native went on to have six shots overall against the Warriors, two of them being on target to score, but Jessup's goalkeeper remained vigilant.

Despite controlling much of the play, the Sunbirds faced a setback when the Warriors scored in the 31st minute. The Sunbirds continued to press, with Ernesto Aguilera and Chris Macias both testing the Jessup goalkeeper in the closing minutes of the half. Adrian Sandoval, in goal for the Sunbirds, made crucial saves to keep the score within reach. The half ended with the Sunbirds trailing 1-0, despite their efforts to level the score before the break.

The second half began with another Jessup goal in the 56th minute, extending their lead to 2-0. The Sunbirds responded swiftly, as Brandon Lopez took a quick ricochet pass from Ramirez and Vaughn, then buried it deep into the back of the net, reducing the deficit to 2-1. However, Jessup regained their two-goal advantage in the 64th minute, bumping them ahead 3-1.

The Sunbirds' offense intensified, with Chris Meza scoring ten minutes later, assisted by fellow Sunbirds Jesus Martinez Anguiano and Alexis Lopez, to narrow the score to 3-2. This marked Meza's first goal and Lopez's first assist as Sunbirds.

The home team continued to apply pressure, and Zion Vaughn, recent PacWest Player of the Week, equalized in the 83rd minute thanks to an assist from Meza, bringing the score to 3-3.Vaughn has officially netted four goals this season for the Blue and Orange and contributed to the late shift in energy for the Sunbirds. Multiple shots were made by Phillip Rico, Lopez, and Ribeiro in the final minutes, hoping to gain the lead. Ultimately, the match concluded with both teams level, as neither side could break the deadlock in the end.

"It was good to rotate some players and get some minutes for guys who have been training hard all season. We had a few defensive mental lapses that cost us, but I'm proud of the heart and effort our guys showed to come back late. We have a lot to learn from this match and we will grow from these experiences," said head coach Cameron Shahrokhi. "Our team knows the importance of this upcoming road trip. We have two days to prepare for a solid Menlo team. I am confident our guys will rise to the occasion."

The Sunbirds hold a record of 4-5-1 overall and 3-1-0 in conference play. There are six conference matches remaining for the 'Birds before the PacWest Conference Championships held on November 13 and 15th.

NEXT UP: The men's team hits the road for the next four games before returning on Saturday, November 1st for the final home match of the season. Their next away opponent is Menlo College on Saturday, October 18th at 2 pm, followed by the Monday match against Dominican at 3:30 pm.


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