FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno Pacific men's soccer secured a decisive 5-2 victory over Concordia University Irvine on senior night, with a standout performance of four of their five goals in the second half. The Sunbirds recognized and celebrated twelve seniors on the team who have made a positive impact to FPU soccer.
 
Moments before the game started, FPU men's soccer celebrated their twelve seniors and honored their dedication, leadership, and lasting impact on the Sunbird program. This inspiring senior squad included Elmer Carballo, Daniel Villalva, Sean Williamson, Cristian Trujillo, Julian Aran Martin, Giovanni Segovia, Lucas Ribeiro, Chris Macias, Phillip Rico, Diego Lopez Ching, Tariq Alabi, and Jacob Ramirez.

In the first half, both teams competed to see who could gain possession first. Despite a breakaway by Concordia, senior defender Villalva sped his way to block a loose attempt, sending it out for a throw in. Not too long after, a brilliant race down the field by Chris Meza was blocked at the last second by a Golden Eagle, forcing a corner kick that gave Meza another chance to send it in. Concordia's goalkeeper was in the right spot at the right time and effectively blocked the attempt. As the clock winded down, goalkeeper Carballo saved a scary break away by the Golden Eagles at the 12-minute mark, but Concordia made its way back up field and scored soon after.

Several amazing opportunities arose for the Blue and Orange to respond. A great pass by Phillip Rico sent to Lucas Ribeiro opened up a perfect shot in the box, but Concordia's goalkeeper clutched another big save to keep it  0-1. Soon after, Zion Vaughn turned on the jets and dribbled past every Golden Eagle before getting a close shot off on the goalkeeper, but Concordia remained vigilant and blocked the shot. With six minutes remaining in the first half, Bryan Lopez tied the score after he sailed a deep shot into the right corner of the net using his left foot. The first half concluded with a tie FPU 1 – CUI 1.

Nearing the 50^th minute, Cristian Trujillo might have started his run from far back, but he effectively managed to chip the keeper, giving Fresno Pacific the 2-0 advantage. Jacob Ramirez was hungry for another goal and made his way back up the field, the shot nearly made it in the goal, but CUI's keeper stopped the slow roll just as it dinged against the post.

During a scramble in the box, Vaughn and Lopez made magic happen as they worked in tandem to score the third goal of the game. Lopez's reaction to a long pass effectively bounced in Vaughn's direction, allowing the lead scorer to head it into the low corner of the net. The 'Birds energy was palpable as they claimed a 3-1 lead over the Golden Eagles. However, Concordia's Bryan Smith bridged the gap at 62:53 to bring the score to 3-2.

The Sunbirds were on fire at this point in the match, but the triple header goal from Julian Aran Martin to Sean Williamson to Zion Vaughn was unforgettable. It was the ninth goal of the season and sixth over the last six matches for the University of the Pacific transfer and brought everyone in the stands to their feet. Defensive saves made by Carballo and Aran Martin, who somersaulted to stop a ball in the last 8 minutes, allowed the Sunbirds to maintain control. The senior goalkeeper tallied 6 saves in the match, two saves shy of breaking his 200th career save milestone.

With less than thirty seconds on the clock, Vaughn chipped a ball over the defender on the right side, which forced a CUI opponent to score on their own goal, bringing the final score to 5-2.

"It was great to celebrate our seniors with a big win," said head coach Cameron Shahrokhi. "This group of guys can play with anybody, on any night. We showed a lot of personality to overcome the adversity that was thrown at us tonight. Two key words for our group has been attitude and effort. We were excellent in both of those categories tonight. It's time to rest, recover, and prepare for the most important week of our season thus far."

Fresno Pacific improved to a record of 6-7-2 overall and 5-2-1 in conference play.

NEXT UP: The 'Birds travel to Biola on Thursday, November 6th for the second-to-last conference match before the PacWest Conference Championships. The match kicks off at 7 pm.

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