LA MIRADA, Calif. – The Sunbird men showcased an incredible performance from start to finish at the SPLASH! La Mirada Aquatics Center, effectively keeping Biola at a distance before upsetting the Eagles 11-6 on Friday evening. The 'Birds successfully ruffled the feathers of the second ranked team in the WWPA west region.

In the first period, the FPU men's water polo team captured a 3-1 lead and never looked back. The 'Birds tallied another three goals in the second period, hungry for a win over one of the leading members in the WWPA conference. After halftime, the Biola launched a true counterattack, maneuvering the ball around long enough to tire out the defense and sneak a goal in. Fresno Pacific wasn't deterred as Christian Clark received a long pass from goalkeeper Chase Hammes and beat every Eagles' defender to make it 7-4.

At this point in the match, FPU was two for three on power-play goals and kept the ball rolling. Skipping past the Biola keeper, Chris Sandino scored the eighth goal of the match, forcing an Eagles timeout with four minutes left on the clock. Luke Young was the next Sunbird to score, but Biola continued to fight, bringing it 9-6 at the end of the third.

In the final moments, a last second lob by Forrest Gray beat out the shot clock and triggered an exclusion on a nearby Eagle, giving Gray the chance to score on his eighth shot of the night. With a four-point lead, the Sunbirds continued executing on every level, outsmarting Biola's offensive attempts with 2:40 left in the final period. Despite Blake Johnson late shot against the goalkeeper that was blocked, an exclusion against the Eagles at the 30 second mark gave him a five-meter opportunity. Johnson perfectly slotted the ball to the left of the cage past the keeper, concluding the match 11-6.

The Sunbird seniors led the charge for the Blue and Orange. Clark offensively contributed to the win with four goals, while Gray captured yet another hat trick this season. Incredible performances from Johnson, Samuel Ramos, Young and Sandino sealed the triumph over Biola, collectively fighting together as a team. In the cage, Hammes made five crucial saves that almost rivaled his ten saves the last time he faced the Eagles.

"This was a great team win from start to finish. Our guys really committed to the defensive end and used that to fuel our offense," said first-year head coach Jonathan Miller. "Really proud of the effort tonight across the board. We're excited to get back in the pool again tomorrow."

The Sunbirds' efforts in Friday's match might have impacted the Eagles' chances of winning the WWPA West Region Champion title. FPU is currently the number three seed in the west for the WWPA Championships held in Geneva, Ohio. All conference teams (East and West) with compete for the conference championship title on November 21-23.

For more information, visit the WWPA Men's Water Polo Championship Tournament Central.

NEXT UP: The 'Birds take on the back-to-back WWPA west region champs, Concordia University Irvine, on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1 pm. Fresno Pacific men's water polo has the chance to shake things up in conference before the regular season ends.

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