GENEVA, Ohio — Traveling across the country for the WWPA Championships, Fresno Pacific men's water polo (4-18, 2-4 WWPA) secured a 17-13 victory over east region opponent McKendree (11-11, 2-2 WWPA) at the SPIRE Aquatics Center to move forward to the semifinals. The Sunbirds' power play was effective along with a standout performance from Second Team All-WWPA selection Forrest Gray that contributed to the win.

Fresno Pacific and McKendree engaged in a competitive match, with McKendree initially taking control. The Bearcats' Armand Le Goff opened the scoring in the first period, and Yannick Robertson quickly followed, giving McKendree a 2-0 lead. Soon after, the Sunbirds responded with a goal by Christiano Sandino, assisted by Samuel Ramos, to narrow the gap. McKendree added two more goals, including a power-play goal by Joshua Gibson at the buzzer, ending the first quarter at 5-3. Gray sparked a comeback, scoring twice in the second period, helping his team close in 8-7 by halftime.

The momentum shifted in the third quarter as the Sunbirds scored five consecutive goals, with Gray adding another two to his tally, securing a decisive 14-10 lead. Despite McKendree's late efforts, including another goal from Le Goff in the final period, Fresno Pacific maintained control, ending with a 17-13 victory.

Gray led the Sunbirds with six goals on nine shots and contributed two assists. Luke Young was perfect in his attempts, scoring four goals on four shots. Tristin Fox added two goals on four attempts, while Sandino also registered two goals and one assist. Jake Canales facilitated the offense with three assists, supporting the scoring efforts.

Under head first-year head coach Jonathan Miller, the Sunbirds advanced to the semifinals for the first time since joining the WWPA. Miller mentioned, "Everything this team has done this season has been building to this weekend and our guys stepped up in a big way today. After the first quarter, our defense really tightened up and allowed our offense to get going. Everybody filled their roles and contributed to this win. It's a great feeling to get that first game under our belts and we're excited to keep the season going!"

NEXT UP: The 'Birds will face off against back-to-back WWPA West Region title holder, Concordia University Irvine in the semifinal match on Saturday. The winner of the match will move forward into the championship game on Sunday.

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

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