FRESNO, Calif.- It was a great day Saturday for the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds as they won back-to-back games against the Chapman Panthers and the La Verne Leopards at the Sunbird Mini at the Sunnyside Aquatics Center.
GAME ONE
The Sunbirds opened the Sunbird Mini with a morning match-up against the Chapman Panthers. The game opened with a fast-paced first quarter, as both teams exchanged goals early. Chapman struck first with a goal from Alyssa Fricker, but Fresno Pacific quickly responded through
Tatum Benson, assisted by
Maggie Cook. The teams went back and forth, with the Panthers adding to the scoreboard, while
Sierra Coyne and
Maddie Murad kept the Sunbirds in the fight. At the end of the first quarter, both teams were tied at 4-4.
Chapman gained a slight edge in the second quarter as Fricker continued to be a scoring threat. Kate Launius and Fricker each found the net, giving Chapman a 7-6 lead. Murad and E. Cook added key goals to keep the game close, but Chapman's defense tightened up as the period progressed, preventing the 'Birds from equalizing before halftime.
The third quarter saw the Sunbirds battle hard to close the gap. Murad and Benson both found the net again for the Sunbirds, while Fricker continued to dominate for Chapman. Despite some strong defensive plays from both teams, the scoring slowed down compared to the first half. The 'Birds managed to limit Chapman to just one goal, setting up a thrilling final quarter as the teams were knotted at 8-8.
The final quarter was a thriller. Chapman looked to pull away, but the Sunbirds stormed back with three goals, from
Autumn Johnson, Hepner, and Murad. Tied at 11-11, with just 17 seconds left,
Regan Azevedo scored the game winning goal for the 'Birds lifting them to victory.
GAME TWO
The Sunbirds wasted no time establishing dominance in their second game of the day against the La Verne Leopard.
Maggie Cook opened the scoring on an exclusion play, and Benson followed with an unassisted strike. While La Verne managed to keep pace early, the 'Birds closed the quarter strong with goals from T. Benson, Hepner, and
Emma Cook, leading 5-4 at the break.
Fresno Pacific took complete control in the second quarter, outscoring La Verne 6-1. T. Benson led the charge with multiple goals, supported by key assists from Hepner and E. Cook. The Sunbirds' defense also stepped up, limiting the Leopards to just one goal. At the end of the second, Fresno Pacific had built an 11-5 lead.
The Sunbirds continued their relentless attack, with T. Benson and E. Cook finding the net multiple times. La Verne struggled to generate consistent offense against a disciplined Fresno Pacific defense. While Brianna Zapata managed to pull one back for La Verne, the Sunbirds kept the pressure on and extended their lead to 15-6.
Fresno Pacific closed the game in dominant fashion, adding five more goals in the final frame. Contributions came from across the roster, with
Frances Benson,
Summer Fulton, and Azevedo adding to the tally. Despite a late goal from the Leopards, the Sunbirds cruised to a comfortable 20-8 victory, capping off a successful day.
UP NEXT
Fresno Pacific will head to down south to the Convergence Tournament for four games over two days, Feb. 28th and March. 1st, with their first game against Cal Tech at 2pm Friday.
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