FRESNO, Calif. – Talk about making a splash! Fresno Pacific men's water polo set the tone for the season in their home opener, rolling past San Joaquin Delta College with a 23-2 victory. The Sunbirds wasted no time, jumping out to a commanding 9-1 lead in the first period and never looking back.

Key scorers for the Sunbirds included freshmen Colton Parks and Matthew Dillsaver who both netted 4 goals each, with attacker Jake Canales and fellow freshman Nathaniel Tuell following close behind with hat tricks. Ten Sunbirds on the men's water polo team scored a goal or more at the home opener, marking the highest scoring match thus far into the season.

In the cage, Chase Hammes tallied five saves and freshmen goalies, Ben Rapley and Ben Brockmeier made their presence known to the Mustangs. Delta College struggled to gain momentum with the 'Birds home-pool advantage.

Fresno Pacific was relentless in the opening period, with Blake Johnson scoring and Forrest Gray adding another to set a 2-0 lead. San Joaquin Delta responded, cutting the lead to 2-1. However, the Sunbirds went on an impressive run scoring seven unanswered goals including a penalty shot by Christiano Sandino and a goal from Jake Canales, ending the first period 9-1.

At the start of the second period, the Sunbirds secured the tenth goal of the game. The Mustangs struggled to score, bouncing shots off the top of the cage or directly towards Sunbirds goalkeeper Chase Hammes. The second period saw continued dominance from the Sunbirds with Jordan Lambert scoring twice, extending the lead. With 32 seconds remaining, Nathaniel Tuell stole the ball from the opposing Mustangs and lobbed a deep shot into the right corner of the cage, making it 15-1 to close out the second.

Coming out of the half, the Blue and Orange held a commanding lead against Delta. The Mustangs efforts increased in the third period, but it was yet another scoreless period for them. Freshman Matthew Dillsaver had back-to-back goals for the Sunbirds, the last one being a one-on-one shot against the opposing goalie. His ability to sneak past the defense led to his phenomenal performance in the home opener.

Despite a late goal by Delta College in the fourth period, the 'Birds closed the match with two more goals to seal the victory, marking first-year head coach Jonathan Miller's first home victory and second win of the season.

NEXT UP: The Sunbirds are back in action against away to Whittier College on Friday, September 19th before clashing with Cal State Fullerton and Cal Lutheran on Saturday, September 20th.
 

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