FRESNO, Calif. – In a thrilling home opener, the Fresno Pacific men's soccer team battled against the visiting Cal State East Bay Pioneers, falling short 1-3. The Sunbirds saw Chris Macias make a brilliant move and capture the first goal of the evening in the 25^th minute.

"It was a tale of two halves. We had a strong first half, dominating possession and creating multiple good goal scoring chances. Macias with another great goal to open the score sheet. We could have scored a 2nd goal if we were a bit sharper in the final moments in the 1st half," said head coach Cameron Shahrokhi.

Fresno Pacific's early advantage came by Macias in the 25th minute, assisted by Jacob Ramirez, to lead East Bay 1-0 at the end of the first half. The Sunbirds managed four shots, with one saved and another finding the net, while goalkeeper Elmer Carballo recorded a crucial save to preserve the lead. Fresno Pacific faced a challenging second half against East Bay, with the visitors netting three goals on several shooting opportunities.

""They put us under more pressure in the 2nd half. Credit to East Bay, they forced a sloppy give away in our defensive half which ultimately led to their first goal," Shahrokhi added. "I thought we continued to create offensively but had some defensive lapses and poor turnovers. East Bay capitalized on our mistakes. Our team will learn from this match and continue to improve. It is a long season and we have an amazing group of men."

NEXT UP: The Sunbirds are on the road against CSU San Bernardino on September 21 at 12:30 pm.

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