STOCKTON, Calif. - The Fresno Pacific men's soccer team repeated history and wasted no time kicking off their season with a boom! The Sunbirds opened their season with an impressive 5-1 exhibition victory over Division I opponent, University of the Pacific, showcasing a strong team effort from start to finish.

In August 2024, the 'Birds clutched their first-ever victory over University of the Pacific, marking the program's first win over a Division I opponent since 2001. The historic moment featured several familiar faces, including current Head Coach Cameron Shahrokhi and lead FPU scorer Zion Vaughn. For Shahrokhi, the matchup marked his first game as Associate Head Coach. Vaughn, meanwhile, was rocking his Tigers jersey at the time and scored Pacific's lone goal in the contest. The Sunbirds ultimately claimed the 2024 exhibition match, 2-1.

Two years later, Fresno Pacific would leap to new bounds in the 2026 season opener. After a hard-fought opening half, Alexis Lopez broke the deadlock with a perfectly placed direct free kick to give the Sunbirds a 1-0 lead at halftime. Pacific came out with intensity in the second half and quickly equalized, but the Sunbirds responded just minutes later when captain Brandon Lopez found the back of the net off a corner kick to put FPU back in front.

The Sunbirds continued to apply pressure late in the match. Noah Naranjo sparked a beautiful combination play before finding Vaughn, who finished in the top corner against his former team to make it 3-1. Alexis Lopez then added his second goal of the night off a rebound from Bryan Lopez, before Bryan capped the scoring in the final minute with a successful penalty kick.

"It was great to be back on the pitch with the team," mentioned Shahrohki, "We had a fantastic first week of training capped off with a top performance in the exhibition. We also understand that this is just a friendly match and a building block for our group. There is a lot to improve on and clean up. I'm proud of the way we competed and I'm excited to get back to work in week two."

NEXT UP: The 'Birds have their next preseason match at home on Tuesday, August 18 against Clovis CC at 7pm. To end the week, the Sunbird men will play in an alumni match on Saturday, August 22 at 6pm (Co-Ed Legends) and 7:30pm. 

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