FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno Pacific men's soccer dropped a hard-fought 1-0 decision to nationally-ranked Cal State San Bernardino in a non-conference match on Wednesday night at Ramirez Field. The Sunbirds generated the majority of their shots on target in the second half but were unable to find the equalizer against the Coyotes.
Fresno Pacific's defense kept CSUSB off the scoreboard through the opening 45 minutes despite the Coyotes' dominant possession of the ball. Despite the onslaught of shots, FPU's goalkeeper
Arturo Alegria made two impressive saves in the first half, while the Sunbirds added two defensive saves of their own to keep the 'Yotes at bay. Cal State San Bernardino put four shots on target and earned two corner kicks, while FPU's two attempts came from D2CIDA National Player of the Week,
Zion Vaughn, and
Alexis Lopez as the teams entered halftime scoreless.
CSUSB broke through in the 52nd minute when Djerbaka finished a quick pass from Soukup to give the Coyotes a 1-0 lead.
The Sunbirds responded with increased pressure, generating five corner kicks and forcing CSUSB goalkeeper Palomares into four saves in the second half. FPU created several opportunities during a late stretch that featured multiple corner kicks and shots on goal, including back-to-back header attempts and
Nash Higby's shot off the top of the woodwork. In the end, Coyotes' defense held firm to preserve the shutout through the final whistle.
The Sunbirds move to 2-1 overall and will look to bounce back in their next contest.
NEXT UP: The Blue and Orange will continue their home stand with the match against former PacWest opponent, Dominican University, on Saturday at 7pm.
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