RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Fresno Pacific men's water polo battled through a pair of tough matchups against nationally ranked competition at the Lancer Joust, falling 14-11 to Cal State Fullerton before dropping a 24-11 decision to No. 15 Cal Baptist.
FPU 11 vs Cal State Fullerton 14
Against Cal State Fullerton, the 'Birds struck first when
Luke Young converted a power play at 6:58 of the opening quarter. After Fullerton responded with four straight goals,
Chris Sandino and freshman
Ryder Stermer answered with goals to keep Fresno Pacific within striking distance. Sandino delivered a standout performance, scoring twice in the third quarter, including a penalty shot, to spark a late push. Young and
Yanti Quijada also scored late in the period before
Jake Canales and
Tristin Fox added consecutive goals early in the fourth. The 'Birds continued to battle until the final seconds, with
Giacomo Hernandez and Stermer finding the net late for the 11-14 finish.
Sandino led FPU with three goals on three shots and an assist, while Young and Stermer each added two goals.
Chase Hammes recorded 10 saves, along with an assist and a steal.
FPU 11 vs Cal Baptist 24
The Blue and Orange wrapped up the Lancer Joust with tournament host and nationally ranked opponent, No. 15 Cal Baptist. The Lancers built an early advantage, but the 'Birds continued to fight throughout the contest. Quijada opened the scoring for Fresno Pacific with a power-play goal, while
Ryan Scott and Hernandez added goals late in the opening quarter. Scott scored again just before halftime to give the 'Birds four goals in the first half.
Hernandez and Stermer continued the offensive effort in the third quarter, with Stermer converting a penalty shot.
Jesse Bryan added another goal in the fourth, but Cal Baptist closed the match with five consecutive goals to secure the 24-11 victory.
Zack Lovick stepped into the cage for Hammes and recorded seven saves overall.
The Sunbirds are 3-12 overall. WWPA play is right around the corner for Fresno Pacific with their opening match against UC Merced this week.
NEXT UP: The conference opener against UC Merced will be on Friday, October 2nd at Sanger West High School. The action starts at 7:30pm!
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