FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno Pacific water polo battled No. 20 Concordia University Irvine but ultimately fell 18-12. The Sunbirds found the back of the net 12 times, led by hat tricks from
Tristin Fox and
Yanti Quijada, while goalkeeper
Chase Hammes recorded 13 saves.
Concordia struck first, scoring three goals in the opening five minutes. Freshman
Ryder Stermer got the Sunbirds on the board with a power-play goal before Fox found the net late in the period off an assist from
Chris Sandino. The Golden Eagles added to their lead, but Fox's goal brought FPU within three at 5-2 heading into the second quarter.
The Golden Eagles extended their advantage with three more goals to open the second period, but the Sunbirds responded with a strong offensive push. Stermer scored twice, while Quijada added a goal to cut into the deficit. Coming out of a timeout, Sandino finished a pass from Stermer to bring FPU within two. Concordia answered with a power-play goal late in the period, sending the teams into halftime with the Sunbirds trailing 9-6.
Concordia gained separation in the third quarter, outscoring FPU and stretching its lead to 14-7. Quijada provided the Sunbirds' lone goal of the period as they looked to mount a comeback in the final eight minutes.
Fresno Pacific continued to fight in the fourth.
Roberto Perez-Puente opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 5:39, followed by Quijada's penalty goal. Fox added two more goals to complete his hat trick, while
Giacomo Hernandez found the net to round out the Sunbirds' scoring. Despite the late offensive push, Concordia held on for the 18-12 victory.
Fox and Quijada led the way with three goals apiece, while Stermer and
Nathaniel Tuell each recorded two assists. Hammes anchored the defense with 13 saves across all 32 minutes of play.
NEXT UP: The 'Birds soar into the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament Oct 23th-24th. Fresno Pacific takes on Cal Baptist on Friday at 4:40pm, then Long Island and Iona University on Saturday.
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