BRIDGEPORT, W.Vg. — Wrapping up day two of the Salem Invitational, Fresno Pacific men's water polo battled through a pair of challenging matchups, falling to (RV) George Washington 19-11 before dropping a 17-9 decision to Johns Hopkins on Saturday afternoon.
FPU vs (RV) George Washington
The 'Birds came out firing, with
Ryder Stermer scoring twice in the opening quarter before
Tristin Fox added another goal to keep FPU within striking distance. George Washington responded with a seven-goal run, but the Sunbirds answered with four consecutive goals in the second quarter, including a goal from
Luke Young and three straight from Fox. Stermer added his third goal of the contest late in the half, keeping the 'Birds within reach.
The Blue and Orange fought back from a deficit in the third quarter with
Jesse Bryan's shot into the back of the net. The Revolutionaries continued to build their lead in the fourth, but the Sunbirds continued to fight until the final whistle, with
Yanti Quijada and
Aricin Marshall scoring late. Fox led the Sunbirds with four goals on seven shots and added two steals, while Stermer finished with his second consecutive hat trick, two assists and three steals.
Chase Hammes made seven saves in the cage.
FPU vs Johns Hopkins
Fresno Pacific faced another strong opponent in Johns Hopkins, which jumped out to an early 2-0 lead before
Jordan Lambert put the 'Birds on the board at 5:35 of the first quarter off an assist from Young. After Johns Hopkins extended its lead, Fox sparked the FPU offense with a power-play goal assisted by
Roberto Perez-Puente, followed by two more goals in the second quarter. Johns Hopkins scored the final two goals of the first half, but Fresno Pacific continued to battle. Fox added another goal early in the third quarter, while Young found the net at 2:25 off an assist from
Giacomo Hernandez. The Blue Jays closed the quarter with three straight goals before Quijada opened the fourth with a score. The 'Birds continued to push late, with Fox and
Chris Sandino scoring back-to-back goals, but Johns Hopkins closed the match with three consecutive goals to secure the 17-9 victory.
The Sunbirds are 1-7 overall. Offensively, Fox has soared to the number one spot in conference in goals scored (28) and goals-per-game (3.5). Sandino is in a three-way tie for first in assists (18) and second in assists-per-game (2.3). Goalkeeper Hammes sits in several conference categories, including first in steals-per-game (3.1) as well as second in both saves-per-game (10) and saves (80).
NEXT UP: The 'Birds close out the Salem Invitational on Sunday, September 14 with the final match against (RV) Gannon at 7:20am.
SUNBIRD SOCIAL
- X - @fpusunbirds
- Instagram - @fpusunbirds
- Facebook - /FPUsunbirds
#TeamFPU
