Tuesday, October 26, 2004
FPU outlast The Masters 1-0 in overtime, seniors come through in final home match

Box score

Fresno - Late in regulation play, a member of the partisan crowd exhorted the Fresno Pacific University seniors to do something special on Senior Night and go out winners.

It is doubt full the players heard the comment, but Orlando Ramirez and Fabricio Codeceira did exactly that. They lifted the Sunbirds to a 1-0 overtime Golden State Athletic Conference victory on a very soggy Steinert Field tonight.

It was a familiar sight. Codeceira drove the left flank deep into the box, then sent it low and hard across the goal-mouth where Ramirez punched it home for the match-winner.

It was Ramirez' 22 goal of the season and it came in the 106th minute, 5:27 into the second overtime.

"The field made it real tough," said Orlando Ramirez. "I'm just glad we finally got a goal and won it,"

"How many times have they done that?" aksed FPU head coach Jaime Ramirez, Orlando Ramirez' father.

He answered his own question. "I don't know, but I'm sure glad they did it tonight. It was a classic goal."

Josh Ollenberger was credited with five saves in picking up his third shutout of the season. That total did not reflect three instances when Ollenberger intercepted passes to the goal mouth, the most dangerous of which occured in the first overtime session.

Though it stopped raining prior to kick-off, the field showed the effects of 12 hours of constant rain. Steinert Field was a mud bowl. Sections of the midfield were three inches deep in water. The ball died when it landed there. Passes stopped short of their targets and players slipped constantly.

"The weather was the great equalizer tonight," continued Ramirez. "But they (The Master's) gave us their A-game. This was a great battle between a couple of hungry teams trying to make the playoffs."

With one match remaining, Saturday in El Cajon against Christian Heritage (0-8-1, 3-11-1), the Sunbirds (6-2-1, 14-2-1) are in third place and appear to have the inside track for the No. 3 seed in the Region 2 playoff.

The Mustangs, now 9-7-1, 4-4-1, fall to seventh place in the GSAC.

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* FPU's 5-2 loss to Vanguard in Costa Mesa last Thursday was expensive. The Sunbirds dropped 11 spots, from No. 6 to No.17 in the NAIA Top 25 poll released today.

* Six teams advance to the Region 2 championship playoffs. The Region includes the Golden State and California Pacific Conferences as well as a couple of independents. The top two seeds earn a first-round bye while the 6th seed travels to No. 3 and the 5th seed travels to No.4.

* NAIA Region 2 Schedule
Quarterfinals: Wednesday, November 3 (1:00 PM)
Semifinals: Saturday, November 6 at Nos. 1 & 2 (1:00 PM)
Championship: Saturday, November 13, at higher seed (1:00 PM)

Soccer Livestats from FPU's Steinert Field

Updated records
1The Master's: 9-7-1, 4-4-1
Fresno Pacific: 14-2-1, 6-2-1

Updated series record
FPU leads 22-9-3

Updated series scoring
FPU leads 85-44

Current FPU home undefeated streak: 21-0-1
Last home loss: 11/6/02 vs. Biola 1-2, NAIA Region 2 quarterfinal
Last home tie: 10/7/04 vs. Biola 1-1

Preview Notes - FPU

* Tonight's match is the final regular season home appearance for seniors Erin Breen (#2), Orlando Ramirez (#5), Eli Delgado (#6), Gaston Cignetti (#8), Nick Lomeli (#9), Fabricio Codeceira (#10), Wesley Teixeira (#15) and Eddie Gutierrez (#18).

* The Sunbirds need impressive wins tonight and Saturday in El Cajon against Christian Heritage to maintain any hope of earning the second seed and home field advantage for the first two rounds of the in the NAIA Region 2 playoffs.

* Both of FPU's losses this season have been on the road by 3-goal margins; at Azusa Pacific on September 28 (3-0) and last Thursday at Vanguard (5-2). FPU gave up a penalty kick goal in the first 25 seconds and trailed 3-0 at the half.

* FPU has out-scored opponents by an 82-22 margin. FPU is averaging 5.13 goals per game. Orlando Ramirez leads the way with 21 goals, 13 assists for 55 points. There is plenty of help from Milton Blanco (8-14-30), Eddie Gutierrez (7-7-21), AA (7-6-20), JD (8-2-18). Fabricio Codeceira has contributed five goals and seven assists (17 points) in only seven contests.

* Oscar Rodriguez has played the bulk of the season in goal (882 minutes). He has a 7-2-1 record and is yields an average of 1.33 goals per match. Josh Ollenberger (408 minutes, 4-0-0 record, 1.32 goals/match) and Jose Lopez (200 minutes, 2-0-0 record, 1.35 goals/match) are also available for duty.

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Preview Notes - The Master's

* The Mustangs need a win tonight to break a three-way log jamb for fourth place in the GSAC. TMC (4-3-1), Point Loma Nazarene (4-3-1) and Biola (3-2-3) each share a .563 win percentage. One and possible two of these teams may qualify for post season play. It is unlikely that all three would qualify.

* Luke Barnes (8 goals, 9 assists, 25 points), Jared Thornton (5-7-17) and Ewout Van Rhee (7-1-15) are the notable weapons in the Mustangs offense.

* Ryan Burton has played the bulk of the season in goal, logging 1352 minutes. He sports a sparkling 0.80 goals against average with 7 shutouts, but that only translates into an 8-5-1 win/loss record.