Monday, October 24, 2005
Final: Notre Dame 2, Sunbirds 1 (Overtime)

Golden goal sinks Sunbirds

Box score

Fresno - Daniel Pena's golden goal lifted the visiting Notre Dam De Namur University Argonauts to a 2-1 overtime non-conference victory over the Sunbirds tonight at Steinert Field.

Nehemias Blanco gave FPU a 1-0 lead late in the first half (44:31) when he hammered a set piece around the Argonauts wall and past goalkeeper Nicholas Arellano into the top far left corner of the goal.

The Argonauts enjoyed the better of the play in the second half and finally tied it at 74:16 when Joseph Simonton headed in a cross from Nick Hooper.

Pena's headed in Edgar Rivera's corner kick with just two minutes to play in the second overtime.

The win lifts Notre Dame's record to 10-8-1 while FPU's record dips to 8-4-2

The Sunbirds played without starters Fernando Vaca (serving 5th yellow card suspension), Amaury Nunes (5th yellow), Jared Dugger (rest), Carlos Velasco (undisclosed).

Arellano was called upon to make three saves to record the win. Oscar Rodriguez started in goal for FPU and made two saves in the first half. Josh Ollenberger came on in relief of Rodriguez, made seven saves, but yielded both goals to get tagged with the loss.

The Sunbirds return to Golden State Athletic Conference action on Thursday when they host sixth-ranked Azusa Pacific. The Cougars, who were upset 1-0 at home by Concordia today, are now in second place (7-2-0) behind the Sunbirds (7-1-0).

Kick-off time Thursday at Steinert Field is 7:00 p.m.

The Sunbirds conclude the regular season on Saturday when they travel to Irvine (1:00) to face Concordia.

Updated Records
Notre Dame: 10-8-1
Fresno Pacific: #16 Fresno Pacific: 8-4-2 (NAIA #16)

Updated Series
The Series dates to 1999 when the Argonauts were members of the NAIA. Today's match is the seventh in the series. FPU now holds a 4-3 advantage and a 17-16 scoring advantage.

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Fresno Pacific University offers undergraduate and graduate programs that stress solid academic preparation and a strong ethical foundation. Each year more than 2,000 traditional and adult students attend classes on the 42-acre main campus in southeast Fresno or centers in Visalia and Bakersfield. The university also reaches 12,000 students across the nation and around the world through professional development studies programs. The only four-year Christian university in the Central Valley, FPU is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and ranked in the top quarter among Western universities master's category by U.S. News & World Report.