Saturday, October 29, 2005
Final - Concordia 2, FPU 1

Box score

Irvine - Two first-half mistakes by the Sunbirds defense is all the Concordia University Eagles needed to claim a share of their first Golden State Athletic Conference men's soccer championship.

At 28:54 Chris Gould gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead on a penalty kick. 10 minutes later Jeff Clark made it 2-0.

"We made two mistakes and they made us pay," said FPU head coach Jaime Ramirez.

The Sunbirds railed in the second half but could only manage Adrian Alvarado's goal with 84 seconds to play. Adam Arteaga drew the assist on the Sunbirds only goal.

"We created opportunities in the second, but we didn't finish," said Ramirez.

The could prove to be expensive. The Sunbirds, needed a win or tie to claim the GSAC title outright. The Eagles win means the two teams will share the title, but the Eagles win the tie-break and will claim the GSAC Champions first-round home playoff guarantee.

After the game Ramirez speculated that the Sunbirds would drop from the third to the fifth seed in the eight-team NAIA Region 2 playoffs. That means the Sunbirds will be on the road throughout the postseason.

"We are down to a three-game season," said Ramirez. We will have to win three games and they will likely all be on the road. That's the only way we get the National Championship."

The eight-team field and first round pairing will be announced late tomorrow following the GSAC and Region 2 coaches meeting in Santa Barbara.

Updated Records
Fresno Pacific: 9-5-2, 8-2-0
Concordia: 12-6-0, 8-2-0

Updated Series Record
FPU now leads the series 18-2-1.

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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.