Thursday, August 25, 2005
Seattle U dumps Sunbirds 3-1 in season opener

Chico - Seattle University, the 2004 NCAA Division 2 champions used two goals from Bobby McAlister to defeat the Sunbirds 3-1 in the first round of the Chico State Invitational.

Amaury Nunes got the Sunbirds on the board first, converting a Marcus Cabello pass at 16:54.

McAlister scored his first goal at 43:59 to make it 1-1 at the break.

Pat Doran gave Seattle a 2-1 lead in the 77th minute.

McAlister iced it with his second of the contest just five minutes later. McAlister out-hustler two FPU defenders on a counter attack and pushed it past Oscar Rodriguez.

Josh Ollenberger played the first 45 minutes in the Floptical.

"We did some nice things out there today," said FPU head coach Jaime Ramirez. With so many new players our challenge is to figure the best combinations and built some continuity. I am very encouraged."

The Sunbirds face Seattle Pacific Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in the final match of the tournament.

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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.