FRESNO, Calif. – On a Thursday-evening showdown in Fresno, Academy of Art men's soccer was unable to find an answer for the Sunbirds' relentless attack, allowing FPU to roll to a 5-1 victory.
 
In the first half, Fresno Pacific immediately jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the fourth-minute of action. Fellipe Souza was able to beat ART U's freshman goalkeeper Kris Jensson, scoring his first of three goals in the match. Just over ten minutes later, the Sunbirds struck once again, this time thanks to Anthony Velarde who scored near the right post. From there, the Urban Knights rattled off four unanswered shots, but it was to no avail as FPU scored once more in the 38th-minute to take a commanding, 3-0 lead. At the end of the half, Academy of Art held a slight advantage in the shot-count with nine shots compared to Fresno's six.
 
In the second period, the Urban Knights did well to fend of the Sunbird's attack, denying each of their attempts until the 68th-minute when Souza found the net for the second time. This time, ART U managed to respond just over ten minutes later when senior midfielder Jonny Navarro successfully converted a penalty kick in the 83rd-minute. However, Fresno Pacific dealt the final blow in the 88th-frame when Souza found the net for the third time in the match, bringing the score to 5-1.
 
Overall, Academy of Art amassed 14 shots including eight on-frame. While Navarro scored the Knights' only goal of the day, the Fresno, Calif. native also tied with senior midfielder Jón Jóhannesson for the team's most shots in the match (3).
 
ART U's next match comes on Saturday, October 21 when they host Holy Names at City College of San Francisco. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.