FRESNO, Calif. – Hawai'i Pacific University got a pair of goals from
Sven Koenig, but it wasn't enough as Fresno Pacific dominated the Sharks 6-2 in PacWest Conference play Saturday at Ramirez Field.
The Sharks (6-7-4, 6-5-2) had their three-game winning streak snapped, while the Sunbirds (8-7-3, 7-4-2) won consecutive games as the season came to an end for both teams.
HPU collected both goals in the second half, outshooting NDNU 14-11 with both teams recording five shots on goal.
Koenig, a sophomore from Schuerte, Germany, added to his PacWest lead in goals and points, scoring his 20th and 21st goals of the year and upping his total to 46 points on the season. In addition to leading the PacWest, Koenig entered the day ranked fourth in NCAA Division II in goals per game and third in points per game.
It was a day that saw the Sharks outshoot the Sunbirds 22-15, but managed to put only eight of those shots on goal.
FPU stunned the Sharks, opening the scoring just 108 seconds into the match, when Joey Belzil scored the first goal of a hat trick in the second minute.
But Koenig evened the affair 11 minutes later. He got the ball on the sideline and dribbled down field, beating a defender for a one-on-one goal in the 13th minute.
But the Sunbirds answered 58 seconds later when Eric Sanchez caught a combination pass for a quick goal to retake the lead at 2-1.
FPU followed it with Belzil's second goal off two quick passes in the 18th minute to grab a 3-1 advantage, but the Sunbirds weren't stopping.
In the 33rd minute Jorge Chedraui shook off an HPU defender and buried a shot for a 4-1 advantage that FPU took into the half.
Koenig led the Shark attack again in the second half, scoring in the 59th minute. The Sharks had a corner kick feed to Koenig. His shot ricocheted off FPU goal keeper Matias Fernandez, but the Shark scorer recovered the deflection and scored on his second attempt.
FPU added a pair of goals in the final six minutes of the match. Belzil collected his hat trick goal in the 85th minute on a through ball and slid the shot past HPU keeper
Jesse Kunitomo.
The final score came on a breakaway for Sunbird Sergio Segura who chipped it in from 15 yards out in the 89th minute for the 6-2 final.
Kunitomo, a senior from Mililani, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Kapalama, recorded three saves in the Sharks final contest. FPU's Fernandez tallied six saves on the afternoon.
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