BOX SCORE:  No. 22 Sonoma State 4, Fresno Pacific 2

FRESNO, Calif-  The Sonoma State men's soccer squad didn't let an early two-goal deficit get them down on Saturday in their season opener as they poured in four second half goals on their way to a 4-2 victory over Fresno Pacific.  Trevor Hurst got the rally going with a pair of goals early in the second half as the Seawolves go to 1-0-0 on the young season.  The Sunbirds slip to 1-2-0 overall.

Despite peppering the Sunbird box with five shots in the first twelve minutes, the Seawolves were unable to find net early on.  Instead, it would be Fresno Pacific making the first notch on the scoreboard when, in the 16th minute, Gustavo Da Silva gathered the rebound off a shot by Fabricio Nazare- the Sunbirds' first of the game- and slipped it past Juan Sosa. 

The lead would double just four minutes later as Paul Islas sent one between the posts off an assist by DaSilva.  Down 2-0, the Seawolves could have folded, but they were able to ride out the half and re-gather themselves at the break.

Said head coach Marcus Ziemer, "We didn't play badly in the first half, but we gave up a couple of soft goals."

Hurst's first strike would come off a free kick just 95 seconds in to half number two.  The junior from Santa Rosa was able to send one past the keeper to the near post, earning Sonoma their first goal of the campaign.

Just over nine minutes later, Hurst found the leveler when Taylor Varnadore's throw-in towards the far post was slotted past the keeper to the lower right. 

In the 73rd minute, the Seawolves would go up for good when senior Ryan Hall converted a penalty kick.  The last score of the night came from another defender, sophomore Brian Angel, who's 76th minute free kick to the near post set the final margin at 4-2.

At the end, Ziemer would be pleased with his team's effort, "We showed a lot of character to come from behind on the road like we did.  Fresno Pacific is a very good team.  They are well-coaches and have several international kids with experience, mixed in with some good local players from the Fresno area."

The Seawolves would hold a 17-10 advantage in shots and a 4-2 edge in corners. 

Goalkeeper Juan Sosa was credited with three saves in winning his first start as the Seawolves' starter.

Saturday's result marked the third straight year that the Seawolves have won their opening game.

Up next for Sonoma State is a non-conference tilt against Dominican University on Tuesday evening in Rohnert Park.  "This is the first of four games in eight days, and it was great to come away with a win.  Tuesday will be a tough match against a local opponent," remarked Ziemer.