It was a disappointing start to the 2026 season for the Cal Poly Humboldt men’s soccer team on Thursday afternoon.
The Lumberjacks traveled to Atherton to play Fresno Pacific and fell 4-1.
Humboldt took an early lead, but Fresno Pacific scored four unanswered goals to claim the victory at the Menlo Kickoff Weekend.
The Lumberjacks enjoyed the better of the early exchanges, opening the scoring in the 19th minute.
Gabriel Tucci scored the only goal of the game for CPH, off assists from Shota Lam and Erwin Manibusan Jr.
Fresno Pacific answered in the 31st minute when Beau Brusseau headed home a corner kick from Alexis Lopez, and the teams remained tied heading into halftime.
The Sunbirds, however, would add to their tally in the 62nd minute, taking a lead they would not relinquish.
They would add two more late goals as they improved to 1-0.
Humboldt finished with 12 shots, including one on target, while Fresno Pacific recorded 21 shots and 12 shots on goal.
The Sunbirds held a 9-4 edge in shots during the opening half and outshot the Lumberjacks 12-8 after halftime.
Benjamin McDonald started in goal for Humboldt and made five saves in just under 74 minutes.
Alvaro Nieves played the final 16 minutes and recorded two saves.
The Lumberjacks will look to bounce back on Saturday as they continue Menlo Kickoff Weekend with another non-conference matchup against Colorado School of Mines.
