Box Score

San Francisco, CA -- The Urban Knights women's soccer team came out scoring last time out against Dixie State, but on Saturday against Grand Canyon, it was a late charge by ART U that ended up coming up short as a last-second push toward the goal was cut short by the game-ending buzzer. The Urban Knights scored with less than ten minutes to go and looked poised to keep the pressure on Grand Canyon, but the visiting Lopes had two first-half goals that held up to be the difference in a 2-1 game.
"The first two weeks of the 2012 PacWest Season were stacked with four of the top five teams selected by the pre-season poll," said head coach Aileen Nasypany. "I'm proud of my young team's determination in every competition, holding each score line to a one goal margin, one of which we had a large goal lead. As we finish our home stand, I am looking for the team to find a consistent work ethic and confidence for the full 90 minutes. I look forward to watching them perform because I know they have it in them!"

The Knights, who were coming off their biggest offensive output in the past couple weeks on Thursday against Dixie, were pressing to get the ball into the Lopes territory in the first half, only able to get five shots total compared to the six shots on goal that Grand Canyon had. Goalkeeper Rachael Rempe continued her strong play with four saves in the first half.

In the 28th minute, the Lopes capitalized on a foul by the Urban Knights that set up a free kick from around the midline. Veronica Nikas lobbed one in that Gabriela Zavala de Rojas headed through the middle and past Rempe to take a 1-0 lead. Ten minutes later, the Knights stopped a barrage of shots from the Lopes but again the last one went through, as a corner kick set up a goal from Angelina Miraglio, and the Knights went into halftime down 2-0.

The second half played very evenly, with the Knights picking up their offense and getting more containment on their Grand Canyon counterparts. Then, as time started to wind down, a shot by Nicole Nsa of the Lopes went wide. On the ensuing transition, sophomore captain Sophie Meneses streaked all the way from her defensive position to the opposing corner, taking defenders with her as she went, and feeding a perfect cross along the end line to Giovanni Plater who knocked it in for her first goal of the year.

"I would like to recognize the leadership sophomore captain Sophie Meneses has brought to the team this year," said Nasypany. "Her dedication to come back fit after the summer break, her coachability, and her dynamic work-ethic on both sides of the ball has enabled her to become a playmaker. Her efforts in today's match helped closed the margin and give our team the lift and confidence to keeping pushing."

The Urban Knights had one more chance at the end of the game, as they got the ball back with just around 90 seconds to go and a chance to equalize. They kept on moving up with the ball as it went out of bounds off of the Lopes, but Plater's final throw-in crossed the line right when the buzzer sounded and time ran out. The Knights will look to finish their six-game home stand strong with games against Dominican and Holy Names next week.