ST. GEORGE, UTAH – It was no small task for Academy of Art (2-11-1, 2-7-0 PacWest) men's soccer on Saturday, taking on Dixie State (11-3, 9-0-0 PacWest), the No. 1 team in the PacWest. However, the Urban Knights held their own, posting a strong defensive game in the 1-0 loss.
 
The Trailblazers did their damage just five minutes into the opening period. In the fifth-minute, Dixie's Angel Estrada was able to break free and dribble into the box to create a one-on-one opportunity against sophomore goalkeeper Kevin Mendez. As Estrada drew closer, he was able to switch sides and drive it into the right corner of the net. Despite the goal, ART U refused to allow DSU to gather momentum on their home turf. The Knights blanked their opponents for the remainder of the game while freshman midfielder Isiah Quiros and sophomore defender Bobby Gutierrez each contributed a pair of shots in the half.
 
In the second 45 minutes, Academy of Art continued their efforts to tie the score, but were unable to push one through. In the end, Gutierrez was one of the highlights for ART U, leading the match with four shots after adding two more in the second half. The Advertising major came close to tying things up in the 17th-minute as he was served a cross in front of the goal, but his shot was just high and ricocheted off of the crossbar.  Altogether, the Urban Knights came away with eight shots, two of which were on goal (both from Quiros). Mendez also came away with four saves in the contest.
 
"The guys competed and showed a lot of heart today, especially in the second half," said head coach Mike Keller. "Connor Henrichs and Jordan Seech showed some real grit and that led to us playing well."
 
ART U will now make the trek home from Utah to compete in their final home stand of the 2016 season. Their first matchup will feature Notre Dame de Namur on October 27 at 10:30 a.m., followed by Hawaii Pacific on Tuesday, November 1.