SEASIDE, CALIF. – On a sunny day in Monterey, it turned into a defensive struggle as neither side could put one through until overtime when Cal State Monterey Bay (3-2) scored a golden goal to take home the victory.
 
Academy of Art (0-5) put together a strong defensive first, holding up against 10 shots of which six were on goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Morgan Wirz held her own each time the Otters came knocking, saving all six attacks on the net. On offense, the Urban Knights only managed two shots, but each were on target, forcing Monterey's keeper to make a save both times.
 
In the second half, both offenses picked up the pace. ART U was able to reach their attacking third more frequently, more than doubling their first half shot total (5) whereas the Otters managed 11 shots of their own. The teams' efforts went unrewarded however, as the score remained knotted 0-0 at the end of regulation.
 
It wasn't until overtime that the game was decided when CSUMB needed just one shot to end the contest. In the 94th minute, Ashlee Cortez was able to redirect a cross and score into the left corner of the net. Despite allowing the goal, Wirz tallied eight saves on the day which brings her season total to a PacWest-leading 35 saves (7.0 per game which also leads the conference).

"We stayed very strong as a defensive unit," said head coach Katie Awerkamp. "Our whole back line did a great job of communicating, staying organized, and adding presence in our attack. We combined very well, but could not capitalize on our chances."
 
After spending the first few weeks of the season playing non-conference opponents, the Urban Knights will return home for their first PacWest opponent of the season when BYU-Hawaii visits San Francisco on Tuesday, September 20.

"I'm excited to start conference-play on Tuesday," said Awerkamp. "We will look to continue to build in our attack and work more on finishing our chances."