Match #11
ART U Urban Knights (3-6-1, 0-3-0 PacWest) vs. BU Eagles (2-3-3, 1-0-0 PacWest)
Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022 at 1 p.m.
San Francisco – Paul Goode Field
Live Stats and Video

Match #12
ART U Urban Knights (3-6-1, 0-3-0 PacWest) vs. APU Cougars (3-5-1, 1-0-0 PacWest)
Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022 at 1 p.m.
San Francisco – CCSF Soccer Field
Live Stats and Video

Match #13
ART U Urban Knights (3-6-1, 0-3-0 PacWest) vs. FPU Sunbirds (2-7-0, 0-3-0 PacWest)
Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022 at 1 p.m.
San Francisco – Paul Goode Field
Live Stats and Video

HOME, SWEET HOME
Returning from a three-match road trip to the Hawaiian islands to begin Pacific West Conference action, Academy of Art men's soccer starts an extended homestand with a trio of California teams, as ART U will face off against Biola and Azusa Pacific in PacWest play while concluding the stretch with a non-conference battle against Fresno Pacific. 

KICKOFF
This is a rare homestand where all three Urban Knights matches will have a kick off time at 1 p.m., but the showdowns against the Eagles on Thursday and the Sunbirds on Tuesday will take place at Paul Goode Field, while Saturday's clash with the Cougars will commence at CCSF Soccer Field. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights via the athletics app (Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and on Twitter & Instagram, as well as "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps. 

KNIGHT WATCH
Unfortunately the four-match unbeaten streak and three-game winning streak came to an end during ART U's trip to Hawaii, as the Knights were shutout 1-0 against Hawaii Pacific to begin the trip before dropping consecutive 3-2 decisions, first to Chaminade followed by UH Hilo. Junior midfielder Gilly Miller had a hand in both goals during ART U's match against the Silverswords, with the first point coming on a brilliant set up to red shirt freshman midfielder Elvis Mensah, as his forward pass along the ground found the boot of Mensah for an early equalizer. In the 88th minute Miller struck for his own goal, converting a free kick by lasering his attempt into the top-right portion of the net.

The final match of the road trip against the Vulcans saw a pair of Urban Knights tally the first goals of their ART U careers, as senior defender Jose "JJ" Cortez started the scoring in the fifth minute after he collected the rebound from a blocked shot by graduate student forward Nolan Shafik. Cortez laced his shot past the goalkeeper into the top portion of the net from near the penalty spot, with Shafik earning his first ART U point by collecting the assist. Freshman forward Nixon Thompson netted his first collegiate goal in just his second match, with Mensah collecting his third point of the week by flicking a forward pass to Thompson, sending him up the left side of the pitch before Thompson buried his chance at the far post. 

Miller has been instrumental in the offense as he leads the team in all categories, and also finds himself among the PacWest leaders as he is third in goals (five), tied for second in assists (three), third in both total points (13) and points per game (1.30), third in total shots (28) and shots per game (2.80), and second in both total shots on goal (18) and shots on goal per game (1.80). Two of his goals have been game-winners, as his tally against William Jessup would be the most important despite being the first goal scored, netting the game-winner on a shot to the left post in just the 12th minute after he dribbled his way to the top of the box from the left side. His most recent was when he curled a free kick into the top left corner the net against the Hawks, leaving the goalkeeper no chance to make the save. It has been quite the stretch for junior midfielder dating back to last season, as he has now scored a total of seven goals over his previous 15 matches, producing a total of 20 points over that time (six assists). 

Second on the squad in points is Mensah, with all five of his points coming over his previous five matches. Senior midfielder Breki Einarsson collected his first points of the 2022 campaign with a helper against Cal Poly Humboldt when he sent a quick pass in the box to senior midfielder William Mychaltchouk, who powerfully launched a ball across the front of the goal to the back post for the score. Against William Jessup he found the back of the net in the 40th minute thanks to a gorgeous header goal inside the box after a cross from the deep right wing by junior midfielder Kendryx Soriano, who is also tied for third on the team in points at three with Einarsson.

Along with the team's winning streak, the no goals allowed stretch by senior goalkeeper Davis King also came to an end after it reached a total of 353 minutes of game action with seven saves over that span. Over the course of the campaign King has made 22 saves, which now gives him the most of all PacWest goalkeepers, while his 2.20 saves per game ranks 10th. His best outing coming in the season opener Cal State Dominguez Hills where he totaled four saves on 13 shots faced. Prior to the match against Holy Names, King collected an honor from the PacWest as a pair of clean sheets helped him earn his first ever PacWest Defender of the Week award on Sept. 19, becoming just the second ART U goalkeeper to earn the honor. King faced a total of 26 shots across the week, 13 in each match, and produced a pair of saves in each contest.

As a unit, ART U has generated a total of 102 shot attempts with 50 making their way on goal (49.0 percent), leading to an average of 10.2 shots per game and 1.30 goals per game. Across the PacWest, the scoring average ranks fourth in the conference while sitting third in goals (13) and fifth in shots. The Knights set single game-highs in both shots and shots on goal against William Jessup, as they fired 17 attempts with eight finding the target. A total of 18 Urban Knights have all taken at least one chance at the net, 15 of which put their shots on goal. 

EAGER EAGLES
The Eagles of Biola are unbeaten in their past four matches, going 2-0-2 over that span but most recently coming off a 6-0 thrashing to begin PacWest play against Fresno Pacific. BU boasts the best offense in the conference, leading the PacWest in goals for (17) and scoring average (2.13 goals per game) while taking the fourth-most shots with a total of 106 (53 on goal; 50.0 percent). Kristian Colaci is one of the most dangerous players in the conference, he leads both the Eagles and the PacWest in goals (eight), points (17) and shots (31). In just eight matches, goalkeeper JD Gunn has produced 33 saves while allowing just 12 goals, leading to a 1.50 goals against average. With only five matches in the all-time series between Biola and Academy of Art, the Eagles are unbeaten and lead the series 4-0-1. 

CLIMBING PAST THE COUGARS
A recent 1-0 shutout of Concordia helped Azusa Pacific open PacWest action on the right foot, as well as put an end to a five-match losing streak and six-game winless stretch, putting the Cougars in the top half of the PacWest table. It has been eight goals for but 15 goals allowed in the early going of the season, leading to a -0.76 scoring margin despite a total of 97 shots (10.8 per game) with 44 on goal (45.4 percent). Gregorie Diep holds the team lead in points with five thanks to a pair of goals and an assist, but nine different cougars have registered at least one point. Leo Marino is expected to start in goal, with a total of 33 saves on 110 shots faced leading to a 1.67 goals against average. Thanks to winning each of the previous five meetings, APU leads the all-time series over Academy of Art, 7-2-0.

OUTSHINING THE SUNBIRDS
Fresno Pacific has lost four consecutive matches after defeating Dominican back on Sept. 21, falling to trio of PacWest opponents before most recently dropping a match to UC Santa Cruz. Sporting the lowest scoring average in the conference, FPU has tied for the least amount of goals the season with four despite taking the sixth-most shots in the PacWest with 99 (38 on goal). Cesar Melgar's two goals are a team high, and also give him the high in points with four, leading the six Sunbirds players to have recorded a point this season. Time has been split between the pipes for FPU, but the team has combined to make 31 saves on 127 shots faced, leading to a 2.67 goals against average. Fresno Pacific has gotten the better of Academy of Art the previous to matchups, and lead the all-time series 11-1-0.

MEN'S SOCCER SCORES FIRST, BUT VULCANS STEAL MATCH LATE
Saturday's clash between Academy of Art men's soccer and UH Hilo was a back-and-forth battle that featured a pair of Urban Knights scoring the first goals of their careers, the second of which gave ART U a 2-1 lead heading into the final minutes. However, the Vulcans pulled off the late comeback with two goals in the final 11 minutes to steal a 3-2 Pacific West Conference victory. 

LOOKING AHEAD
Next week features only one contest, the final of a four-match homestand for Academy of Art as the Urban Knights host Bay Area rival Dominican on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 2:30 p.m.