Photo Gallery (images by Kier LaCrosse, Austin McKeon, & Jessica Rankin)

San Francisco, CA -- The Urban Knights rivalry with the Notre Dame de Namur stepped it up a notch on Saturday, with a back-and-forth battle at Boxer Field that ended in a 3-2 win for the Argos (3-6-2, 1-1-2 PWC).  It was a rough match out on the pitch, with hard fouls on both sides of the ball dictating the tempo of the game.

There was only one card given, a yellow on the NDNU in the 26th minute, but there was ample opportunity for the referees to call more, as both teams were jockeying hard for position. The Argos jumped out to an early lead, scoring in the 12th minute on a ball that snuck behind the Urban Knights defender right to Sarah Biser, who put it in the back of the net.

The Knights (3-6-1, 1-4-1 PWC) equalized two minutes later, as senior Megan Bucci found Margret Thorolfsdottir off a loose ball in the box for her sixth goal this season. It was a historical day for Academy of Art, with Thorolfsdottir tying the single-season points record after her goal in the 13th minute, putting her at 12 points on the year, locking her with fellow sophomore Hannah Emmett's 12-point mark a year ago. Bucci added a point for her assist on Magga's goal, and trails her teammate with 10 points so far in 2011.

It seemed like both teams were in a groove early, as three minutes later, another through-ball knifed through the defense and NDNU's Jessica Santos scored her third goal of the year. In the 22nd minute, the Argos struck again, as a shot by Shannon Byrne ricocheted off the left post but went straight to Biser for her second goal of the day and fifth of the year. The Knights were down 3-1 at the half but seemed inspired after their tie against NDNU on Thursday and the ensuing 2-1 thriller by the men's team.

After the break, the Knights had a chance right off the bat, with a shot by Erica Wheeler-Dubin missing just over the crossbar in the 50th minute. A minute later, Louise Fillingham attacked the goal, but her shot was turned away by the defense. The third time was the charm, however, and Wheeler-Durbin didn't miss for her second goal of the year, dribbling unassisted from the left side into the box and shooting it in from six yards out.

There was more drama for these two teams later in the match, as the Urban Knights had a great chance to equalize in the 69th minute. Karissa Seaberry, the 6'0 freshman from Vacaville, CA, was clearly the tallest player on the pitch, and lined up to take the corner kick from Haily MacDonald. Seaberry got up above the rest of the players, and seemed to head the ball over the line before the Argos defender pushed it out. 

The Knights and Argonauts continue to be almost mirror images of each other. Shots (13-12, NDNU), blocked shots (3-2, NDNU), saves (2-1, ART U), fouls (11-11), and corner kicks (4-4) were either even or close to it. The two schools have developed an extremely competitive history, with the last four matches ending either in a tie or in a one-goal advantage.

The names of Bucci and Thorolfsdottir have been mentioned in the same sentence quite frequently this year, especially in the recent offensive outburst by the Urban Knights. The tandem has hooked up four times this year, and there have been plenty more near-misses on a play that seems to happen often, when Bucci streaks past the defender down the left sideline and finds Magga in the middle of the field for the shot.

The Knights will have a couple off before taking on Dominican Univerisity next Saturday. Academy of Art defeated the Lady Penguins 1-0 earlier this year in a rare non-conference matchup between the two teams.