SAN FRANCISCO – In their final home match of the 2016 season, Academy of Art women's soccer (1-14-1, 1-9-1 PacWest) looked to get back on track with a win against Hawaii Pacific (4-10-2, 4-6-1 PacWest) to begin the month of November. However, the Sharks were able to score two goals in the final minutes to take home a 2-0 win.
 
The first half featured a defensive struggle between the two universities as ART U managed four shots and HPU got off eight. Junior goalkeeper Maggie Alikpala-Wilson held steady in front of the net, collecting five saves in the period. Redshirt senior midfielder Natalie Gabriel began what would become an impressive match for the Fine Art major with three shots (one on goal) in the opening 45 minutes.
 
The Urban Knights came back from halftime, firing on all cylinders: the team held possession of the ball for nearly five minutes to begin the period before the Sharks were able to take possession. ART U still continued to dominate the ball for the second half's opening 20 minutes, amassing five shots and three corner kicks while holding HPU to just two shots. However, the tides turned in the 73rd-minute when the Sharks broke through the deadlock. Hawaii Pacific's Sky Nanoo was credited with the team's first goal and made way for another score less than eight minutes later when Noelle Cabbabb extended their lead to 2-0. In the final ten minutes, Hawaii Pacific continued to apply the pressure, taking five more shots which did not allow the Urban Knights to put together an attack of their own.
 
Overall, Gabriel totaled six shots in the contest, matching her career-high which she last achieved on September 17, 2014 against Cal State East Bay. Senior defender Laura Mick contributed two shots while Alikpala-Wilson collected seven saves which matched her season-high (two other times this year).
 
ART U will now head to Southern California for their final road trip of the season. There, they will take on California Baptist and Concordia.