BURNABY, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Academy of Art women's soccer (0-1-0) traveled across the Canadian border to meet their opponent on Friday, but fell 2-0 to Simon Fraser (1-0-0) when both sides fought to find the back of the net.
 
In the first half, the Urban Knights struggled get a read on the Clan's defense, only taking one shot off the foot of senior defender Laura Mick. ART U's backline stole the show in the opening period however, fending off 15 shots while sophomore goalkeeper Morgan Wirz totaled eight saves. Academy of Art's efforts on defense kept the score knotted at zero going into halftime.
 
In the second half, Simon Fraser continued to apply the pressure, taking 12 shots (five on goal). They were finally able to break ART U's defense with two goals from Emma Pringle in the 51st and 58th minutes. Wirz collected another save however, bringing her total for the game up to nine which tied her career-high. The graphic design major previously matched Friday's total on September 26, 2015 when she tallied nine saves while posting a shutout against Hawaii Pacific. With her performance, Wirz takes an early lead amongst PacWest goalkeepers in saves and average saves per game.
 
"Morgan was fantastic," said head coach Katie Awerkamp. "Our back line had a lot to deal with today, but I was happy with their ability to stay organized against a team that is very dynamic up top."
 
The Urban Knights will remain in the Pacific Northwest this weekend as they will travel to Western Washington to take on the Vikings on Sunday, September 4 at 1:00 p.m.