Match #9
ART U Urban Knights (2-4-2,1-3-0 PacWest) vs. FPU Sunbirds (0-9-0, 0-4-0 PacWest)
Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021 at noon
San Francisco – CCSF Soccer Field
Live Stats & Video

Match #10
ART U Urban Knights (2-4-2,1-3-0 PacWest) vs. UCSC Banana Slugs (4-7-2, 2-1-0 C2C)
Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021 at 4 p.m.
Santa Cruz, Calif. – Lower East Field
Live Stats

HOME, BUT NOT FOR LONG
Fresh off of a 3-0 Pacific Conference win over Holy Names in which ART U scored the fastest goal in program history 51 seconds into the match, Academy of Art women's soccer looks to turn it's victory into a winning streak when the Knights conclude their three-match homestand against Fresno Pacific on Saturday before a quick non-conference road match against UC Santa Cruz on Tuesday.

KICKOFF
Saturday's PacWest match against the Sunbirds will be an afternoon matinee beginning at noon, while Tuesday's showdown against the Banana Slugs will commence at 4 p.m. 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
Scoring the historic goal for the Urban Knights was junior midfielder Reyna Valencia, who had a hand in all three goals scored during the shutout win over the Hawks, as she also chipped in two assists (the 14th two-assist match in program history). Already entering that game as the team's leading scorer, Valencia now owns team best marks in goals (two), assists (two), and points (six), and is just one point and assist off of her career high that she set in 2018 as a freshman (seven points, three goals). Scoring the first goal of her season was senior forward Brooklyn Morera, as she scored her fifth goal in her last three matches against HNU dating back to last season, as she now leads the team both in shots (15) and shots on goal (seven; tied with freshman midfielder Zineb Ighirri). Tallying the first goal of her ART U career was graduate student midfielder Melissa Wilson, while junior defender Avica Robings and sophomore forward Brooklyn Villapadua each snagged their first assist of the campaign.

Standing out in goal has been sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Peoples, as the two-time PacWest Defender of the Week had a streak of 36 consecutive saves without allowing a goal, spanning a total of 354 minutes of game action. Though that streak has since ended, Peoples is still among the best goalkeepers in the PacWest, as she leads the conference in total saves (57), save percentage (.891), and saves per game (7.13). With a 2-4-2 record, Peoples has a low 0.891 goals against average with 3.1 shutouts, with the shutouts tied for the second most in a single season and third most in program history.

SUNDOWN FOR THE SUNBIRDS
Winless thus far into the season is Fresno Pacific, entering the matchup with ART U at a record of 0-9-2, including having lost their first four matches of PacWest action. The losses have been close, with a pair of one-goal losses to Dominican (1-0) and UH Hilo (3-2), while also being shutout by Point Loma (2-0) before most recently dropping a 4-2 decision to Biola. As a unit the Sunbirds average just 8.8 shots per match, despite allowing opposing teams to average 17.6 per game, and have put just over 40.5 percent of their total shots on goal (32-of-79). While Madilyn Hernandez enters as the top goal scorer for FPU with two, Tori De Leon leads the squad in points with four (one goal, two assists), while also leading the team in shots (13) and shots on goal (6). Expected to earn the start in goal for Fresno Pacific is Birgitta Eggertsdottir, as she has made 46 saves on 139 shots faced for a .687 save percentage with a 2.70 goals against average. Leading the all-time series is FPU, 9-1-1. 

SALT ON THE BANANA SLUGS
While UCSC is just 4-7-2 through this point of the season, but they are 2-1-0 in Coast-To-Coast conference action thanks to a pair of shutout wins over Mills College. The recent stretch has been kind to the Banana Slugs with a 2-0-1 mark in the last four matches, including a 3-0 shutout of PacWest member Holy Names on Sept. 29 before playing to a 2-2 draw with Dominican on Oct. 5. Leading the team in goals is Payton Cichowski with six for a team-high 12 points, while Amanda Scott trails just behind her with seven points thanks to a team-high three assists. Expected to start in goal is Alyssa Diaz-Tucker, who owns a .647 save percentage (33 saves on 112 shots faced) with a 1.67 goals against average. This will mark the fourth meeting beween the Knights and Banana Slugs, with UCSC having won each of the first three showdowns. 

EARLY GOALS POWER KNIGHTS TO FIRST PACWEST VICTORY
Academy of Art women's soccer struck for the fastest goal scored in program history and didn't look back on Sunday, burying the game-winning goal in the very first minute of the match en route to a 3-0 win over Holy Names for ART U's first Pacific West Conference victory of the season. 

LOOKING AHEAD
It will be a return to the road and to PacWest play for the Knights after Tuesday's match, as ART U heads to Southern California to face off against secone place Concorida and Azusa Pacific beginning on Oct. 23.