Match #13
ART U Urban Knights (0-11-1) vs. FPU Sunbirds (5-6-0)
Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021 at 6 p.m.
Fresno, Calif. – Ramirez Field
Live Stats | Live Video

Match #14
ART U Urban Knights (0-11-1, 0-7-0 PacWest) vs. HPU Sharks (8-2-0, 4-1-1 PacWest)
Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021 at 2:30 p.m.
San Francisco – CCSF Soccer Field
Live Stats & Video

HOME AND AWAY
Academy of Art men's soccer concludes its road trip when it stops in Fresno, Calif. for a quick non-conference match against Northern California foe Fresno Pacific before resuming PacWest play in San Francisco against Hawaii Pacific. 

KICKOFF
Thursday's showdown with the Sunbirds will commence just before sunset at 6 p.m., while the weekend's rumble with the Sharks starts at 2:30 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
Senior forward Adrian Cekala's goal during ART U's match with UH Hilo was one for the record books, as he became ART U's all-time leading scorer with his 17th goal, breaking him out of a tie with Grimur Grimsson (16). It was also the 39th point in Cekala's career, giving him the all-time ART U record after passing Kristof Urbanyi (37). Now a couple of weeks removed from that match, Cekala remains the top scorer for the Urban Knights this year, leading the squad in goals (4), assists (1) and points (9). The most recent goal for Cekala was his third penalty kick conversion of the campaign, as he has now scored on each of his last five attempts dating back to last season, tying him for the most penalty kick goals in program history (5-for-6 in his career; most attempts in program history). 

A pair of Urban Knights scored their first goals of the season in the past two matches including sophomore midfielder Gilly Miller, who has his first three points of the season in his last two matches. He earned his first tally just before half during ART U's battle with Concordia when he curled a shot into the net off a quick free kick setup from sophomore midfielder Christian Schaffner, and followed that up by earning the helper on junior midfielder Gilli Kristjansson's first goal of the season in the 56th minute against Azusa Pacific. 

Chipping in a pair of points with a goal each are the trio of junior forward Fannar Omarsson, freshman forward Ping Yao, and sophomore midfielder Kendryx Soriano, started by Omarsson who struck for the first goal of the Urban Knights season just seven minutes into the season opener with a helping assist from Cekala. Recently in ART U's rematch against Holy Names, the freshman Yao snatched his first career goal in his fourth match with the Knights, and that spirit spread to Soriano when he notched his first career score in the 67th minute against FPU after a nice assist from junior midfielder Breki Einarsson. 

Both Cekala and Miller are tied for the team lead in shots with 29 apiece, though Cekala holds the edge in shots on goal with 15, the fifth-most in the PacWest. While Miller has hit the frame of the goal on numerous occasions, he still is tied for the ninth-most shots per match in the PacWest (along with Cekala), and is tied for eighth in the conference with 12 shots on goal.

Platooning in goal for Academy of Art is the combination of junior goalkeeper Davis King and freshman goalkeeper Omer Tal, with King earning seven starts while Tal has started in five. Thus far, King has produced 24 saves on 114 shots faced (.533 save percentage) with a 3.10 goals against average, while Tal has stopped 26 chances on 90 shots faced (.684 save percentage) with a 2.30 goals against average. Earlier this season, Tal posted the ninth-most saves in a single match in ART U history with nine in his first collegiate start against HNU on Sept. 22, ultimately being named the PacWest Defender of the Week on Sept. 27.

SLOWING DOWN THE SUNBIRDS
Winners in three of their last four contests, Fresno Pacific sits just a game below .500 on the season at 5-6-0, though they are level in conference play. While the next meeting will not count towards the PacWest standings, the Knights will still be looking for revenge for the last meeting between the two teams, a 3-1 FPU victory on Oct. 16. Most recently, FPU was able to shutout Holy Names by a 2-0 final, which was a return to the win column after being handed a 2-1 defeat in regulation by Dominican. Sitting in the middle of the PacWest table for nearly all categories, the Sunbirds have generated 15.6 shots per match that lead to an average of 1.45 goals per game, but they put only 39 percent (67-for-162) of their looks on goal. Leading the way with 13 points is Fellipe Souza, burying a team-high five goals, a mark that is also tied for third in the PacWest. Marley Edwards and his four assists have helped him total eight points, the second most on FPU, while Souza and Gabriel Monteiro have three helpers each. Three goalkeepers have platooned in net for FPU, combining for a .729 save percentage and a 1.69 goals against average with a total of three shutouts. Fresno Pacific holds the edge in the all-time series, 11-1-0. 

SWIMMING WITH THE SHARKS
Just as they begin their swing through Northern California, Hawaii Pacific enters the road trip at 4-5-2 while also 2-1-2 in PacWest play, and will have the chance to play both the Penguins and the Hawks prior to doing battle with the Knights. Over the course of their last four matches, HPU has gone 2-1-1, most recently grabbing a 2-1 win over PacWest member Point Loma at home in Hawaii. The Sharks have generated just 11.3 shots per match that lead to 0.93 goals per game, leading to their standing toward the bottom of the PacWest table, though they do have the fourth-most saves (45) and fourth-best save percentage (.735) in the conference. Three players have five points or more, led by the seven points from Gerrit Arzberger thanks to a pair of goals and three assists, while the combination of Sebastian Navarro and Reece Montgomery have a two goals apiece. Primarily starting in goal has been Jeremy Zielinski, posting a 5-3-2 record with 49 total saves, .803 save percentage and a 1.19 goals against average. Hawaii Pacific leads ART U in the all-time series matchup, 11-1-0. 

NO. 23 APU PULLS AWAY LATE FROM ART U
In for a tough battle against the No. 23 team in the nation on Monday, Academy of Art men's soccer briefly drew level with Azusa Pacific during the second half, but APU would regain the lead minutes later as they would ultimately clinch a Pacific West Conference victory by a 4-1 final.

LOOKING AHEAD
The only match of next week will be the final home contest of 2021, as the Urban Knights will honor their seniors before battling against Chaminade on Nov. 4 at 1 p.m.