Match #3
ART U Urban Knights (0-1-1) at Simpson Red Hawks (1-3-0)
Monday, Sept. 20, 2021 at 4 p.m.
Redding, Calif. – Simpson Soccer Field
Live Stats & Video

Match #4
ART U Urban Knights (0-1-1) at Holy Names Hawks (0-4-0)
Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 at 2 p.m.
Hayward, Calif. – Pioneer Stadium
Live Stats & Video

FLYING IS FOR THE BIRDS
Coming off of a scoreless tie and still searching for the first win of the season, Academy of Art women's soccer will tango with a pair of hawks in its final action before conference play, as ART U travels to face both the Simpson Red Hawks and Holy Names Hawks this week.

KICKOFF
Monday's action at Simpson kicks off at 4 p.m., while the Knights will battle PacWest foe Holy Names at 2 p.m. on Wednesday in non-conference play. 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
Standing out early in the season for the Knights is sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Peoples, who was honored last week by the PacWest as the Defender of the Week after making 13 saves over the course of the match. Peoples is just the third Urban Knight to receive the honor (second goalkeeper; first: Lara Pflicke, Sept. 9, 2019), and the 13 saves are tied for the second-most saves in a match in program history (most: 19, Rachael Rempe, 10/26/2012). On the campaign Peoples boasts a .920 save percentage with just a 0.90 goals against average, both of which are fourth-best in the PacWest, having made a total of 23 saves on 56 shots faced. While ART U is still searching for its first goal of the season, nine different Urban Knights have recorded a shot, with junior forward Baylie Christensen leading the way at four (one on goal). 

SHUTTING DOWN SIMPSON
Simpson enters the match at 1-3 early in the season, most recently coming off of a loss against William Jessup by a 4-1 final. Prior to the loss, the Red Hawks were able to shutout Menlo 5-0 for their first victory of the 2021 season, which came on the heels of a pair of losses to begin the campaign. Out of the eight goals that Simpson has scored, two belong to Haylee Ward, as she enters the match as the top Red Hawks scorer with four points. Meanwhile, Carolina Oropeza sits just behind with three points thanks to a goal and an assist in three matches, and a total of seven different Red Hawks have found the back of the net. Kiah Gridley has spent the most time in goal for Simpson, logging over 300 minutes with just over a 2.00 goals against average and a .765 save percentage. This will be the first ever matchup between Simpson and ART U.

BIRD WATCHING
These two conference opponents, Academy of Art and HNU, will get to meet in non-conference action, giving both the chance to scout their fellow PacWest NorCal pod member. Holy Names has lost four straight matches to begin the year, having been shut out in each of it's last two matches against Chico State (10-0) and Cal State Monterey Bay (8-0). Only one HNU goal has been scored this year, netted by Alyssa Acuna during a 2-1 overtime loss to San Francisco State. Between the pipes is Nyah Summers, posting a 4.66 goals against average with a .650 save percentage, having made 26 saves on 90 shots faced. The Knights lead the all-time series with the Hawks, 6-4-1, with ART U having won each of the past two battles. 

PEOPLES SHINES FOR KNIGHTS IN SCORELESS TIE WITH OTTERS
The Friday afternoon battle between Academy of Art women's soccer and Cal State Monterey Bay could not find a winner after two periods of overtime and 110 total minutes, ending in a 0-0 draw for both teams thanks to an outstanding effort in goal from ART U keeper Nicole Peoples who kept a clean sheet with 13 saves.

LOOKING AHEAD
The beginning of PacWest play is just ahead for the Knights, who will travel to Southern California to face the duo of Biola and Point Loma beginning on Sept. 30.