With the world still abuzz about the summer’s World Cup, Academy of Art University men’s soccer has its sights set on a championship as well: a Pacific West Conference championship. The Urban Knights were 4-15-1 overall last season, but seven conference losses by one goal could have made that record drastically different. Academy of Art University returns 12 players from 2009 with a mixture of new talent that third-year Head Coach Daniel Rosaia believes will give the Knights that extra push in 2010.
“Our theme for the year is loyalty and trust,” Coach Rosaia said. “The guys are working hard on cementing the last few blocks of the foundation that will carry this program to the top.”
Last season, ART U would have been contending for the PacWest title had it not been for numerous close defeats. The Knights opened up conference play on Sept. 19 with a 3-2 overtime loss to Notre Dame de Namur, the 2008 PacWest champions, where a late penalty kick was the difference. Then, facing the team that would stand atop the PacWest standings by the season’s end, Academy of Art University fell in heartbreaking fashion, 2-1, to Grand Canyon in overtime.
The Urban Knights were triumphant two days later when they shutout Dixie State for a 3-0 victory, their first in the PacWest. From there, ART U suffered three more one-goal defeats including another 3-2 overtime result at BYU-Hawaii in late October. When the Academy faces these conference teams again this season, Coach Rosaia is confident in the team’s ability to hang tough.
“We had a lot of heartbreaking losses last season,” Coach Rosaia said. “The guys are working hard to change those one-goal loses into wins this season. We have added talent and heart to this team and I expect them to pull the tough games out this year.”
The 2010 Academy of Art University squad features three seniors who make contributions that don’t always appear in the stat sheet. Midfielder/defender Kyle Mannschreck had one goal and one assist in his first season with the Knights in 2009 and Coach Rosaia cites his ability to lead as particularly valuable to the team.
Anchoring the defense last year was
Josh Garn who played in 18 of the 20 matches with a toughness not always seen in many soccer athletes.
Garn, who goes by the nickname “Tank,” became a regular starter by the middle of the season and finished with 13 matches started by the end.
“Kyle and Josh are our seniors and will bring good leadership to the team,” Coach Rosaia said. “I hope we can give them a season to remember.”
The third and final senior, midfielder Juan Zurita, has been with the Urban Knights squad since its inception in 2008. The 2009 campaign may have been a seemingly quiet one statistically for the Pasadena, CA native, but the 6-2 Zurita brings an athletic prowess that Academy of Art University will need this season. Fans may also remember that Zurita scored the first game-winning goal in Knights program history back in 2008.
“Juan has looked very good in preseason,” Coach Rosaia said. “He showed up in shape and has that look in his eyes.”
In addition to
Mannschreck,
Garn, and
Zurita, nine other athletes will return to don the Urban Knight red and black this season.
Richard Luna,
Vilmundur Sveinsson,
Brazer Bozlak,
Richard Martin,
Elijah Craig,
Miquel Amezquita, and
Max Delegeane all continue as field players while
Ian Sutherland and
Daniel Waller will man Academy of Art University’s goal.
New additions Brett Force (Portland, OR/Westview) and Gustav Hedberg (Stockholm, Sweden/ Värmdö Gymnasium) will look to make their mark as part of a stronger Urban Knight defense. Force transfers to the Academy from Notre Dame de Namur and was a two-sport athlete (soccer, baseball) in high school where he earned First Team All-League in soccer. Hedberg garnered a variety of honors playing in Stockholm, Sweden including team captain in 2008 and Junior-Allsvenskan with his club team, Enskede IK.
“Gustav Hedberg has been everything we had hoped he would be; smooth with the ball and a tenacious defender,” Coach Rosaia said. “Brett Force will be a leader on and off the field for the team, I expect him to really put his mark on our young program. All the recruits look ready to produce right away.”
Andrew “Boomer” Cruz and Andrew Durano are two other newcomers Coach Rosaia finds himself talking about quite often. He will be looking for them to draw upon their experience and show what skills they have.
“Boomer is a dynamic forward who is going to be a scoring threat throughout the season,” Coach Rosaia said. “Durano brings a great work ethic (as do all our boys this year) and brings a ‘never say die’ attitude to the squad. Both will be impact players this season.”
The 2010 campaign kicks off on Sept. 2 with three non-conference matches against William Jessup, Bethany, and Menlo College. Those three teams composed the middle of the California Pacific Conference rankings last season. Then on Sept. 16, the Urban Knights open up PacWest play with their home opener versus Dixie State.
From there, Academy of Art University men’s soccer plays two more home matches before traveling to Hawaii for a five-match roadtrip (Sept. 25-Oct. 3), the longest in the program’s history.
“Our Hawaii trip will prove to be the test of our season,” Coach Rosaia said. “Playing five games in 10 days on the islands is no easy task. The trip is early in the season and will set the tone for the rest of the year.”
ART U returns to the Bay Area in early October for four home pairings including a non-conference meeting with La Sierra on Oct. 16. During that span, Academy of Art University plays both Notre Dame de Namur and Grand Canyon, two teams with double-digit wins in 2009. The Knights remain local through the remainder of the season with their finale coming on Nov. 6 against Dixie State at Boxer Stadium.