PacWest Release
Phoenix, AZ -- Academy of Art University men's soccer made its presence known on the latest Pacific West Conference Weekly Top 10 Honor Roll with four Urban Knights selected following a seven-goal week. Led by two goals (including one game-winner) from senior forward
Andrew "Boomer" Cruz, ART U also had sophomore forward
Leonardo Bartelle, sophomore midfielder
Patrick Heinemann, and freshman defender
Phillip Durner all recognized after each player posted a minimum of four points this past week. The honors were announced by the PacWest Media Office in Phoenix, AZ on Monday, Oct. 31 for games played Oct. 24-30.
Cruz's second goal of the season came at a critical time in the Urban Knights' match against BYU-Hawaii last Wednesday, Oct. 26. Continuing a resurgent ART U comeback, the senior forward nailed a penalty kick in the 42nd minute to force a 2-2 tie shortly before halftime. After the Seasiders scored two early goals, Cruz and Academy of Art hung tough and made it anyone's game after he scored on the penalty kick.
One more match during the week, at Pacific Union on Oct. 28, saw Cruz making another major contribution. He connected with the first Knights goal which would end up being the game-winner in a 4-0 victory. The Pleasanton, CA native now ranks fifth on the team with three goals scored and has made solid contributions all season long, starting 14 of the team's 15 matches.
Bartelle enjoyed one of his best games as an Urban Knight this past Friday at Pacific Union. The sophomore forward was involved in nearly every ART U conversion with one goal scored and then a pair of assists. Bartelle netted Academy of Art's second goal of the day in the 34th minute of that match and then served as the setup man for Heinemann's goal moments later. The Caxias do Sul, Brazil native would cap off the afternoon with another assist to Durner in the second half.
In just his first season with ART U, Bartelle has not only become the second ranked Urban Knight in terms of points (10), but he also moved up to sixth in that category in the Academy of Art record books for a single season. Bartelle has four goals and two assists to his name thus far.
Climbing ever closer to the single-season points record, Heinemann scored two goals and added an assist in ART U's contests this past week. First, against BYU-Hawaii, the sophomore midfielder converted the Knights' first goal of the match off an assist from freshman forward
Frederik Nagel in the 13th minute to cut into a Seasider advantage that would not last. Heinemann then did a little bit of everything against PUC with an assist of Bartelle's goal in the 34th minute as well as a goal of his own in the 36th minute.
Heinemann, who now has five goals and five assists this season, needs just two more points to tie Cruz's points record (17) set last year. He is also two assists back of
Andrew Durano in the category of assists for a single season. The German midfielder leads Academy of Art in both categories.
Durner connected on his first goal of the season against BYU-Hawaii to help ART U have a fighting chance late in the match. His score in the 52nd minute, which came off an assist from sophomore forward
Aron Ekberg, effectively tied the the game 3-3. The Germering, Germany native would strike again against the Pioneers two days later with another goal in the 59th minute of that match to continue the Knights' rout of Pacific Union.
Those two goals make Durner one of eight ART U players to have scored a goal this year, but the freshman defender has really made his attempts count with an .800 shot on goal percentage.
Cruz and Durner both pick up their first PacWest Weekly honor of their respective careers. As repeat winners from last week, Heinemann and Bartelle each have their second PacWest Weekly Top 10 honor of 2011. Two selections have now come for Bartelle in his career and three for Heinemann.
