Box Score

Photo Gallery (images by Austin McKeon & Kier LaCrosse)

San Francisco, CA -- A dramatic game-tying goal by freshman forward Frederik Nagel gave the Academy of Art University men's soccer team momentum for an upset over Hawaii Pacific, but the Sea Warriors were able to capture a 3-1 victory Tuesday afternoon at Boxer Stadium. Up against an HPU team recently ranked #5 in the West Region by the NSCAA, the Urban Knights held their own and took a 1-1 tie late into the match before Hawaii Pacific converted two free kicks for the winning margin.

“The theme today was positive teamwork,” Head Coach Daniel Rosaia said. “I thought the guys really came out and played as a unit. We had better play in the first half despite giving up that early goal. HPU is a very strong team, but I thought we hung in there against them. The score really didn't reflect how this match went. It was significant for us to tie it at 1-1, but they just kept coming at us. I thought today's match was very important for us to turn the corner as a team though.”

The first half began quietly with neither team attempting a shot until the 9th minute. The scoring opportunities picked up midway through the period as the teams traded shots with junior goalkeeper Ian Sutherland saving a pair of headers. Nearing the end of the 31st minute, sophomore forward Aron Ekberg was set up nicely by his teammates. Nagel crossed the ball into the box where freshman forward Jonmundur Gretarsson headed it to Ekberg, but the shot sailed high.

Gretarsson himself then had a chance in the 40th minute where he was essentially one-on-one in the box and gently headed the ball over the Hawaii Pacific goalkeeper only to have it come down just a little too early, bouncing off out the crossbar. For the excellent opportunities ART U created, it was HPU's Chance Bukoski, the PacWest scoring leader entering Tuesday's match, who netted the first goal. Off a long goal kick by Mael Lefebvre, Bukoski found himself in a breakaway situation and lobbed the bouncing ball over Sutherland into the net.

Although the Sea Warriors confidently held a 1-0 advantage at halftime, the lead did not last. Less than two minutes into the second period, Nagel capitalized on a casual defensive pass by HPU, intercepted the ball, and converted the goal to tie the match 1-1. Nagel's score in the 46th minute was his second goal of the season.

“At halftime, we talked about capitalizing on a mistake and getting something in our favor so when that happened shortly into the second period, it really changed the game,” Coach Rosaia said. “The guys were focused in on the job at hand today and I thought we pressured well after that. In the end, [Hawaii Pacific] was just a little bit better than we were.”

It became a particularly physical contest from that point on with 14 fouls called in the 30 minutes which followed. A Sea Warriors free kick from about 26 yards out in the 76th minute ended up breaking the tie as Heimana Chene headed the crossed ball into the back of the net. Chene would strike again in the 86th minute with another header goal to give HPU its eventual 3-1 victory.

Nagel had an immediate impact after entering Tuesday's match. In the first half, he attempted a shot less than 10 minutes after substituting in and then his goal in the second period came a mere minute in. Sophomore captain Andrew Durano served up several key passes from the midfield and at one point recorded a shot on goal as well. Senior midfielder Richard Martin also attempted a shot on frame while the defense led by senior Vilmundur Sveinsson was solid again, particularly during the 30 minutes of a tie score. In his return to goalkeeping after an injury in the season's first match, Sutherland posted three saves in a complete 90 minutes of action. Following the result, the Knights' record stands at 1-5 overall, 0-2 in the PacWest.

“I thought Dalton Gullo played really well at left back for us and you saw why I always pump up Vimmi because he really played well back there,” Coach Rosaia said. “And it was good to have Ian back. It's nice to have a strong backup in [Jacob Baumann], but we were glad to have Ian back because he's a good field general for us.”

Coming off the bench with two goals in three shots on frame, Chene led the way for HPU. Bukoski had the match's first goal and finished with five shots total. Adding assists were Lefevbre, Sam Carmichael, and Truls Lystad. Lefevbre had two saves and one goal allowed in 90 minutes on the field. Hawaii Pacific improves to 5-1 overall, 3-0 in PacWest play.

Men's soccer heads out on the road again with a trip to St. George, UT this Friday, Sept. 23 where the Knights will face Dixie State. That match is scheduled for 7:00 PM MDT (6:00 PM PDT) following the women's contest at Hansen Stadium.