After a 2014 season where the overall record did not reflect the effort given on the pitch, Academy of Art Men's Soccer looked for a successful 2015 to demonstrate their dominance in the PacWest.
 
The beginning of the season proved to be the most grueling in program history as it was the first time that three of the first four games were decided in overtime. The Urban Knights were up to the test however, posting a 2-1-1 record during that time.
 
The final game of this stretch featured a showdown with SF State on September 12, at Kezar Stadium. The game was scoreless for the first 97 minutes, stretching into overtime. With 2:02 left in the first overtime, senior midfielder Kristof Urbanyi was granted a penalty kick which sailed past SF State goalkeeper Emmanuel Jimenez to give the Urban Knights a 1-0 victory. This was a significant victory for ART U as during their first year of NCAA eligibility in 2012, the Urban Knights defeated SF State in a similar fashion, scoring the winning goal in the 89^th minute.
 
Head coach Mike Keller further elaborated on the importance of this victory, stating that "this was a big moment for the program. Hosting the tournament is a source of pride for the guys and it's always great to get a win against a really good opponent." 
 
Following the Kezar Classic, the Urban Knights headed to Hawaii for a four-game road trip. After falling to Hawaii Pacific on a slippery field drenched by rainstorms, ART U put together a string of three wins, defeating BYU-Hawaii, Chaminade, and University of Hawaii at Hilo each by a score of 2-1. By the end of the trip, the Urban Knights had accumulated a 5-2-1 record, the program's best start in its four-year history.
 
Sophomore forward Alex Walsh netted a team-high two goals on the trip. Senior midfielders Kristof Urbanyi and Malcolm McLellan had quality looks at the net during their four games, having five and four shots on goal respectively and each contributed a goal as well.
 
"For me, grinding out 3 results on a tough trip showed a lot of desire from the guys and the type of consistency we are capable of," Keller said of their Hawaiian tour.
 
Over the next three weeks, ART U faced a tough schedule, posting an 0-4-1 record, bring their record down to 5-6-2.
 
The Urban Knights were able to turn their fortunes around for the last month of the season however, winning three of their last five games. This streak began with a dominant 3-0 win over Azusa Pacific where freshman goalkeeper Kevin Mendez tallied eight saves.
 
Their next win came in a curious fashion. At Dominican University of California on Halloween, the Urban Knights trailed in the 88th minute when an ART U corner kick rattled around in the box until a Penguin defender knocked it into their own goal. The tied match then moved into overtime where each team played with a sense of renewed energy. For 9:55 both sides shared the possession evenly and each had a shot on goal. But with five seconds left on the clock, Dominican University had a moment of déjà vu and scored on themselves yet again, giving the Academy of Art a 2-1 victory.
 
ART U also prevailed 2-0 on senior day against Cal Baptist where both Urbanyi and junior midfielder Justin Erhunmwunsee each contributed a goal. The Lancers put a lot of pressure of Mendez, but he was up to the task, amassing 11 saves and zero goals allowed.
 
The Urban Knights finished the season 8-8-2 (.500) which ranks as the second-highest winning percentage in program history (.600 in 2013). The team also compiled the second-most saves in the conference (5.89 per game). This was mostly due to Mendez ranking second in conference in saves per game (5.83), third with five shutouts, and sixth in save percentage (.795).
 
Throughout the season, ART U's seniors had a major impact on the team's successes.
 
"The seniors have really been great players during my 3 years," Keller stated. "Their presence alone will be a hard void to fill, but we have a lot of guys eager to play bigger roles and who are hungry for the opportunity."
 
Two of the team's seven seniors were named to the 2015 All-PacWest Conference Team: Urbanyi and defender Lennart Fleschhut.
 
Urbanyi had an impressive final season, leading the conference in total shots (69), averaging 3.83 per game. The captain and four-year veteran also led the team in multiple categories: points (14), goals (6), shots (69), shots on goal (37), and game-winning goals (3). His goal on senior day gave awarded him a number of school records including: most points (37) a tie for the most game-winning goals (7), and the second-most all-time goals (15). This year marks the second time that Urbanyi has been named to the All-PacWest Conference Team (2014).
 
Fleschhut also captained the 2015 men's soccer squad, was one of only three players to start all 18 games, and now holds a few program records of his own: in his career, the German played 6,017 minutes (first place), started 66 games (first place), and his 68 total games played is tied for first with alumni Andrew Durano and Richard Luna.
 
"I think the team is really evolving.  We went through some great times and some tough times this season and found out more about ourselves," Keller said, reflecting on the season. "Our identity can really start to take a good shape when going through this.  Wanting to prove yourself as a top team is always really exciting."