MATCH #3
Cal State Monterey Bay (1-1) at Academy of Art (0-2)
Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015, at Noon PDT
San Bruno, Calif. — Skyline College
LIVE STATS
 
MATCH #4
Montana State Billings (1-0-1) at Academy of Art (0-2)
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015, at Noon PDT
San Francisco — CCSF
LIVE VIDEO/LIVE STATS
 
SAN FRANCISCO — An energized Academy of Art University women's soccer team plays its first home games of the year this week as the Urban Knights host two non-conference teams in the Bay Area.
 
Following a strong defensive effort at No. 20 Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday, ART U (0-2) will seek the comfort of its home pitch on Tuesday and Saturday. First, the California Collegiate Athletic Association's Cal State Monterey Bay (1-1) visits for the 2015 home opener at noon Tuesday at Skyline College in San Bruno, Calif. Saturday, Montana State Billings of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference comes to San Francisco for a noon kickoff at CCSF.
 
RECOVERY AND RESURGENCE
The Urban Knights dropped both of their first two matches last week in a season-opening road trip to Southern California. But the team also saw the debuts of seven newcomers while two returners made their first career starts in both games. The Knights went from giving up three goals Thursday at Cal State San Bernardino to nearly shutting out the 20th-ranked Broncos on their home turf Saturday.
 
SERIES FIRSTS HIGHLIGHT HOMESTAND
Two new experiences will be had between Academy of Art and both of its opponents this week. Though the Urban Knights have faced Cal State Monterey Bay twice in the past, Tuesday's game will be the first played in the San Francisco area with ART U as the home team. Saturday's game versus Montana State Billings is the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
 
TIP OF THE 'CAP'
Two returning Urban Knights earned their first career "caps" (starts) last week, appearing in the starting 11 in both games. Senior midfielder Esme Garner-Purkis and sophomore midfielder Laney Haviland both played their way into the starting lineup during the offseason and will help lead the seven newcomers who made their ART U debuts in the first week.
 
ABOUT CAL STATE MONTEREY BAY
The Otters (1-1) earned a split in their first two games of 2015, beating Pacific West Conference member Notre Dame de Namur 4-2 on the road Thursday, then falling to PacWest member Holy Names 2-1 at home Saturday. CSUMB is 5-4 against the PacWest since 2010, including a 3-1 win over ART U on Aug. 30, 2012.
 
Kristen Womack had five points (2 goals, 1 assist) in the Otters' season-opening victory over the Arognauts. Two different goalkeepers played the full 90 minutes in each of CSUMB's first two games, with Victoria Whyte earning the win in the opener while tallying two saves.
 
All-time Series: Cal State Monterey Bay leads 2-0.
Last Meeting: Aug. 30, 2012, Cal State Monterey Bay won 3-1 in Seaside, Calif.
 
ABOUT MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
The Yellowjackets (1-0-1) have gone unbeaten in their first two games with a win over future GNAC member Carroll (Mont.) College, 3-2 in overtime on Thursday, and a 0-0 tie at the University of Mary (N.D.) on Saturday. MSUB will play San Francisco State on Thursday before facing the Urban Knights.
 
Two goals have come from two different players in the early-goings for MSUB. Jessica Spang leads the team with three points (1 goal, 1 assist). Two goalkeepers have also manned the net for the full match in each of the first two games. Chloe Hopps played 99 minutes, 38 seconds, and made one save in the Yellowjackets' 3-2 overtime win versus Carroll College.
 
All-time Series: First Meeting
Last Meeting: N/A