Box Score

Photo Gallery (images by Kier LaCrosse, Meg Williams, & Meghan Bushnell)

San Francisco, CA -- Academy of Art University men's soccer jumped out in front of Chaminade University early on Saturday afternoon and never looked back. After a quick score by sophomore midfielder Patrick Heinemann in the second minute, ART U would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the match, eventually earning a 3-0 Pacific West Conference victory at Boxer Stadium. Junior forward Grimur Grimsson and freshman forward Frederik Nagel, the Urban Knights' two leading scorers, each added goals in Academy of Art's 20-shot offensive barrage as well.

“It feels great to get that first conference victory,” Head Coach Daniel Rosaia said. “The guys are really working hard and training hard. They've been playing well so it's good to get that first one out of way and really focus on the season now.”

Heinemann had ART U's first shot of the afternoon in the opening minute, but it was saved by the CUH keeper. Moments later, however, the German midfielder put one into the back of the net. Off a pass from junior midfielder Brazer Bozlak, Heinemann found himself with an opportunity inside the penalty box and buried the shot to the near post. Academy of Art would assume a 1-0 victory not more than three full minutes into the match.

“We knew Chaminade was very good defensively with a strong goalkeeper, but we also knew it was their third game of the week,” Coach Rosaia said. “We pressed early and it happened to work out that we got an early first goal. Then we just went forward from there.”

As the Urban Knights held onto their lead, the ART U defense and junior goalkeeper Ian Sutherland made some significant plays to keep the Silverswords off the scoreboard. Sutherland had four saves in the first half and managed to limit CUH to only a single corner kick.

“Ian is a good goalkeeper who has matured well in his third year for us,” Coach Rosaia said. “He has been playing hard and he's a good leader for the team. Our defense is playing well right now because they are playing as a unit, communicating, and doing their jobs. I thought Tyler Radcliffe played a particularly good defensive game. We'd like to be better and get more shutouts as the year goes on.”

During a nine-shot opening period, one would have expected the Urban Knights to score again and they delivered. In the 34th minute, less than five minutes after subbing into the match, Nagel saw his chance when he collected a ball which had rebounded off a Chaminade defender after senior forward Andrew "Boomer" Cruz's shot. From close range, Nagel converted the opportunity and put ART U up 2-0. Academy of Art would keep that score through the halftime break.

Not to be outdone by his offensive counterparts, Grimsson added his third goal of the season in the 47th minute shortly after the second half began. A corner kick by sophomore forward Aron Ekberg found Grimsson at the top of the penalty box where he proceeded to head it home. The Knights maintained their advantage until the final horn was sounded and a 3-0 PacWest victory, their first of the year, was to be celebrated.

A trio of Academy of Art players netted the day's goals. Heinemann had his first goal of the season while Nagel and Grimsson each recorded their third. Bozlak and Ekberg added an assist apiece. ART U tied its second-most shot total ever for a single match with 20 attempts on Saturday. Earning his first victory and first shutout of the season was junior goalkeeper Ian Sutherland who finished with five saves in 90 minutes of action. The Urban Knights improve to 2-6 overall, 1-3 in the PacWest Conference.

“Anytime you get three guys to score, that's a good day,” Coach Rosaia said. “Three guys scored, another one of our strikers, Leonardo Bartelle, hit the post, and Boomer also had a shots that were narrowly blocked. The team is playing hard, offensive-minded soccer. I thought it was a very positive effort given today.”

Offensively, Chaminade attempted five shots on goal and it was Uriel Soto who led the squad with a pair. Kyle Whithoft, Nick Dudley, and Jose Carranza each posted one shot on frame apiece. Goalkeeper Jose Miguel Pena turned in a complete 90 minutes between the pipes with three saves and three goals allowed. Chaminade falls to 0-9-1 overall, 0-5 in PacWest play.

Academy of Art returns to the pitch on Thursday, Oct. 6 for a road match at Notre Dame de Namur. The teams are scheduled to kick off at 4:30 PM following the women's match.