Box Score

Senior Day Ceremony Photo Gallery (images by Kier LaCrosse)

San Francisco, CA -- Sunday was a memorable day not just for six Academy of Art men's soccer seniors, but for junior forward Grimur Grimsson as well. Grimsson became the third Urban Knight in program history to score three goals in a game, giving ART U its 3-0 victory over Hawaii-Hilo in the season finale at Boxer Stadium. The 2011 Urban Knight senior class of Andrew "Boomer" Cruz, Juan Zurita, Richard Martin, Richard Luna, Daniel Waller, and Vilmundur Sveinsson was honored prior to kickoff and all had the opportunity to play in the final game of their respective careers.

“Today the guys played within themselves and really focused on the game. All of our seniors played really well,” head coach Daniel Rosaia said. “It was a pretty even game and then we just got the breaks and scored the goals.”

The teams battled through a scoreless first period, trading two attempts apiece on goal. Sveinsson led several attacks by Academy of Art in the early going including a header attempt in the 13th minute that went just wide. Sophomore forward Aron Ekberg ended up offering the first shot on goal for ART U in the 21st minute, but UHH goalkeeper Paul Elias made the save.

In the second half, Grimsson came alive during an incredible 13-minute span where he scored all three of his goals. The first came in the 52nd minute when sophomore forward Leonardo Bartelle crossed a ball from the right corner of the box, Cruz dummied it to set up Grimsson who scored from 18 yards. Just over a minute later, Grimsson surprised the Vulcan defense with his chip shot from 35 yards out after a long ball by junior goalkeeper Ian Sutherland and a quick header from Cruz created the chance.

Finally, Grimsson completed his hat trick with a goal in the 65th minute off another assist from Bartelle. This time, the junior forward took Bartelle's pass played into the box and slotted it to the near post on one touch. Sutherland was tested with five Vulcan shots on goal in the last 25 minutes, but he was able to save each and every one, preserving the 3-0 shutout victory for Academy of Art.

The ART U offense came from Grimsson with help from his friends on Sunday. The hat trick ties him for the second-most in Academy of Art history for a single match. Bartelle and Cruz each assisted two of those goals in the season finale, tying them both for the second-most in that category. Sutherland earned the first assist of his career on one of the scores and he was defensively sound as well. The junior goalkeeper's eight saves Sunday afternoon tie the second-most in his career and the shutout he earned along with the Knights' defense was the third this season.

“Ian had a great game and our two center backs played well,” Coach Rosaia said. “The future is bright for us. We had two freshmen and a sophomore on the back line today and they picked up the shutout so that's good. It was just a good team effort and big thanks to our assistant coaches Kier LaCrosse and Colin Preston for all their hard work this year.”

The match also served as a nice sendoff for the ART U seniors as all of them started, spent time on the pitch, and several attempted shots throughout the contest. Sveinsson led the charge up front, Cruz contributed the aforementioned assists, Luna and Zurita kept the Knights in control in the midfield, Waller was as versatile as ever, and Martin even had a chance to play in his final game despite an injury.

“It was nice to be able to get all of the senior guys in today,” Coach Rosaia said. “Obviously you want to see them win one last time and they all played hard. They gave a little extra out there and provided leadership. I thought they really showed the other guys how it is supposed to be done.”

Of the 14 shots taken by Hawaii-Hilo, seven came from David Garcia. He had three attempts on goal while two Vulcans, Morgan Popp and John Lawrence, came off the bench to each take two shots on goal. Elias played a full 90 minutes, but allowed three goals with three saves. UHH finishes the year 2-13-2 overall, 1-10-1 in PacWest play.

The Urban Knights complete their 2011 campaign at 6-11 overall, 4-8 in conference play. Though six seniors will now move on in the end of an era, many young ART U players are determined to carry that legacy.