Photo Gallery (images by Ian Sutherland & Kenny Chacon)

San Francisco, CA -- In their second PacWest matchup of the year, the Academy of Art University women's soccer team played to their first tie of the season. The Urban Knights scored first on a goal in the final minute of the first half, while Azusa Pacific University found the net early in the second half. Neither scored for the remainder of the match, but goalkeeper Rachael Rempe turned away a season-high nine shots to preserve the tie.

"I am extremely proud of the work ethic of my team this week in both matches," said head coach Aileen Nasypany. "We pushed them very hard in training and they responded with two great performances. Of course, our ultimate goal is a win, but we are playing good soccer on both sides of the ball. California Baptist and Azusa Pacific were picked to finish 1-2 in the conference. To hold our own in both matches is positive sign we are continuing to get better as a program."

It was pouring rain during kickoff and throughout most of the second half, but the clouds parted right around halftime, and the Urban Knights made their move. After a foul by Azusa Pacific, Miranda Corneliussen took a free kick and maybe benefited from the slick conditions as her 22-yard strike squeezed through the keeper's hands and into the goal with less than 40 seconds left in the half to put the Knights up 1-0 at the half.

The only other goal of the game came early in the second half,  when Lindsey Ryals sent one over the back of the defense and set up Shannon Hardy with a one-on-one that led to the equalizer in the 50th minute. Neither team was able to score for the rest of regulation, although both teams totaled 14 shots in the second half. The Knights got a shot on goal in the final minute, but Rea Laudat's strike went just wide, and the game went into extra time.

Both extra periods were very physical, with seven fouls combined in both overtimes. The Cougars had the only shots after regulation, with Rempe saving a big one with two minutes left in the first overtime, and another crucial sequence in the 102nd minute that saw three shots miss the mark.for APU, with Rempe saving the last attempt by Ryals. With the score knotted up after 110 minutes and the rain starting to fall again, but the Urban Knights came away with the tie.

"The team was not bothered by the conditions," said Nasypany. "In fact, they were excited to play in the rain, as it reminded many of the Europeans and Northwest players of home. I was impressed with our ability to take accountability for the little things and they came into the match completely focused. We will renew our efforts next week in trainings and will look towards our next match-up against a Bay Area rival."

Academy of Art will be back in action next Saturday against Notre Dame de Namur. It will be a quick road trip for ART U, as they head down to Belmont before another two game homestand in San Francisco.