NAMPA, Idaho – As the whistle blew and the Urban Knights kicked off the 2017 season against Northwest Nazarene, ART U immediately found themselves in a 90-minute battle which would test their defensive capabilities.
 
The Crusaders put a lot of pressure on the Knights early on, but Academy of Art did well to deny NNU's relentless attack. It was not until the 23rd-minute when the Crusaders finally broke through: off of their fifth corner kick of the match, NNU's Mabinty Kanu was able to find the ball with enough open space to place a header into the back post. The Crusaders went on to take nine shots (seven on goal) by the close of the period.
 
To begin the second half, NNU continued to hold the majority of possession time and quickly added their second goal of the game in the 47th-minute. This time, Madi Taylor collected the two points and shined once more with her second goal of the match just eight minutes later. Now armed with five points after assisting her team's first goal, the Crusaders now held a 3-0 lead over ART U. NNU went on to score twice more before the sound of the final whistle and the Urban Knights dropped their first match of the season by a score of 5-0.
 
One of Academy of Art's incoming freshmen, Helia Miller, took one of ART U's two shots on goal, but it was not enough to overcome the Crusader's steadfast defense. Two other freshmen made their Urban Knights debut on Thursday night: Alyssa Rasmussen and Sydney Cooke. Both made their first collegiate starts and contributed 79 and 80 minutes respectively.
 
The Knights will return to the pitch on Saturday, September 2 when they close out the tournament in Idaho against Western State at 11:30 a.m. MT. This will be the first meeting between the two programs.