SAN FRANCISCO -- Close games, resilience, and fortitude were trademarks of the 2018 Academy of Art men's soccer team that showed flashes of brilliant play and near victories that bode well for the future of the program under head coach Matt Martin.

"In a season of transition the lads never quit," said Martin. "You could see that in games and on the practice pitch. They've come through it all with a great outlook."
 
The Urban Knights kicked off the season against cross town rival SF State with a 2-0 loss. ART U went on to win their second match of the season on Sept. 1 against Cal State Monterey Bay in dramatic fashion with an overtime golden goal from Oliver Hadeen. This was Hadeen's first goal as a member of the Urban Knights. The win was highlighted by an impressive defensive effort and sophomore goalkeeper Kris Jensson's first shutout of the year.
 
Over the next three games the Urban Knights went on a three-game losing streak against Cal State East Bay 1-0, Humboldt State 3-1, and a loss in their first PacWest matchup against Fresno Pacific 4-1.
 
ART U's next match with Dominican on Sept. 22 ended in a 2-2 tie on goals from sophomore midfielder Conor Lacey and senior defender Conor Henrichs, both assisted by freshman midfielder Edvard Edvarsson.
 
After tying Dominican the Urban Knights faced three more PacWest opponents, losing to Biola 0-2, Point Loma 0-3, and UH Hilo 0-1. After a tough stretch, ART U found life against Fresno Pacific on Oct. 6, when they exploded for three goals, though they dropped the match 3-4 in overtime. Freshman midfielder Gilli Kristjansson, junior forward Adrian Cekala and junior midfielder Andrew Deans with Hadeen assisting two of the goals.
 
ART U took on Notre Dame De Namur on Oct. 10. The match was quiet in the first half with both teams unable to find the back of the net, but the Urban Knights were an offensive force in the second half, scoring three goals led by Cekala's first career brace. ART U went on to tie the match 3-3 after two overtime periods.

Academy of Art dropped a 2-1 game to UC Santa Cruz before returning to PacWest play against Holy Names. The Urban Knights were dominant on both sides of the ball, scoring a season high four goals while shutting out the Hawks for their first PacWest conference win on Oct. 16. Three Knights scored in the 4-0 rout: senior defender Connor Henrichs, Hadeen, and Cekala who captured his second brace of the season. Cekala's pair of goals brought his team leading season total to six.

ART U closed out the season with a tough five game stretch, dropping matches to Azusa Pacific, Concordia, Hawaii Pacific, Chaminade, and in their final game of the season on senior day, Notre Dame de Namur. The four seniors: goalkeeper Kevin Mendez, defender Christian "Tate" Sprague, midfielder David Sigurdarson, and Henrichs were honored in a pregame ceremony for their hard work and dedication to the program. Academy of Art closed their season with an overall record of 2-14-2 and a conference record of 1-9-1.

"We were tied 13 times at halftime, so we know we have a task ahead of being better to close out matches," said Martin. "Many times we created chances and had opportunities to be ahead at the half, but even more important in 2019 will be how we deal - not just with adversity, but with success, leads, and being out in front."

"We have confidence in each other and we are extremely excited about 2019," added director of operations Danny Kirkland.