Match #11
ART U Urban Knights (0-9-1, 0-5-0 PacWest) vs. CUI Eagles (4-5-2, 2-1-1 PacWest)
Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021 at 6 p.m.
Irvine, Calif. – Eagles Field
Live Stats & Video

Match #12
ART U Urban Knights (0-9-1, 0-5-0 PacWest) vs. No. 23 APU Cougars (8-2-0, 4-1-1 PacWest)
Monday, Oct. 25, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Azusa, Calif. – Cougar Soccer Complex
Live Stats | Video

IRON SHARPENS IRON
A tough test awaits Academy of Art men's soccer as it embarks on a two-match road trip to Southern California, with the Knights set to battle two of the best teams in the Pacific West Conference, starting with fourth-place Concordia before ending with PacWest leader and No. 23 in the nation Azusa Pacific.  

KICKOFF
Both matchups will take place under the lights, as Saturday's clash with the Eagles will commence at 6 p.m. while the road trip concludes at 7:30 p.m. against the Cougars. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights via the athletics app (Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and on Twitter & Instagram, as well as "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps. 

KNIGHT WATCH
Senior forward Adrian Cekala's goal during ART U's match with UH Hilo was one for the record books, as he became ART U's all-time leading scorer with his 17th goal, breaking him out of a tie with Grimur Grimsson (16). It was also the 39th point in Cekala's career, giving him the all-time ART U record after passing Kristof Urbanyi (37). It marks his team-high third goal of the season, as he leads the Knights in points with seven as the end of the year approaches.

Chipping in a pair of points with a goal each are the trio of junior forward Fannar Omarsson, freshman forward Ping Yao, and sophomore midfielder Kendryx Soriano, started by Omarsson who struck for the first goal of the Urban Knights season just seven minutes into the season opener with a helping assist from Cekala. Just two matches ago in ART U's rematch against Holy Names, the freshman Yao tallied his first career goal in his fourth match with the Knights, and that spirit spread to Soriano when he notched his first career score in the 67th minute against FPU after a nice assist from junior midfielder Breki Einarsson. 

Leading the team in shots is sophomore midfielder Gilly Miller with 27, including ringing the frame of the goal on numerous occasions, with 11 of his looks making their way on target. Trailing just behind him is Cekala with 24 shots of his own, putting a team-high 14 of his attempts on net, which is also tied for the fourth-most in the PacWest. 

Platooning in goal for Academy of Art is the combination of junior goalkeeper Davis King and freshman goalkeeper Omer Tal, as each have earned five starts between the posts with nearly identical minutes played. Thus far, King has produced 16 saves on 74 shots faced (.533) with a 2.74 goals against average, while Tal has stopped 26 chances on 90 shots faced (.684) with a 2.30 goals against average. Earlier this season, Tal posted the ninth-most saves in a single match in ART U history with nine in his first collegiate start against HNU on Sept. 22, ultimately being named the PacWest Defender of the Week on Sept. 27.

RUFFLING CONCORDIA'S FEATHERS
Below .500 by just a single game are the Eagles of Concordia, and while they are coming off of a 2-1 PacWest loss to UH Hilo, CUI enters the match with a 2-1-1 record in their last four matches, all PacWest conference contests. Averaging 13.4 shots per match that leads to an average of 1.45 goals per game, the Eagles find themselves in the top half of the PacWest in nearly every statistical category. Among those are tallying the fifth-best marks in scoring margin (+0.01), goals for (16) and save percentage (.719), while also slotting fifth in shots (147) and saves (41). Leading the way with 11 points is Elijah Amadin, as his team-high five goals are tied for the second most in the conference, while Alex Perez trails just behind with 10 points thanks to four goals and a pair of assists. Amadiin remains the top offensive threat as he has put exactly 50 percent of his shots on goal (16-for-32), but Concordia is adept at moving the ball as a team, as nine different players have recorded an assist (five of which have two assists). Projected to start in goal is Andre Flores, who has registered a 1.40 goals against average and a .722 save percentage (39 saves on 124 shots faced), the fifth-best save percentage in the PacWest. There have only been five meetings all-time between the Knights and the Eagles, but CUI holds the edge in the series, 4-1-0. 

DECLAWING THE COUGARS
Sitting at the top of the PacWest table is the nationally ranked No. 23 Azusa Pacific Cougars, who enter the match on a two-game winning streak with shutouts over Holy Names (3-0) and Dominican (4-0), and have left as victors in three of their past four matchups. Ranking first or second in every single PacWest category is the Cougars, including sitting first in goals for (23) and scoring margin (+1.17). The only exceptions are that they are not in the top two in penalty kick goals or saves, though they remain second in save percentage (.786). Scoring the most for APU is David Kwinn, as he leads the PacWest in both goals (6) and points (14) while sitting third in points per match (1.24), with three of his goals being game winners. In goal has been the platoon of Brendan Fix and Leo Moreno, as both are allowing under one goal per match (Fix: 0.94; Moreno: 0.20) and have combined for 33 saves on 107 shots and seven shutouts. Leading in the all-time series are the Cougars, 6-2-0. 

QUICK PAIR OF GOALS GIVES FPU EDGE OVER ART U
A scoreless match midway through the first frame would quickly find scoring on Saturday, as a pair of Fresno Pacific goals just under 10 minutes apart would give FPU all it needed during its 3-1 Pacific West Conference win over Academy of Art men's soccer despite the first career goal from sophomore midfielder Kendryx Soriano. 

LOOKING AHEAD
The end of the season draws near for ART U, as they will make a stop in Fresno, Calif. to battle the Sunbirds on Oct. 28 before starting the final homestand of the 2021 season against Hawaii Pacific on Oct. 31.