PacWest Conference Weekly Awards (Mar. 1)

IRVINE, Calif. – Thanks to a hat trick in the final match for Academy of Art men's soccer this past Friday, senior Adrian Cekala has been recognized as the final Pacific West Conference Northern California Player of the Week award of the 2020-21 campaign. The award is for matches played from Feb. 22-28. 

Cekala provided the majority of the offense in ART U's 5-0 shutout win over the Hawks on senior day, scoring three goals and assisting on another for a total of seven points. It's just the fourth hat trick in ART U men's soccer history, and is the second-most points scored by an Urban Knight in a single match, trailing only Andrew "Boomer" Cruz's 10-point game against Chaminade on Sept. 29, 2010. The scoring started early in the sixth minute when Cekala buried a penalty kick opportunity, then buried another unassisted goal just before the half in the 37th minute. 

While Cekala didn't score three in a row, he did assist on the third goal when he set up sophomore midfielder William Mychaltchouk for his first goal of the season in the 52nd minute. It took until the 81st minute before Cekala finished the job and netted the final of his three goals, giving him six goals on the season and matching his career high that he scored during his 2018 campaign.

For his career, Cekla sits at a total of 14 goals and 32 points, both of which are third most in ART U history. In goals, Cekala ranks just behind second-place Kristof Urbanyi (15) and first-place Grimur Grimsson (16), while he sits a little further behind the same duo in reverse order when it comes to ART U career points, as Urbanyi places first with 37 while Grimsson checks in with 36.

This is second time receiving the honor for both Cekala and the Urban Knights this season, having also received the award in the first week of the season on Feb. 8, and is also the second such honor for Cekala in his career.