Match #5
ART U Urban Knights (1-1-2, 0-0-0 PacWest) at Biola Eagles (2-4-1, 0-0-0 PacWest)
Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021 at 4 p.m.
La Mirada, Calif. – Al Barbour Field
Live Stats | Live Video

Match #6
ART U Urban Knights (1-1-2, 0-0-0 PacWest) at PLNU Sea Lions (4-0-1, 1-0-0 PacWest)
Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021 at 11:30 a.m.
San Diego – PLNU Soccer Field
Live Stats & Video

CONFERENCE CLASHES
Fresh off of their first win of the season, Academy of Art women's soccer looks to turn that victory into a winning streak as the Knights travel down south to face off against Biola and Point Loma for the kickoff of the PacWest portion of the schedule. 

KICKOFF
Thursday's battle with Biola kicks off at 4 p.m., while Saturday will feature an early clash with the Sea Lions starting at 11:30 a.m. 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
After making 11 saves in two matches last week to record her third and fourth shutouts of the campaign, which is tied for the second most in a season in program history, sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Peoples was once again honored by the Pacific West Conference as Defender of the Week on Sept. 27. The week for Peoples started with eight saves and a clean sheet in what would end in a scoreless draw against Simpson on Sept. 20, and followed that performance with another trio of stops against Holy Names on Sept. 22 during ART U's 1-0 shutout win. It has been nearly four full matches since Peoples has allowed a ball to get passed her, making 33 straight saves without allowing a goal dating back to the season opener, facing a total of 73 shots over that span. Already the third Urban Knight and second ART U keeper to receive the award, Peoples becomes the first in ART U history to earn the honor twice. Overall on the campaign, Peoples has played all 380 minutes in net for ART U, ranking first in the PacWest in saves per match (8.50) and goals against average (0.47) while sitting second in save percentage (.944).

Among position players, junior forward Reyna Valencia claimed the game-winning and only goal in ART U's victory over Holy Names in non-conference action, and now leads the team in points with two. Twelve different Urban Knights have recorded a shot this season, led by the eight from freshman midfielder Zineb Ighirri (five one goal, also team-high). Junior forward Brooklyn Morera trails shortly behind with seven shots of her own, while newcomer graduate student midfielder Melissa Wilson has four of her five shot attempts on goal. 

BRINGING DOWN BIOLA
Entering the match at 2-4-1 is Biola, with the Eagles posting an 0-2-1 record over their last three matches including a 1-0 loss to No. 8 Western Washington and a 2-0 defeat to Cal Poly Pomona. The pair of wins for BU has been a pair of 1-0 shutouts, first claiming victory over Stanislaus State in the season opener before later taking down Cal State Los Angeles on Sept. 14. Biola will have a good chance to go step-for-step with ART U in goal, as Eagles keeper Anna Boyer also appears in the top-5 of all goalkeeping categories in the PacWest, boasting a .902 save percentage (37 saves on 113 shots faced) with a 0.62 goals against average. Four different Eagles have scored a goal this season, with Katelyn Penner tallying her goal on a team-high seven shots, five of which have been on target (also a team high). ART U is still looking to breakthrough in the all-time series, as Biola has won all four previous meetings. 

STOPPING THE SEA LIONS
Point Loma remains unbeaten this far into the 2021 season, starting the season 4-0-1 including a win in PacWest play after dropping Fresno Pacific 2-0 on Sept. 25. Three consecutive wins against SF State, Cal State Los Angeles and Central Washington opened the season, while a battle with No. 8 Western Washington resulted in their only draw after ending 1-1. The points leader for PLNU is Alana Diaz who owns five points on the year, while the top goal scorer is the trio of Diaz, Abigail Schmidt and Emma Thrapp, as all three have netted a pair of goals each. Diz and Schmidt will be among the top offensive forces, as both have launched double-digit shots, including 16 from Diaz. In goal, Emma Hinson projects to be the starter, making seven saves on 30 shots faced for a .700 save percentage and a 0.60 goals against average. Leading the all-time matchup is PLNU, 7-0-1. 

SECOND-HALF GOAL LIFTS KNIGHTS TO FIRST VICTORY
The first goal of the Academy of Art women's soccer season would wind up being a game-winner, as junior forward Reyna Valencia struck for the only score of the match while sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Peoples registered her third consecutive shutout in ART U's 1-0 non-conference victory over Holy Names on Wednesday. 

LOOKING AHEAD
PacWest action continues as ART U returns to San Francisco to host the duo of UH Hilo and Holy Names beginning on Thursday, Oct. 8.