SAN FRANCISCO – As Head Coach Lauren Nadler came into her second year coaching Academy of Art women's soccer, the team saw early success and learned from a 2023 season that had 11 new Urban Knights join the squad.

The new-look Knights saw themselves with their best marks in recent years in numerous statistical categories. All being the most since 2019, ART U tallied their highest point total as a team (26), had the most goal scorers (6), and shot their highest percentage on goal (.477).

Starting the year off was a match against future Pacific West Conference member Jessup on Aug. 31, where the Knights took home their first win of the campaign with a 3-2 final score. The first goal of the season was scored in just the 11th minute by freshman midfielder Kara Aradottir (the first of her collegiate career), and was followed up by another score by redshirt junior defender Katie Williams less than 10 minutes later. Jessup responded with a goal right before the half, and the Knights got it right back at the start of the second frame with freshman midfielder Ashley Tasev netting her first collegiate goal. The Warriors brought the match to within one with around 20 minutes left, but the ART U defense held strong to open the year on a victorious note.

"It was great to see our team start off the season ready to step onto the field, especially against a future PacWest opponent," Nadler said. "A few moments that stand out are that five different players were involved in the goal and, for two of those goals, a senior and a first-year combined to score. I think this really highlights what we say all the time; that anyone can lead and contribute at any time."

After the victory, ART U went on the road to battle with UC Merced on Sept. 2 and followed it up with a trip towards the coast where they took on Cal State Monterey Bay on Sept. 9 and recorded their most shots on the young year at the time (9), which ended up being second-most on the season. The Knights then rematched Jessup on the Warriors' home field on Sept. 12, and then traveled up north to take on Cal Poly Humboldt on Sept. 16 where graduate student goalkeeper Nicole Peoples recorded the team's season-high in saves (18), which ranks second all-time in a game in ART U program history.

After the trip, the Knights then hosted four-straight home matches, starting off with Dominican on Sept. 19 followed by all three PacWest Hawai'i schools visiting ART U's home turf. These three matches were all in a six-day span, with No. 8 UH Hilo on Sept. 25, Chaminade on Sept. 28, and Hawai'i Pacific on Sept. 30. After this stretch, the Knights went down to Southern California to challenge No. 12 Concordia on Oct. 7 and Azusa Pacific on Oct. 9.

On Oct. 14, ART U celebrated their Senior Day, as they honored Katie Williams, senior forward/midfielder Brooklyn Villapudua, graduate student midfielder Morgan Day, redshirt junior forward/midfielder Hannah Moore, and senior defender Raquel Calvo Mendez before their match against Fresno Pacific. The Knights then played their last home match of the season against Lincoln (Calif.) on Oct. 17 at Paul Goode Field, where they saw a 3-0 victory with a season-high 26 shots including 15 on target. Freshman defender/forward Jade Alverio recorded her first collegiate goal, Day scored her first in an Urban Knight uniform, Williams added her second of the season, and sophomore goalkeeper Alicia Calderon secured the 90-minute shutout.

After facing Dominican once more in an away match on Oct. 21 where freshman goalkeeper Kayla Hampton recorded her season-high in saves (14), the Knights ended their season off with a SoCal trip, facing new PacWest member Westmont for the first time on Oct. 30, Point Loma on Nov. 2, and Biola on Nov. 4.

"Taking into consideration that for half of our roster this was their first year with our program, I'm happy with the growth of our team throughout the season," Nadler said. "From the start, we focused on being the best at getting better and we worked to do that from the first game to our last. Whether it was being the best teammate our players could be or implementing our style of play, we saw our theme playing out on and off the field."

With the 11 new members that were added to the squad, nine were freshmen and all but one played in at least 10 matches down the stretch.

"Gaining this experience, especially in your first year, is invaluable as it lays the foundation for success in the future," Nadler said. "Our first-years were excited to put on the ART U uniform, dedicated to learning and getting better, and committed to being a unified team while they do it."

There were 10 Knights who scored a point this year, the most in the last four seasons. Williams' five led the way while Tasev and sophomore forward Danielle Medellin followed right behind with four apiece.

Academy of Art now turns to the page to the offseason, looking to build upon consistency and experience heading into the 2024 campaign next year.

"With the grit, hard work, and dedication that our players will put into everything they do on the field and in the classroom, I'm looking forward to seeing what we accomplish together in the seasons to come," Nadler said.