MAC Title On the Line Friday Night

October 26 | Men's Soccer

Akron (11-4-1, 3-1 MAC)
vs.
Buffalo (9-5-2, 3-1 MAC)

Date: Friday, October 27
Time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
Location: Akron, Ohio
Stadium: Lee Jackson Field

About the Zips...
- Akron has a chance to clinch a share of the Mid-American Conference regular season title with a win over Buffalo Friday night.
- It would be the ninth time in school history the Zips have claimed at least a share of the Mid-American Conference title. This is Akron's 14th season in the league.
- With a win, Akron will claim the No. 2 seed in the MAC Tournament and earn a bye into the semifinals. An Akron victory will place the MAC Tournament at Northern Illinois in DeKalb, Ill.
- The game marks the regular season finale for the Zips and seniors Jonathan McClain, Ashley Kozicki and Sinisa Ubiparipovic will be honored prior to the match.
- The Zips are playing with a lot of confidence after a 4-0 win over UNC Greensboro on Tuesday night.
- Steve Kalan recorded his first career hat trick in the game with three first-half goals. Kalan netted the game-winner at 1:19, then added scores at 8:05 and 39:21.
- Freshman Ben Zemanski closed out the scoring with a header at 42:58.
- It was the second game in a row that Akron has netted four goals in the first half.
- Over the last two matches the Zips have outscored opponents, 8-1.
- McClain picked up his second assist in as many matches in the win over the Spartans.
- Ubiparipovic returned to the pitch for the first time since Oct. 14 and recorded the assist on Zemanski's goal.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Evan Bush was credited with the shutout, his ninth of the season. He now has 23 career shutouts, ranking tied for fourth on Akron's all-time list.
- Bush has 23 clean sheets in 39 career starts (59 percent).
- Akron is 5-1-1 in its last seven games.
- Head coach Caleb Porter has had the opportunity to clear his bench in the last two games, with C.J. Kaufman, Vedran Ilic, Ryan Hathcock, Andrew Tipton, Geir Nyheim and Rostand Erlichman all seeing action.
- Akron has outshot is opponents, 218-135 this season, and hold a commanding 107-33 advantage in corner kicks. In the first half alone, the Zips have taken 53 corners to their opponents' 10.

About the Bulls...
- Buffalo is 9-5-2 on the season, 3-1 in Mid-American Conference play.
- The Bulls are coming off a 1-0 win over nationally-ranked Northern Illinois last Friday at home.
- A win over Akron would give the Bulls a share of their first-ever MAC title, as well as home-field advantage in the MAC Tournament.
- Buffalo is led by senior Andrae Clarke who has eight goals and two assists on the season.
- Brian Knapp is next on the list with three goals.
- The Bulls have allowed just 14 goals this season while scoring 23.
- Goalkeeper Daniel Bell is 9-4-1 with seven shutouts and a 0.73 goals-against average.
- Head coach John Astudillo is in his 18th season as head coach at Buffalo with a record of 153-141-27. He is assisted by David Hesch and Matt Stuczynski.

Series History...
- Akron leads the all-time series, 13-1-1.
- The lone tie came in last year's MAC Championship game where this Zips prevailed on penalty kicks, 7-6.
- Akron is 5-0-1 in its last six meetings with the Bulls.
- Its only loss in the series came in the 2000 MAC Tournament, a 2-1 loss at Buffalo in the quarterfinals.
- The Zips have never lost a regular season MAC game to the Bulls.

Last Time They Met...
It took over 110 minutes for a champion to be crowned, but the University of Akron men's soccer team prevailed, 7-6 on penalty kicks over the Buffalo Bulls in the Mid-American Conference title game at Lee Jackson Field. The contest officially goes into the books as a 0-0 double overtime tie for both schools.
Geir Nyheim sent his shot on the ground and around UB goalkeeper Daniel Bell to give Akron a 7-6 advantage on penalty kicks. Buffalo's Andrae Clarke stepped up to the line and sent his attempt to the right, but UA keeper Evan Bush blocked the mid-height shot with his forearm for the championship.
The Zips claimed back-to-back MAC Tournament titles for the first time in school history. Akron also recorded its school-record 14th shutout of the season.
The Zips held a commanding 17-4 advantage in shot attempts for the game but could not get by a Buffalo team that was content to sit back and defend for most of the game. Akron's first quality chance in the first half came with 20:34 to play as Ross McKenzie rifled a shot from 15 yards out on the right side, only to have Bell punch the ball over the top of the cross bar.
Sinisa Ubiparipovic had the ball on a restart at 30:50, but saw his shot glance just off the top of the bar and over the net.
Justin Sadler made good on his first penalty attempt and was matched by UB's Lee Catchpole. That was followed by Yohann Mauger's successful try in the upper right corner. Bush got a hand on Matt Stuczynski's attempt, but the ball cleared the line to tie things at 3-all.
Both teams easily made their next three tries to finish the initial round of five. From this point on the attempts would be one-for-one, with just one save or missed attempt needed for the victory. Corey Sipos made it 6-5 Akron, and Bush got a hand on Dave Chojnowski's shot but could not punch the ball high enough out of the net as the slate was evened at 6-6.

Did You Know...
Akron is 36-1-3 in its last 40 regular season and tournament Mid-American Conference matches at Lee Jackson Field. That is a string of games that dates back to the middle of the 1997 season.

Did You Know, Part 2...
Sophomore goalkeeper Evan Bush has a 0.27 goals against average in Mid-American Conference games In 11 career starts against MAC foes (1010 minutes), Bush has allowed just three goals.

Akron vs. UNC Greensboro Recap...
Junior midfielder Steve Kalan put Akron on the board just over a minute into the match and the Zips never looked back in a dominating 4-0 victory over UNC Greensboro on a cold Tuesday night at Lee Jackson Field.
Akron improves to 11-4-1 while UNC Greensboro drops to 11-7-1.
"This was one of the more dominating performances I have been a part of, against a very good UNC Greensboro team," said head coach Caleb Porter. "We were firing on all cylinders, not only scoring goals but also defending well."
Kalan gave Akron all the scoring it needed just 1:19 in the game when he send his shot into the upper 90 off defender Jonathan McClain's corner kick. It was Kalan's third goal of the season and his second in as many games.
Hardly finished, it was 2-0 Akron in the ninth minute when Kalan struck again, this time taking service from Pablo Moreira and connecting on a running shot to the far post. Kalan accounted for three of Akron's 11 shots on the night.
With the Akron defense holding the Spartans in check, that opened things up in the Zips' attack as Kalan worked his way through a group of UNC Greensboro defenders before beating UNCG goalkeeper Nate Berry for his third goal of the night at 39:21. Kalan becomes the first Akron player this season to score more than one goal in a match.
Freshman Ben Zemanski put the ball in the net for the second-consecutive game, angling his header into the bottom right corner of the goal. Senior midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic picked up the assist on the play. It was Ubiparipovic's first time back on the pitch since suffering an injury vs. Northern Illinois on Oct. 14.
"I've been saying since the beginning of the year that if we keep getting chances, the goals will come," Porter said. "We are really starting to click and it couldn't come at a better time."
The Zips finished with an 11-6 shot advantage, with six of their attempts on frame. Akron goalkeeper Evan Bush turned back three UNCG shots for his ninth shutout of the season. Bush moves into a tie for fourth on Akron's all-time shutout list with 23.
Akron's defensive group of Ossie Michalsen, Devin McKenney, Matt Augustin, McClain and sub Andrew Tipton was again superb, limiting Hermann Trophy candidates Randi Patterson and Scott Jones to a combined one shot.

Zips In The National Polls...
The Zips went 2-0 last week with wins over Michigan and Bowling Green, but that was not enough to move the squad back into the national polls:

Poll: This Week/Previous Week
College Soccer News: not ranked/not ranked
Soccer America: not ranked/not ranked
Soccer Times: not ranked/not ranked
NSCAA/adidas: not ranked/not ranked

Kalan Connects...
Four of Akron's last eight goals have come from the unlikeliest of sources in junior midfielder Steve Kalan. Entering the 2006 season, Kalan had just four goals to his credit, two each as a freshman and a sophomore. He started out the year with a goal in Akron's 2-0 win over Davidson on Aug. 27, then remained quiet on the scoring front with assists vs. Robert Morris (Sept. 8) and Wright State (Oct. 10).
That all changed last week, beginning with the opening goal in a 4-1 win over Bowling Green on Oct. 20. Four days later, Kalan scored three times in a span of 40 minutes to give Akron a dominating 4-0 win over UNC Greensboro. It was the first multiple goal game of Kalan's career. He is now tied for the team lead in goals scored with five and ranks second in total points with 12.

Defense Stands Strong
Akron is 5-1-1 in its last seven games and much of that success can be attributed to the play of the Akron defense. During this streak the Zips have outscored opponents 13-2 for a 0.28 goals-against average. Four of the five wins, along with the tie were shutouts, giving the Zips nine clean sheets on the season.
In fact, over the last 16 games the Zips have allowed just eight scores (0.51 GAA). The defense is led by All-MAC performers Ossie Michalsen and Jonathan McClain, as well as Devin McKenney, Matt Augustin and Andrew Tipton.

Double Duty for McClain
For University of Akron senior Jonathan McClain, being a standout in one sport for the Zips just isn't enough. The starter for the nationally-ranked Akron men's soccer team has taken his talents over to the football field where he is now the Zips' PAT and field goal kicker.
McClain, a second-team All-MAC defender for an Akron soccer team that was ranked No. 1 for most of the 2005 season, heard that UA head football coach J.D. Brookhart was looking to shore up the Zips' special teams play. Most notably, he was in need of a reliable kicker.
On Sept. 27, McClain and several of his soccer teammates showed up at football practice to tryout. Two days, McClain had a uniform and was on Akron's travel roster for the game at Kent State on Sept. 30. Making his debut against the Golden Flashes, McClain was 1-for-1 on PAT attempts. On Oct. 7 at Cincinnati, McClain was a perfect 2-for-2 on PAT's. McClain attempted his first collegiate field goal on Oct. 21 vs. Miami and finished the game 2-for-2 on field goal attempts as the Zips came away with a 24-13 victory.
On the season McClain has two points for the soccer team (two assists), and nine points for football (two field goals, three extra points).
Getting to the Cincinnati game was a bit of a challenge for McClain. With the soccer team playing at Penn State Friday night and the football team scheduled to play at Cincinnati on Saturday, one of the football coaches had to stay behind to escort McClain to Cincinnati on Saturday morning.
McClain's ability on the football field should be a surprise to no one as he earned Western Ohio All-League honors as a place-kicker from 1998-2000 and finished with 202 points in his kicking career.
For McClain, it now becomes a juggling act. After Friday's match at home vs. Buffalo, he will travel out to Toledo to prepare for the Zips' game vs. the Rockets on Saturday night.

Lost and Found...
The scoring touch that sophomore midfielder Matt Tutich displayed during his freshman campaign seems to have resurfaced as Tutich as recorded three goals and an assist in the Zips' last seven outings, including the game winner in a 2-0 victory over Wright State on Oct. 10. Tutich also slotted home the deciding score in Akron's 2-0 win over Western Michigan on Sept. 29, and assisted on Ashley Kozicki's game-winning goal vs. Michigan. In a 4-1 win at Bowling Green he scored the Zips' fourth goal in the 44th minute.
Tutich's performances over the latter half of the season has resembled his breakout year of 2005 where he recorded eight goals and an assist as the Zips went 18-1-4 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. For his efforts he was a first-team All-MAC pick and was selected by College Soccer News to its all-freshman third team.
On the season Tutich has started all 16 games and has three goals and two assists for eight points. His 28 shot attempts ranks tied for third on the squad.

Fresh Start...
While they aren't new to the Akron pitch, several players have seen the 2006 season bring new life to their playing careers. Senior Ashley Kozicki appeared in just seven games a year ago after transferring from St. John's University. This year Kozicki has played in all 16 matches, starting 10. He had a goal in Akron's 2-1 win over St. Francis (Sept. 3) and came up with the winner with just one minute left in the second overtime vs. St. Bonaventure on Sept. 1. For his efforts he was named the MAC Player of the Week. His fourth goal of the season came on Oct. 10 in a 2-0 win over Wright State. With the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Michigan on Oct. 18, Kozicki is now tied with Sinisa Ubiparipovic and Steve Kalan for the team lead in goals scored with five. He is third on the team in scoring with 11 points (5g, 1a).
Junior Pablo Moreira missed the 2005 season while recovering from a knee injury. In his first two years at Akron combined he appeared in 26 games with four starts, tallying three goals in 2004. This year he has started all 16 games and is tied for third on the team in scoring (4g, 3a- 11 points) and is second in shot attempts (29). With his fourth goal of the season in the 4-1 win at Bowling Green, Moreira now has a team-best three game-winning scores.

"Ubi" To the Rescue...
Despite being the focus of every team's defense, preseason All-America and Hermann Trophy candidate senior midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic continues to be one of the leaders of the Akron attack with five goals and six assists on the season. Three of those goals came in two games in one week, including the game winner with :29 seconds left in a 1-0 win over Oakland. This season Ubiparipovic has two game-winning scores. Last year the second-team All-American recorded team-best six game winners. So far this year he has taken 46 shots, 20 of which have been on goal (44 percent).
Ubiparipovic missed the matches against Michigan and Bowling Green due to injury, but saw several minutes of action and recorded an assist in the 4-0 win over UNC Greensboro (Oct. 24).

Ossie, Ossie, Ossie...oy, oy, oy
Sophomore defender Ossie Michalsen has picked up right where he left off last season as one of the top defensive players around. After a shaky start in the season opener vs. UCSB, the defense has settled down, allowing just six goals over the last 13 games. The Zips have recorded nine shutouts this season.
An All-MAC selection as a freshman last year, Michalsen has been given the honor of team co-captain, along with senior Sinisa Ubiparipovic. Michalsen is a smart player who can keep his cool while organizing the team from his center back position.

Fresh Faces...
Junior transfer Devin McKenney has been a pleasant addition for the Zips in the back, appearing in 15 games and starting 14. McKenney missed all of the preseason after undergoing hernia surgery on the first day of preseason camp. He spent his first two seasons at Dayton and is a native of North Olmsted, Ohio.
Another player who has made his mark is junior Elliot Bradbrook. Bradbrook joined the team in the spring after two years at Ashland University. Bradbrook was a Division II third-team All-American in 2005 and has started 12 games for Akron.
Freshman Ben Zemanski has made a smooth transition to the college game. The high school NSCAA All-American out of Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy has appeared in 15 games, missing the Davidson victory due to injury. After coming on off the bench in the first half vs. Indiana, Zemanski played the entire second half for the Zips. He has since started the last eight games, scoring his first career goal in the 4-1 win at Bowling Green on Oct. 20. He added another score in the 4-0 win over UNC Greensboro (Oct. 24).

Zips Bits...
- The Zips saw their 21-game home unbeaten streak snapped with a 2-0 loss to Indiana on Sept, 20. Akron had gone 20-0-1 at home prior to the game, with its last loss coming at the hands of Western Michigan, 1-0 on Oct. 15, 2004.
- The Zips are now 24-1-1 over the last 26 matches at Lee Jackson Field.
- Nineteen Akron players hit the pitch in the 3-0 win over IPFW on Sept. 17. Included in that group was redshirt freshman Ivan Sandoval who made his first-ever appearance for the Zips.
- Freshman Vedran Ilic made his Akron debut on Sept. 3 against St. Francis. That brings to three the number of true freshman who have seen time on the pitch for the Zips this season ( Ben Zemanski, Rostand Erlichman). Zemanski has played in 15 of 16 games for Akron, missing the win over Davidson on Aug. 27 due to injury. Erlichman has made 12 appearances, picking up assists in the wins over Western Michigan (Sept. 29) and Bowling Green (Oct. 20).
- Ilic was credited with his first career assist vs. Bowling Green (Oct. 20).
- Of the 13 goals Akron has allowed this season, seven have come during the run of play. The Zips have caught a few unlucky breaks, with three PK goals coming off hand ball calls, and two perfectly-played set pieces by opponents resulting in scores.
- Akron went 1-1 in the preseason with a 1-0 loss to No. 10 Creighton, followed by a 1-0 victory over No. 17 St. John's.
- Both matches were part of the second-annual Westfield Insurance Cup held at Lee Jackson Field.
- Sinisa Ubiparipovic netted the game winner for Akron vs. St. John's in the 71st minute off a pass from Jonathan McClain.

Ubiparipovic Named Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Week...
With three goals an assist in two matches the week of Sept. 11-17, senior midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic was named the Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Week on Sept. 18. Against Oakland on Sept. 13, Ubiparipovic scored the game winner with :29 seconds remaining as the Zips avoided their fourth-straight overtime game. In Akron's MAC opener vs. IPFW on Sept. 17, Ubiparipovic set up Pablo Moreira's game-winning goal in the 22nd minute, then added scores of his own in the 38th and 79th minutes. On the season Ubiparipovic leads the team in goals (five), assists (five) and total points (15). Earlier this year Ubiparipovic was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week. In addition, Ubiparipovic was honored by Soccer Times as the runner-up for its Player of the Week award.

Kozicki Named MAC Player of the Week...
University of Akron senior midfielder Ashley Kozicki was named the Mid-American Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Week, the league office announced on Sept. 5.
Kozicki had a direct roll in each of Akron's victories over the weekend as the Zips posted a 3-2 double overtime win over St. Bonaventure on Sept. 1, followed by a 2-1 overtime victory over St. Francis on Sept. 3. With the wins, Akron improved to 3-1 on the season.
Against the Bonnies, it was Kozicki who came up with the game-winning score in the 109th minute. Matt Tutich headed the ball over to the feet of Kozicki, who lofted the ball in for his first career score at Akron. Earlier in the game, it was Kozicki's pass that set up Sinisa Ubiparipovic's game-tying goal.
Versus St. Francis, Kozicki gave Akron a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute. Ubiparipovic played the ball forward to Kozicki, who dribbled the ball around the keeper for his second goal in as many games.

Ubiparipovic Earns National Honors...
After having a hand in four of Akron's five goals scored vs. St. Bonaventure and St. Francis, senior midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic was named to both the Top Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News Teams of the Week, announced on Sept. 5
Akron picked up a pair of wins over St. Bonaventure and St. Francis. In a 3-2 double overtime win over the Bonnies, Ubiparipovic started the sequence that led to Pablo Moreira's goal in the 21st minute. With the Zips trailing 2-1 in the second half, Ubiparipovic netted the equalizer that sent the game into overtime.
Two days later, the Zips came away with a 2-1 overtime victory over St. Francis thanks to a pair of goals, both of which were set up by Ubiparipovic. Coming off a restart, Ubiparipovic played the ball forward to Ashley Kozicki, who gave the Zips a 1-0 lead. With the first overtime period winding down, Ubiparipovic passed the ball to a breaking Moreira, who scored the game-winning goal in the 99th minute.

Ubiparipovic Named to Hermann Trophy Watch List...
University of Akron senior midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic is one of 25 players named to the 2006 Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy watch list. The list, announced in mid August, was compiled by a panel of coaches from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
The winner of the Hermann Trophy, collegiate soccer's equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, will be determined by a vote of NSCAA Division I member coaches. A list of 15 semifinalists will be announced in early November, with three finalists announced in late November. The winner will be announced at a press conference in St. Louis, Mo. on Dec. 2.
"Sinisa is a special player that brings excitement to the game through his individual flair and creativity," said Akron head coach Caleb Porter, who was the 1997 Hermann Trophy runner-up as a student-athlete at Indiana. "It is an honor for him and our program that he is being considered amongst the nation's top collegiate soccer players"
Last season, Ubiparipovic was among the nation's leaders in goals scored with 17, along with total points at 41. His six game-winning goals were a team high, as he helped lead Akron to an 18-1-4 record and an appearance in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. Ubiparipovic was a first-team All-MAC selection and was named a second-team All-American by the NSCAA.
This year Ubiparipovic has been tabbed as a preseason All-American by College Soccer News and Soccer America.

National Team Call-up
In March of 2006, Matt Tutich was one of 23 players selected for the men's soccer Under-20 National Team training camp, held March 7-13 in Sunrise, Fla.
Fans were able to follow along with Tutich's progress at the training camp as he sent in daily reports for a diary on www.GoZips.com.
This was the first training camp of 2006 for the U-20 National Team, now under the direction of head coach Thomas Rongen. In 2005, the U-20 squad earned a top-16 finish at the FIFA World Youth Championship in Enschede, Holland. Members of that squad included Major League Soccer star Freddy Adu, as well as 2006 MLS draft picks Sacha Kljestan and Patrick Ianni.
"I'm very excited to get the chance to compete with the nation's best talent," Tutich said at the time of his call up. "To me, it's the opportunity of a lifetime. This is a great honor and is without question attributed to the great season we had here at Akron."
The team played two games during the week, taking on the Colorado Rapids of the MLS on Thursday, March 10, and a Haitian All-Star team on Monday, March 13.
Tutich made an immediate impact for the Zips in 2005, appearing in all 23 matches with starts in the final 14. He finished fourth on the team in scoring with 17 points, tallying eight goals and one assist. A first-team All-Mid-American Conference selection, Tutich recorded four game-winning goals, including the deciding scores at Princeton, vs. Penn State and West Virginia. He also garnered national honors as a member of the College Soccer News All-Freshman third team.