No. 18 Akron Travels to Penn State Friday

October 04 | Men's Soccer

No. 18 Akron (7-3-0, 2-0 MAC)
at
Penn State (3-7-1, 2-1 Big Ten)

Date: Friday, October 6
Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
Location: State College, Pa.
Stadium: Jeffrey Field

About the Zips...
- Akron has a light schedule this week with Friday's match at Penn State its only contest.
- The Zips look to get back on the winning track, having dropped their last two nonconference games.
- Friday night's match at Penn State marks three straight nonconference games against Big Ten foes for Akron. The Zips fell 2-0 to Indiana at home, and 1-0 at Ohio State.
- Over the last three seasons, Akron has a 4-6 record against the Big Ten, including NCAA Tournament play.
- Akron did bounce back for a 2-0 Mid-American Conference victory last Friday at home vs. Western Michigan.
- Sophomore midfielder Matt Tutich recorded his first goal of the season in the 37th minute, while senior midfielder Ashley Kozicki gave the Zips an insurance score with a penalty kick in the 76th minute.
- Akron has allowed just one goal over the last 830:09 of Mid-American Conference play, including postseason games. The lone goal came on a penalty kick vs. Northern Illinois during the regular season in 2005.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Evan Bush has had to make just seven saves over the course of the last eight games.
- Four of those saves came in the loss at Ohio State (Sept. 26), tying his season high.
- With the win over Western Michigan, Bush has five shutouts to his credit this season and 19 in his young career. He ranks sixth on Akron's all-time shutout list.
- The Zips have won eight-straight MAC regular season games dating back to the 2004 season.
- After Friday night the Zips have just six regular-season games remaining, three nonconference matches and three MAC tilts.

About the Nittany Lions...
- Penn State has struggled this year with a 3-7-1 record, 2-1 in the Big Ten.
- One of its Big Ten wins came at nationally-ranked Northwestern (2-1, Sept. 24).
- The Nittany Lions also have wins over Michigan State (3-1) and Hartwick.
- Three losses have come to top 10 teams (1-0 at No.1 North Carolina; 2-0 at No. 6 Maryland; 2-1 vs. No. 9 West Virginia).
- It is a MAC weekend for PSU as they will face Buffalo on Sunday.
- Barkley Miller has been the leading goal scorer with two goals in eight matches. He also has two assists for a team-best six points.
- Penn State has put 10 goals in the net while allowing 17.
- They have been shut out in five of their seven losses.
- Goalkeeper Taylor Conrad has played all 1,010 minutes with 47 saves and a 1.51 GAA.
- Head coach Barry Gorman is in his 19th season at Penn State. He is assisted by Michael Parsons and Ryan Defibaugh.

Series History...
- Penn State leads the all-time series, 13-10-3.
- The Zips won last year's meeting by a 2-1 score at Lee Jackson Field.
- Ross McKenzie gave Akron a 1-0 lead, and Matt Tutich netted the game winner in the 51st minute.
- The last match between the two teams in State College came in 2004, a 4-0 victory by the Nittany Lions.

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.

Zips In The National Polls...
After a 1-1 week, the Zips dropped several slots in two polls and completely dropped out of two others:

Poll This Week/Previous Week
College Soccer News: not ranked/22
Soccer America: 18/16
Soccer Times: 23/18
NSCAA/adidas : not ranked/not ranked

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 now 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 last week 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.

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. What makes this story so unique is that he is making his mark on the football field while also competing on the soccer pitch. McClain has started all 10 games for No. 18 Akron in the left back position and has one assist.

For McClain, it now becomes a juggling act. Last Friday night, after leading the soccer team to a 2-0 win over Western Michigan at home, McClain went over to the football team hotel where he joined up with the Zips for the following day's game at Kent State. This week he will have to find a way to make it from soccer's Friday night game at Penn State, to football's Saturday afternoon contest at Cincinnati.

"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 the leader of the Akron attack with five goals and five 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 32 shots, 15 of which have been on goal (47 percent).

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 four goals over the last seven games. 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 nine games and starting eight. McKenney missed all of the preseason after undergoing hernia surgery on the first day of preseason camp. McKenney 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 nine 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 nine 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 two games (at Ohio State, vs. Western Michigan).

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 10 matches, starting seven. 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. He is currently tied for second on the team in scoring (3g, 1a- 7 points).

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 10 games and is tied for second on the team in scoring (3g, 1a- 7 points) and is second in shot attempts (24). Two of his scores have been game winners, tying him for the team lead with Sinisa Ubiparipovic.

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.
- 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 nine of 10 games for Akron, missing the win over Davidson on Aug. 27 due to injury.
- Of the 11 goals Akron has allowed this season, only six 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.