The University of Akron Athletics
Zips Play for MAC Title Sunday
November 04 | Men's Soccer
at
No. 1 Northern Illinois (13-5-1)
Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship Game
Date:
Sunday, November 5
Time: 2:00 p.m. EST
Location: DeKalb, Ill.
Stadium: Huskie Soccer Field
About the Zips...
- The Zips advanced to the MAC Tournament championship game with a
convincing 8-2 win over Bowling Green on Friday afternoon.
- It is the third-straight year that Akron has made it to the
championship match. The Zips won the title in 2004 and 2005.
- In fact, Akron has appeared in the championship game in five of
the last six seasons, only missing out in 2003.
- Since the MAC Tournament's inception in 1994, the Zips lead the
league with nine championship game appearances (1995-98, 2001-02,
2004-06).
- After falling behind 1-0 early against the Falcons, the Zips
rattled off four unanswered goals to take a 4-1 lead into the
halftime break.
- Seven different players scored for Akron.
- Twenty of Akron's 22 dressed players saw action in the match,
including all 19 field players.
- Ashley Kozicki, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Elliot Bradbrook and Stefan
Ostegren all scored in the first 45 minutes.
- Matt Tutich, Pablo Moreria and Rostand Erlichman, along with a
second score from Ostegren closed out the Zips' scoring
efforts.
- It was the first goal in an Akron uniform for freshman Erlichman
and junior transfer Bradbrook.
- Defender Devin McKenney recorded his first assist at Akron on
Bradbrook's score.
- The Zips finished with 21 shots in the match, 12 of which were on
goal.
- Kozicki led the attack with five shots, followed by four from
Bradbrook.
- Akron clinched a share of the Mid-American Conference
regular-season title with a 2-1 win over Buffalo on Oct. 28.
- It is 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.
- Over the last five matches the Zips have outscored their
opponents, 19-4.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Evan Bush had three saves in the win over
the Falcons.
- Bush has 23 career shutouts, ranking tied for fourth on Akron's
all-time list.
- Bush has 23 clean sheets in 41 career starts (58 percent).
- Akron is 7-1-1 in its last nine games.
- Akron has outshot is opponents, 251-147 this season, and hold a
commanding 118-41 advantage in corner kicks. In the first half
alone, the Zips have taken 61 corners to their opponents' 15.
About the Huskies...
- Northern Illinois was a 3-0 winner over Buffalo to advance to the
MAC Tournament championship game.
- Steve Algozino, Luis De La Cerda and Marcus McCarty all scored
for the Huskies.
- McCarty leads NIU with 10 goals on the season. He also has four
assists for a team-best 24 points.
- The Huskies have scored 28 goals while allowing just 14.
- Sophomore goalkeeper has played 1024:35 minutes this season,
allowing just two scores for a 0.18 goals against average.
- NIU is 1-2 in its last three matches. The win over the Bulls in
the MAC Tournament stopped a two-game skid with back-to-back losses
to Buffalo (1-0) and Northwestern (1-0).
Series History...
- Akron leads the all-time series, 11-2-0.
- Northern Illinois won the meeting earlier this year by a 1-0
score in DeKalb (Oct. 14).
- Akron has won 11 of the last 12 matches the series after dropping
the first-ever meeting, 1-0 in overtime on Sept. 15, 1990.
- Akron is 5-1 vs. Huskies in DeKalb.
Last Time They Met...
Akron could not come up with the equalizer as Northern Illinois
used a goal in the 77th minute to record a 1-0 victory over the
Zips on October 14 at Huskie Soccer Field.
This is just the second win for the Huskies in the all-time series
as the Zips hold an 11-2 advantage and are 5-1 in games at Huskie
Soccer Field. The loss is the first for Akron in MAC play since a
1-0 loss to Western Michigan on Oct. 15, 2004.
Akron finished with 16 shots to the Huskies' 14, with nine of
Akron's attempts on frame. NIU had eight shots on goal as
goalkeeper Evan Bush recorded a season-high seven saves.
Northern Illinois came up with the only score of the game at 76:04
when Marcus McCarty connected on his eighth goal of the season.
Coming off a long throw in, the ball was headed over to McCarty who
used a strong kick off his right leg to power the ball past
Bush.
"Besides the long throw ins and set pieces, they didn't really
generate much from the run of play," said head coach Caleb Porter.
"But you have to give credit to them, they are effective at what
they do and they got it done today."
Akron had a dangerous chance in the 31st minute when NIU keeper
Joe Zimka had to dive to his left to stop Elliot Bradbrook's free
kick as it curled toward the back post. Bradbrook had another
golden opportunity in the 78th minute with the Zips trailing 1-0 as
his header off Ashley Kozicki's corner kick bounced off the
crossbar and back into play where the Huskies were able to clear it
out.
"We were a bit unlucky with those shots off the bar as we were all
over them in the second half," Porter said. "I though we outplayed
them in the second half, but that doesn't always mean you are going
to get the win."
The teams were knotted at the half with seven shots each. Akron
had three shots on goal while the Huskies were credited with
five.
Sinisa Ubiparipovic nearly snuck one into the top of the net in
the 52nd minute as his free kick bounced off the crossbar and back
into the field of play. The Zips set up a beautiful play at 57:23
when Kozicki found himself with an open shot that went into the
net, but the Zips were called offsides on the attempt.
Ubiparipovic was injured on a foul just outside the penalty box in
the 65th minute and did not return to the game.
"Losing Sinisa definitely changed the momentum for us," Porter
said. "But our guys were able to regroup and kept fighting."
Akron in the MAC Tournament
The Zips are 17-7-2 in MAC Tournament games, winning the
league crown in 1998, 2002, 2004 and 2005.
Did You Know...
Akron is 37-1-3 in its last 41 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.
Akron vs. Bowling Green Recap...
Akron jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first half and never looked
back, routing Bowling Green by an 8-2 score in the first
Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinal game at Huskie Soccer
Field in DeKalb, Ill.
The eight goals scored is the most since Akron put 12 in the net
in last year's 12-2 win over Cleveland State.
The Zips found themselves in an unfamiliar position early as they
trailed 1-0 at 9:39 on a goal from Hunter Van Houten. Akron
goalkeeper Evan Bush came off his line to punch the ball out, but
the ball did not clear far enough and Drew Nichols got his foot on
it, sending it over to Van Houten who took advantage of an open
net.
The lead was short-lived as the Zips answered with a score at
11:42. Akron was awarded a free kick, and Jonathan McClain tapped
the ball to Sinisa Ubiparipovic, who played another tap to Ashley
Kozicki. Kozicki launched the ball from 20 yards out into the upper
left for his seventh goal of the season.
"That was a crazy game that turned into a physical affair," head
coach Caleb Porter said. "I am proud of the way our guys fought
through. I was dissapointed in the first part of the match, giving
up the early goal, but they managed to rebound in a positive
way."
Ubiparipovic gave Akron a 2-1 lead at 24:00 off a ball from Steve
Kalan. Kalan ran with the ball up the field before dishing off to
Ubiparipovic. The Zips senior broke free, beating BGSU keeper Paul
Shoemaker 1-on-1 for his seventh score of the season.
Midfielder Elliot Bradbrook had two near-misses in the first half,
sending a screamer just over the cross bar minutes into the match,
and sending a lob attempt just high in the 26th minute. He made up
for it at 28:54 with Akron's third score of the afternoon. Again
coming off a set piece, Kozicki served the ball across the goal
mouth to Devin McKenney, and McKenney's mis-hit landed at the foot
of Bradbrook who sent it home.
Stefan Ostergren got in on the scoring act to give the Zips a 4-1
lead at 35:00 when Rostand Erlichman played a thru ball to Ostegren
and the sophomore beat the keeper for his second goal of the
season.
The Falcons got a goal back when the Zips were called for an
infraction in the penalty area and Kyle McNayr converted the
penalty shot at 55:51. The Zips nearly added to their lead when
Kozicki lofted a ball at the net that froze the keeper and just
bounced off the cross bar and back into the field of play.
Akron did get that score back for a 5-2 lead at 62:23 when
Bradbrook played the ball to Matt Tutich on the left wing and the
sophomore sent it to the far post in the back of the net.
Pablo Moreira was credited with the Zips' sixth goal of the match
at 70:33, sending home a ball played to him by Kozicki. Erlichman
netted his first career goal at 81:20 as Kalan played the ball
across the goal to the wide open freshman at 81:28. Ostegren capped
off the scoring with his second goal of the afternoon at 86:26,
breaking away and beating the keeper 1-on-1.
Akron finished with a 21-8 advantage on shots, with 12 of those
looks on goal.
Quick Start
Over the last three games, Akron opponents have barely had time to
get their footing on the pitch before finding themselves down a
goal or two. In each of the last four games, Akron has scored
within the first 11 minutes. At Bowling Green Akron had a 1-0 lead
at 6:50, while the Zips had UNC Greensboro's heads spinning with
goals at 1:19 and 8:05 en route to a dominating 4-0 win. In the
victory over Buffalo, Akron tacked on scores at 5:08 and 6:20. The
Zips trailed Bowling Green in the MAC Tournament semifinals for
exactly two minutes before Ashley Kozikci tied things up at 11:42.
On the season the Zips have outscored opponents 22-7 in the first
half.
Zips In The National Polls...
The Zips went 2-0 last week with wins over UNC Greensboro and
Buffalo, putting them back into one national poll:
Poll: This Week/Previous Week
College Soccer News: 28th 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 18 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 over the last four games, 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. While he didn't find the back
of the net in the MAC Tournament semifinal against BGSU, he did
pick up a pair of assists. He is tied for third on the team in
goals scored (5) and total points with 14.
Kalan Earns MAC, National Honors
With three first-half goals against a solid UNC Greensboro team on
Oct. 24, University of Akron junior midfielder Steve Kalan has been
named to the College Soccer News and Soccer America National Teams
of the Week. In addition, the Mid-American Conference named him its
player of the week on Tuesday. It is the first such honor for Kalan
in his three-year career.
Kalan got the Zips off to a quick start against the Spartans on
Oct. 24, knocking in a corner kick for his first goal just 1:19
into the match. His second score of the night came just under seven
minutes later when he collected a pass from Pablo Moreira on the
run and slotted it home for a 2-0 lead.
His third goal of the contest was a solo effort as Kalan weaved
his way through the UNC Greensboro defense before beating the
keeper for the score at 39:21. With wins over the Spartans and
Buffalo last week, Akron improved to 12-4-1 on the season and
clinched a share of the Mid-American Conference regular-season
title.
Kalan currently ranks tied for third on the team in goals (5), and
four of those goals have come in the last four matches. He is also
tied for third in total points scored with 14.
Defense Stands Strong
Akron is 7-1-1 in its last nine games and much of that success can
be attributed to the play of the Akron defense. During this streak
the Zips have outscored opponents 23-5 for a 0.55 goals-against
average. Four of the seven wins, along with the tie were shutouts,
giving the Zips nine clean sheets on the season.
In fact, over the last 17 games the Zips have allowed just 11
scores. 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.
In the most difficult bit of scheduling yet, it looked as if
McClain would miss the Toledo football game on Saturday, Oct. 28 at
7 p.m. after the Akron soccer game with Buffalo was pushed back to
3 p.m. on Saturday.
Undaunted, McClain played all 90 minutes and picked up an assist
in the win over Buffalo, made an appearance at the team's postgame
senior reception, then jumped in a car where he arrived at the
football game late in the second quarter. He was perfect in the
second half for Akron with an extra point and a 22-yard field
goal.
On the season McClain has five points for the soccer team five
assists, and 13 points for football (three field goals, four 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.
With the soccer team at NIU this weekend, McClain was unable to
make the football team's home game vs. Bowling Green on Nov. 4.
Lost and Found...
The scoring touch that sophomore midfielder Matt Tutich displayed
during his freshman campaign seems to have resurfaced as Tutich as
recorded four goals and two assists in the Zips' last nine 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, and he
assisted on Sinisa Ubiparipovic's game-winning goal vs. Buffalo. He
added his fourth goal of the season in the 63rd minute vs. Bowling
Green in the MAC Tournament.
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 18 games and has four goals
and three assists for 11 points. His 30 shot attempts ranks 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 18 matches, starting 12. 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, and another score in a 2-1 win over Buffalo
and 8-2 win over Bowling Green, Kozicki is tied with Sinisa
Ubiparipovic for the team lead in goals scored with seven. He is
second on the team in scoring with 17 points (7g, 3a).
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 18 games and is tied for third on the team
in scoring (5g, 4a- 14 points) and is second in shot attempts (33).
With his fourth goal of the season in the 4-1 win at Bowling Green,
Moreira is tied for the team lead with 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 seven goals and seven 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 three game-winning scores. Last year the
second-team All-American recorded team-best six game winners. So
far this year he has taken 52 shots, 24 of which have been on goal
(46 percent).
Ubiparipovic missed the matches against Michigan and at 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). Since
returning to the starting lineup vs. Buffalo (Oct. 28), he has
added two goals an an assist to this totals.
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, recording 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 17 games and starting 16.
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 14 games for Akron. Bradbrook scored his first
goal of the season in the 8-2 win over Bowling Green in the MAC
Tournament.
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 17 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 eight of the last 10 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 25-1-1 over the last 27 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.
- Of the 22 eligible players on the bench vs. Bowling Green in the
MAC Tournament semifinals, 20 saw action. Only backup goalkeepers
Mike Crane and Vinny LaGuardia did not play.
- 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 16 of 17 games for
Akron, missing the win over Davidson on Aug. 27 due to injury.
Erlichman has made 13 appearances, picking up assists in the wins
over Western Michigan (Sept. 29) and Bowling Green (Oct. 20).
- Erlichman scored his first career goal vs. Bowling Green (Nov.
3). He also had an assist in the win.
- Ilic was credited with his first career assist vs. Bowling Green
(Oct. 20).
- Of the 16 goals Akron has allowed this season, nine have come
during the run of play. The Zips have caught a few unlucky breaks,
with four PK goals, 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.
Local Flavor...
Out of the 27 players currently on the Zips' roster, 12 hail from
NE Ohio and a total of 14 (52 percent) are from the Buckeye
state. Vince LaGuardia played his prep career at Hoban High School,
a mere three miles from the UA campus. Junior Matt Augustin is a
Silver Lake resident and prepped at Walsh Jesuit High School in
Cuyahoga Falls. Freshman Ben Zemanski played his high school ball
across the street from Walsh Jesuit at Cuyahoga Valley Christian
Academy. Sophomore Andrew Tipton (Uniontown) and redshirt freshman
Stefan Ostegren (North Canton) also hail from just minutes
away from the UA campus.
