The University of Akron Athletics
Zips Earn #14 Seed to NCAA's; Play Nov. 28 at Home
November 20 | Men's Soccer
Fresh off winning the 2007 Mid-American Conference tournament
title, the Akron men's soccer team was awarded a #14 seed to the
NCAA Championships and will have a first round bye in the 48-team
field. The Zips will host a second round match at Lee Jackson Field
on Nov. 28 (Wednesday) at 7:30 pm versus the winner of this
weekend's Colgate at South Florida contest.
Akron (15-3-2) earned a national seed for the third time in the
program's history. The Zips were nation's #15 seed in 2003 and the
#9 seed in 2005. The Zips, ranked among the nation's top 20 a
majority of the season, will be playing in their 23rd NCAA
postseason, dating back to 1961.
"I am very pleased with our seed," said UA head coach and 2007 MAC
Coach of the Year Caleb Porter. "Going into the season (with our
potential talent and schedule), we hoped to put ourselves in a
position to be one of the nation's top 16 seeds. Now that we
accomplished that goal, much as we did during the regular season,
we will just take each match one at a time. We have prepared all
season for this opportunity and are ready to make the most of
it."
The Zips were able to earn the national seed thanks to a strong
strength of schedule, and playing most of those tough opponents on
the road. This season, Akron faced several teams in the 2007 NCAA
field, including #2 seed Wake Forest (Zips lost 3-1), #5 Ohio State
(Zips tied 1-1), New Mexico (Zips won 3-1), Michigan State (Zips
won 2-0 in an exhibition), Oakland (Zips won 2-1) and
Illinois-Chicago (Zips won 2-1).
Akron ended the regular season winning its 10th MAC Championship.
With its two wins en route to the MAC Tournament title, the Zips
currently have 15 wins, its fourth-best win total all-time. Akron
is 10-19-2 all-time in the NCAA postseason, reaching the
championship match in 1986 (falling to Duke, 1-0) and reaching the
NCAA quarterfinals in 2005. In 2005, Akron tied top-seed and
eventual national champion Maryland 1-1 in College Park, but the
Terrapins would advance to the College Cup semifinal with a 4-1
decision over the Zips in penalty kicks.
Please check GoZips.com later for ticket prices and more
information on the Zips' Nov. 28 match.
This year's College Cup is slated for Dec. 14-16 at SAS Soccer
Complex in Cary, N.C. Hosted by NC State University, the semifinals
are scheduled for Friday, Dec. 14 at 5:00 and 7:30 p.m. with the
championship game on tap for Sunday, Dec. 16 at 3:00 p.m. More
information can be found on the championship site (see above).
Akron
in the NCAA Championship
1961 – NCAA College Division Midwest Playoffs
at Saint Louis L, 2-7
1963 – NCAA College Division Midwest Playoffs
vs. Lake Forest W, 3-2
vs. Ohio Wesleyan L, 1-2
1964 - NCAA College Division Midwest Playoffs
vs. Denison W, 3-0
vs. Wheaton L, 1-3
1966 – NCAA Midwest Playoffs
vs. Michigan State L, 0-2
1967 – NCAA Playoffs
at Temple W, 1-0
vs. Michigan State L, 1-3
1968 – NCAA Midwest Playoffs
vs. Michigan State L, 0-1
1970 – NCAA Midwest Playoffs
at Saint Louis L, 0-7
1971 – NCAA Midwest Playoffs
vs. SIU-Edwardsville L, 0-2
1972 – NCAA Midwest Playoffs
vs. Missouri-Saint Louis W, 4-2 (Edwardsville, Ill.)
at SIU-Edwardsville L, 2-3
1975 – NCAA Midwest Playoffs
at Saint Louis L, 1-2
1976 – NCAA Midwest Playoffs
vs. Indiana L, 1-2
1983 - NCAA Playoffs
vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay W, 7-0
at Indiana L, 1-2 (OT)
1984 – NCAA Tournament
at Evansville L, 2-3 (OT)
1985 – NCAA Tournament
at Indiana L, 0-2
1986 – NCAA Tournament
at Evansville W, 2-1 (OT)
vs. Penn State W, 2-1 (OT)
at Fresno State W, 1-0
vs. Duke (NCAA Title Game) L, 0-1 (Tacoma, Wash.)
1998 - NCAA Tournament
at Indiana L, 2-3 (2OT)
2001 – NCAA Tournament
vs. South Florida L, 1-2 (State College, Pa.)
2002 – NCAA Tournament
at Notre Dame L, 1-3
2003 – NCAA Tournament - No. 15 Seed
vs. Rutgers W, 3-2
at Maryland L, 0-1
2004 – NCAA Tournament
at Michigan L, 1-2
2005 – NCAA Tournament - No. 9 Seed
vs. West Virginia W, 5-0
at Connecticut T, 3-3 (Akron w 4-3 in PK)
at Maryland T, 1-1 (Akron l 1-4 in PK)
