The University of Akron Athletics
Men's Soccer Prepares for Postseason Play
November 12 | Men's Soccer
Quarterfinals
Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008 |Lee Jackson Field | Akron, Ohio
Game 1:
#2 Northern Illinois vs. #7 Bowling Green | 11 a.m.
Game 2: #3 Buffalo vs. #6 Florida Atlantic | 2
p.m.
Game 3: #4 Hartwick vs. #5 Western Michigan | 5
p.m.
Semifinals
Friday, Nov. 14, 2008 | Lee Jackson Field | Akron,
Ohio
Game 4: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner | 5
p.m.
Game 5: #1 Akron vs. Game 3 Winner | 7:30 p.m.
Finals
Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008 | Lee Jackson Field | Akron,
Ohio
Game 6: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner | 2
p.m.
Media: Live stats will be available for all
games.
Top-Seeded Zips Set To Begin Defense of MAC Tournament
Championship Friday
The fourth-ranked University of Akron men's soccer team
(15-1-3) will look to capture its fourth Mid-American Conference
Tournament title in five years when it opens postseason play Friday
night at Lee Jackson Field at 7:30 p.m.
The Zips, who claimed their league-record 11th regular season title
and a first-round bye as the top seed, will face the winner of the
Hartwick vs. Western Michigan game in the semifinals.
Poll Position
After edging Ohio State in thrilling fashion Friday
night, the Zips maintained their ranking nationally in all the
major polls. Akron is currently ranked third by Soccer America and
fourth in the NSCAA/adidas poll. UA is also ranked second by
College Soccer News and third by Top Drawer Soccer.
UA has been ranked in the top 10 by the NSCAA in every week of the
regular season and in the top 5 on eight occasions, including twice
being named the second-best team in the country.
Wake Forest, the 2007 NCAA champions, finished with a 17-0-1 record
and spent the entire season atop the NSCAA poll.
The Zips also held off Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame and
Indiana for the top slot in the Great Lakes Region poll, which was
released Tuesday.
Akron started the second half at Ohio State with a 1-0 lead, but it
wouldn't hold up in a frantic second half that featured six goals
and 17 combined shots.
UA, which hadn't allowed more than one goal in a single game all
season, saw OSU score twice in little more than one minute to
regain the lead early in the second half while battling back from
deficits of 2-1 and 3-2 in the come-from-behind victory.
It was Akron's first win at Ohio State since 1984, snapping a
string of three straight defeats in Columbus.
Zips Ranked No. 5 in RPI
Akron also maintained its No. 5 standing in the latest RPI
index, released by the NCAA Wednesday. The rating system is based
50 percent on the team's win-loss percentage, 25 percent on the
team's strength of schedule and 25 percent on the strength of
schedule of the team's opponents. The RPI is the primary gauge used
to determine seeding for the NCAA Tournament.
Wake Forest closed out the regular season with the top RPI in the
country, followed by St. John's (N.Y.), Indiana, Maryland and
Akron. Potential MAC Tournament opponent Buffalo was ranked 32nd
while Northern Illinois was 63rd.
Akron in the MAC Tournament
The Zips own an all-time record of 20-8-4 in the MAC
Tournament since joining the league in 1993 and are 7-2-1 in since
2004. Moreover, they are 7-1-1 in games played at Lee Jackson Field
where they have out-scored opponents, 22-6. UA is undefeated in its
last eight league tournament contests at home (7-0-1), including a
pair over double overtime victories against Northern Illinois
(semifinals) and Buffalo (finals) last year. UA, which leads the
MAC with five conference tournament titles, has brought home the
trophy in 2007, 2005, 2004, 2002 and 1998.
With a pair of wins this weekend, Akron will sweep both the MAC
regular season and tournament championships for the fifth time in
school history.
Akron Versus The MAC
To say that Akron has performed well against the MAC would
be an understatement. Since joining the conference in 1993, the
Zips have posted an overall mark of 76-10-6 (.859) in league play
while capturing 11 regular season titles and five tournament
championships. UA is undefeated in its last 13 MAC contests
(12-0-1) dating back to the 2006 season and hasn't suffered a
regular-season loss to a conference opponent since a 1-0 setback at
Northern Illinois on Oct. 14, 2006.
Hartwick became the first MAC opponent to score a goal in a
regular-season game against the Zips' defense since the 2006
season. The Hawks recorded their lone goal in the 85th minute to
prevent UA's 11th consecutive shutout against a league opponent
during the regular season on Nov. 1. The Zips out-scored MAC
opponents, 19-1, in 2008 while posted their seventh undefeated
league season with a 6-0-0 record.
UA averaged 3.2 goals, 14.3 shots and 5.3 corner kicks against the
conference this season and posted its second-highest scoring game
of the year against new MAC member Florida Atlantic in a 7-0
decision on Sept. 19.
The Friendly Confines
Locking up the No. 1 seed for the MAC Tournament was not
only a goal for the team this season, but should be a key factor to
the Zips' postseason aspirations. Akron closed out their home
schedule with a perfect 10-0-0 record this season and have been
defeated just twice in 45 games at Lee Jackson Field since 2005,
posting an outstanding record of 40-2-3 (.922). The two losses came
at the hands of then-ranked No. 20 Indiana (0-2 in 2006) and South
Florida (0-1, 2OT) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last
year.
During that stretch, the Zips have out-scored their opponents,
115-18 and are allowing an average of just 0.40 goals per game.
Akron is 29-2-2 (.909) at Lee Jackson Field in two-plus seasons
under head coach Caleb Porter.
Zakuani Named National Player of the Week
University of Akron sophomore Steve
Zakuani was named National Player of the Week by College Soccer
News and Top Drawer Soccer Monday. It is the second time this
season the Zips' star forward has earned the distinction.
Zakuani scored a pair of goals and assisted two others as the Zips
(15-1-3) rallied to a 4-3 victory at Ohio State in UA's lone game
last week. The Hermann Trophy candidate's first goal started the
scoring in the 18th minute and his second pulled Akron even at 3-3
in the 68th minute. He then assisted the game-winner in the 82nd
minute to complete the improbable comeback that saw the Zips battle
back from second-half deficits of 2-1 and 3-2.
The good news continued Tuesday when Zakuani was named to Soccer
America's National Team of the Week for the third time this fall.
The forward was also named Mid-American Conference Player of the
Week for a league-record sixth time in 11 weeks this season.
Zakuani Continues Assault on Akron Record Book
With the 18th and 19th goals of the year at Ohio State,
Zakuani matched UA legend Pete Milich for fifth place on the
school's single-season chart. Furthermore with 45 points on the
season, Zakuani also moved into sixth place in the record books.
UA's record holder for most goals scored in a single season is
Milich, who found the net an astounding 31 times – the
10th-highest total in NCAA history – during the 1961 campaign.
Milich also set the school record for points in 1961 with 75 to his
name.
Zakuani leads the nation in points per game (2.37), goals per game
(1.00), goals (19) and points (45).
Zips Defense Standing Tall
Despite allowing a season-high three goals to Penn State
last weekend – marking the highest total since September of
2007 – the Akron defense enters play ranked second in the
nation with nine goals allowed in 19 contests. Only No. 2 Creighton
and No. 3 St. John's (N.Y.) have allowed fewer goals (7), though
the Bluejays have played four fewer games (15).
Akron is second in the country with 12 shutouts and is fourth in
Division I with a shutout percentage of 0.63.
Bush Among Nation's Top 'Keepers
It goes without saying that senior goal keeper Evan Bush
will be remembered as one of the best players to ever wear an Akron
uniform. After redshirting in 2004, the two-time all-league
standout and current team tri-captain stepped in between the pipes
and never looked back, setting MAC records for shutouts (46) and
wins (60) in a prolific four-year career, which has seen him start
all 82 games he has appeared in. In more than 7,500 minutes in
goal, he has allowed just 50 goals while posting a career
goals-against-average of 0.61. Moreover, he has further established
himself as one of the best keepers in the country this season,
which has shaped up to be his best yet.
Bush enters the postseason ranked sixth in the country for
goals-against-average (0.464) and 20th for save percentage (.845).
He has been named MAC Player of the Week twice this season was
named to the National Team of the Week by College Soccer News (Oct.
13) and Soccer America (Oct. 28).
Offense Flexes Muscle
The Zips' attack exploded for four goals - behind two
goals and two assists from Steve
Zakuani – to rally for a victory at Ohio State last Friday
and is ranked third in the nation with an average of 2.32 goals per
game. This is a drastic improvement over last year's club, which
finished the year ranked 36th with 36 goals in 21 games
(1.71/contest).
The biggest difference has been the finishing abilities of Zakuani,
who led the team with six goals as a freshman. The striker, who has
found the net four times in his last two games, has posted multiple
goals in five games this year, including each of the last two. He
recorded the first two hat tricks of his young career at Northern
Illinois (Oct. 4) and against Wright State (Oct. 15). He has found
the net in all but seven contests in 2008.
Record Watching
Akron is in the midst of one of the best seasons in
program history and is threatening to break a number of school
records. With 12 shutouts and six goals allowed in 19 games (0.45
GAA), the Zips are three shutouts shy of the school record (15) and
are on pace to break the single-season mark for
goals-against-average (0.50). Both records were set during the 2005
campaign.
Zemanski Continues to Serve It Up
Junior Ben Zemanski is ranked 17th in the nation with an
average of 0.47 assists per game. Zemanski has posted at least one
assist in eight of his last 11 contests and leads the team with
nine on the year. Interesting to note is that the Akron native
entered the season with zero assists in 38 career games.
Senior teammate Matt Tutich has also enjoyed a breakout season
setting a career high with eight assists and is ranked 30th
nationally with an assists-per-game average of 0.42. The team
tri-captain entered the year with seven assists for his career.
Season Trends
The Zips are 14-0-1 when scoring first in games, 12-0-0
when leading at halftime and 12-1-1 when they out-shoot their
opponents. UA, which came from behind to defeat Cleveland State
(Sept. 21), has never trailed at halftime this season.
Z-Fund Hospitality
Goal Club members, "Friends of Men's Soccer" and Men's
Soccer Alumni are invited to attend our complimentary Z-Fund
hospitality tent as the Zips compete in the MAC Tournament this
weekend. For more information, please contact the Z-Fund at
330-972-FUND.
