The University of Akron Athletics
Men's Soccer Falls to Northwestern in NCAA Tourney
November 30 | Men's Soccer
After playing to a scoreless halftime, the University of Akron
men's soccer team dominated the second period yet fell victim to a
Northwestern counter attack in a 1-0 defeat in the third round of
the NCAA Tournament Sunday at Lakeside Field. The defeat eliminated
the Zips from postseason play.
Akron (17-2-4), which out-shot Northwestern 12-2 in the second
half, suffered just its second loss of the year when Jack Hillgard
found Geoff Fallon, who had slipped behind the UA back line on a
counter, in the 61st minute. Fallon lofted the ball into the upper
right-hand corner of the net from about 11 yards out.
"First of all, I want to credit Northwestern for defending very
well and doing what they needed to win," said UA head coach Caleb
Porter. "In the second half we were dominating the play and I
thought it would only be a matter of time until we scored. But
Northwestern was opportunistic and did well to finish one of the
few chances they had. The toughest part is we never saw it coming.
But that is sometimes when you are most vulnerable and
unfortunately we were never able to pull the goal back."
Harsh winter weather conditions – featuring winds gusting up
to 23 miles per hour and a mix of rain and snow – were a
significant factor during the game as both teams battled the
elements at Lakeside Field, which is situated just feet from the
shores of Lake Michigan.
With the wind at their backs in the first half, the Wildcats took
advantage by out-shooting the Zips, 5-2, in the early going with a
majority of their attempts coming off corner kicks. Neither team
had significant scoring opportunities in the first half, however,
as weather conditions worsened.
But the second half was another story as Akron imposed its will
early and often. Teal Bunbury led the offensive attack after the
break with four shots, including two on goal, followed by Ben
Zemanski and Matt Tutich, who contributed three attempts
apiece. UA's best scoring opportunity came in the 64th minute when
Zemanski's deep shot from the left side of the box banged off the
crossbar.
The loss did nothing to tarnish what was accomplished in 2008 for
the Akron soccer program however. Not only did the Zips secure the
highest seed in school history with a No. 5 designation for the
NCAA Tournament, but it put the finishing touches on the best
four-year run in UA history with a record of 63-12-11 (.797) during
that time.
Furthermore, Akron continued its dominance of the MAC with its 11
regular-season championship to go along with its sixth MAC
Tournament title – both league records. Individually, the Zips
captured nine of the 11 MAC Player of the Week honors, including a
conference record six for Player of the Year Steve
Zakuani.
"As much as this loss hurts and our team deserves better, this
season has been one of the most successful in program history and I
am very proud of my players for all they have accomplished," Porter
said. "I want to especially thank my four seniors for their hard
work and commitment to the program. The saddest part is they never
got to finish their careers with a home game in the tournament.
However, they can hold their heads high because they have left
their legacy and truly raised the bar for future classes to
follow."
"Once the sting of this loss wears off our players will realize
some of the milestones they have achieved and this season will pave
the way for next year," Porter added. "We have a very young team
and I'm excited about the future."
Sunday's game was originally scheduled to be played at Lee Jackson
Field. But a ruling by the NCAA men's soccer committee changed the
site of the third-round match-up to Lakeside Field following the
Zips' 1-0 victory over Ohio State last Wednesday based on the
possibility that the surface of Lee Jackson Field would not be
playable.
Zips Notebook: Akron finished with 17 wins on the
year, the second-highest total in school history ... The team's 14
shutouts were also the second-most in the history of the program
... UA finished with a goal-against-average of 0.45 to set the new
school standard, breaking the old mark of 0.50 recorded in 2005 ...
Goalkeper Evan Bush, the MAC's all-time leader for shutouts
(48) and wins (62), finished his UA career with an all-time GAA
mark of 0.604, just four-hundredths shy of the school record of
0.600, owned by Sean Burke. It is important to note, however that
Burke posted his average in 3,600 minutes between the pipes while
Bush logged more than 8,000 minutes (8,010:01) during his career
– also a school record ... 132 loyal Akron fans bussed to
Evanston to brave the elements and cheer on the Zips.
