The University of Akron Athletics
Men's Soccer Lands Three on All-MAC Academic Team
December 31 | Men's Soccer
University of Akron men's soccer standouts Matt
Dagilis, Ossie Michalsen and Ben
Zemanski have been named to the 12-player 2008 Academic
All-Mid-American Conference team, the league office announced
Wednesday.
Dagilis and Michalsen were central figures in the most dominating
defensive season ever produced by an Akron team while Zemanski
enjoyed a breakout campaign as a key cog in one of the nation's
top-ranked offenses.
Dagilis, an international business major at UA who owns a team-high
cumulative GPA of 3.750, started all 23 games for the nation's
second-ranked defense as a redshirt freshman. The center back was
part of a back line that set a UA record with a
goals-against-average of 0.45 while also recording the
second-highest shutouts total in program history with 14.
As a unit, the Zips defense allowed one or fewer goals in 22 of 23
games in 2008. Dagilis also scored the first goal of his career in
a 2-1 victory over Cincinnati on Sept. 7.
Michalsen, a fifth-year senior and current MBA student at the
University, was a second team All-MAC performer in 2008 and the
veteran leader for a young defensive rotation that also featured
three freshmen and a sophomore.
The talented center back defender appeared in 16 games overall,
making 13 starts. Michalsen earned his psychology degree from the
institution last spring while posting a 3.688 cumulative GPA.
Zemanski, a second team All-MAC performer this fall owns a 3.592
cumulative GPA as a mechanical engineering major at the University,
finished the season ranked 20th in the nation with a career-high 10
assists in 23 games. Moreover, of his 10 assists, eight set up
game-winning goals, including the clinching scores against West
Virginia (Sept. 5), Northern Illinois (Oct. 4), Oakland (Oct. 8),
Michigan (Oct. 22) and Ohio State (Nov. 27) in the second round of
the NCAA Tournament.
Zemanski also scored the game-winner himself in a victory over
Western Michigan (Oct. 25) that clinched the Zips' 11th MAC regular
season title. He was named to the National Team of the Week by Top
Drawer Soccer on Oct. 13.
The Zips' offense finished the year ranked 10th in the nation with
an average of 2.09 goals per game.
As a team, the Zips (17-2-4) enjoyed a banner season in 2008. Akron
secured the highest NCAA Tournament seed in program history with a
No. 5 designation, concluded the best four-year run in UA history
with a record of 63-12-11 (.797) from 2005-'08 and qualified for
the NCAA Tournament for the 23rd time in program history and
advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time.
Akron also continued its dominance of the MAC with its sixth league
tournament title and placed seven players on the MAC First Team,
including 2008 Player of the Year Steve
Zakuani, Newcomer of the Year Darlington
Nagbe, and saw head coach Caleb
Porter secure his second consecutive MAC Coach of the Year
honor.
The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has
excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, one must have at
least a 3.20 cumulative grade-point average and have participated
in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport.
First-year students and junior college transfers in their first
year of residence are not eligible for the award.
