The University of Akron Athletics
Zakuani Lifts No. 9 Men's Soccer to 1-0 Victory
September 28 | Men's Soccer
Sophomore Steve Zakuani delivered his third game-winning
goal of the season in the 89th minute Saturday to lift the No. 9
University of Akron men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Stony
Brook at Lee Jackson Field.
Junior Ben Zemanski and senior Matt
Tutich were credited with assists on the goal, which came with
:09 left in regulation. Zakuani's score came from the right side of
the box and from 14 yards out.
It was the second dramatic victory in as many games for Akron,
which improved to 6-1-2 on the season. The Zips last defeated
Cleveland State, 2-1, in double overtime thanks to a goal from
junior Stefan Ostergren coming in the 108th minute last
weekend.
"There's something special about this team," said UA head coach Caleb
Porter. "Sometimes they frustrate you because they don't always
play to their potential. But they find a way to win and there's
something very special about that."
After playing to a scoreless tie in the first half, the Zips took
control behind a swarming defense, which held Stony Brook (2-7-1)
to just one shot for the game, and an aggressive offensive attack,
which owned a 15-1 shot advantage overall, to frustrate the
Seawolves.
Stony Brook was flagged for six yellow cards and played a man short
after Mihailo Pavlisin received a red card with little more than
three minutes left in regulation. Akron also owned a 4-0 edge in
shots on goal for the game.
"The second half was as dominating a half on both sides of the ball
as we have played this season," Porter said. "But I give a lot of
credit to Stony Brook. They are a spirited team who played with a
lot of heart and gave us a great fight. But I think this game shows
how far we've come from the Missouri State game."
With the shutout – UA's sixth in nine games this year –
goalkeeper Evan Bush inched closer to the MAC's career
record. The senior tri-captain has now posted 41 shutouts in an
Akron uniform and is just one short of matching the league mark of
42, set by Scott Vallow (Bowling Green, 1995-98).
The Zips will jump back into Mid-American Conference play next
Saturday at Northern Illinois with a game starting at 8:30 p.m.
(EST).
Zips Notebook: Saturday's game was the first ever
meeting between Akron and Stony Brook ... UA improved to 35-2-3
(.913) at Lee Jackson Field since the 2005 season and 24-2-2 (.893)
under Porter, who is in his third season at the helm ... the school
record for most shutouts in a season is 15 (in 23 games), set by
the 2005 club ... With the gamewinner, Zakuani eclipsed his season
goals total from a year ago. The Zips' talented forward and Hermann
Trophy candidate has recorded seven goals in nine games in
2008.
