The University of Akron Athletics
No. 1 Men's Soccer Readies for Va. Tech, NIU
October 12 | Men's Soccer
The top-ranked University of Akron men's soccer team will
attempt to continue its winning ways when it tries to tackle two
tough opponents this week in Virginia Tech and Northern
Illinois
The Zips will head to Blackburg, Va. for a 7 p.m. kickoff against
the Hokies Tuesday night before returning to Lee Jackson Field for
Huskies Saturday starting at 7:30 p.m.
Game 12: No. 1/1 Akron (11-0-0) at Virginia Tech
(3-6-2)
Tuesday, Oct. 13 • 7:00 p.m. (EST) •
Thompson Field • Blacksburg, Va.
Live Stats: www.HokieSports.com
Game 13: No. 1/1 Akron (11-0-0, 3-0-0 MAC)
vs. Northern Illinois (6-5-1, 1-1-0 MAC)
Saturday, Oct. 17 • 7:30 p.m. (EST) • Lee
Jackson Field • Akron, Ohio
Live Stats: www.GoZips.com
Series Side Notes
• Akron, which has had a soccer program since 1955,
has never faced Virginia Tech.
• The Zips are 6-10 all-time versus schools from the Atlantic
Coast Conference (Clemson, 1-0; Duke, 0-3; Maryland, 1-1; North
Carolina, 1-2; N.C. State, 0-1; Virginia, 2-1; Wake Forest,
1-2).
• Akron and Northern Illinois will be squaring off for the
19th time Saturday. The Zips own a 14-3-1 (.806) lead in the
all-time series and have out-scored NIU, 39-13.
• UA has won its last three meetings with NIU and were 2-0
versus the Huskies in 2008. Akron defeated Northern Illinois 4-0 in
DeKalb during the regular season and then topped NIU, 1-0 (2OT), in
the MAC Tournament finals at Lee Jackson Field.
• The Zips are 8-1-1 (.850) all-time versus the Huskies at Lee
Jackson Field.
Scouting the Hokies
Virginia Tech enters the week with a 3-6-2 overall record and
riding a three-game losing streak, but those figures can be
deceiving as the Hokies have played a difficult schedule thus far
in the highly competitive Atlantic Coast Conference. Of Virginia
Tech's six losses this season, four have come against top 25
schools; No. 25 UMBC (1-3), No. 3 South Florida (0-1), No. 6 Wake
Forest (1-5) and No. 11 Maryland (1-2). In its other top 25
contest, the Hokies knocked off No. 18 NC State, 2-0, at Thompson
Field on Sept. 27.
For the season, Virginia Tech, which is 2-3-1 away from home, is
averaging 11.4 shots and 1.18 goals per game.
Scouting the Huskies
Northern Illinois (6-5-1, 1-1-0 MAC) will have a week to prepare
for Akron in a rematch of last year's MAC Tournament final. The
Huskies are 0-2-1 versus teams in the top 25, highlighted by a 1-1
tie with then-ranked No. 1 North Carolina in the opening weekend of
the season. Since then, NIU dropped 1-0 decisions to Tulsa and
Northwestern at home. The Huskies have out-scored opponents 10-1 in
the first half and 19-9 overall in 2009 and are led offensively by
Luis De La Cerda, who has totaled five goals and one assist.
Goalkeeper Jordan Godsey will enter play with a 6-4-1 record and a
GAA of 0.62. As a team, NIU is averaging 13.1 shots and 1.58 goals
per game.
Northern Illinois, which defeated Buffalo 1-0 last weeknd after
suffering a 0-1 setback to Hartwick the previous week, is 3-2-1 in
away and neutral games in 2009.
Last Year versus NIU
UA went 2-0 against NIU last season, including a match-up
in the Mid-American Conference Tournament finals. In their
regular-season match-up, Steve Zakuani recorded the
first hat trick of his career to lead the Zips to a 4-0 victory in
DeKalb. Backed by Zakuani's first goal of the game, Akron took a
2-0 lead into the intermission and never looked back. Goalkeeper Evan
Bush logged all 90 minutes, recording three saves, to match the
MAC record for career shutouts (42).
While UA's offense was on full display in their first meeting, it
was a much different story in the postseason when the Zips and
Huskies battled less than ideal weather conditions - with winds
gusting up to 17 miles per hour and a steady snow fall - at Lee
Jackson Field. But once again, it was Zakuani who was the hero, as
the striker broke away from the NIU backline in the 104th minute to
net the game-winner and propel the Zips to their sixth MAC
Tournament crown.
Poll Position
When the NSCAA and Soccer Times polls are released
Tuesday, the Zips are expected to once again be the consensus No. 1
team in the nation for the fourth straight week. As it currently
stands, UA owns the top spot according to Soccer America, Top
Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News.
While all five polls are reputable, it is important to note that
the NCAA recognizes the NSCAA/adidas and Soccer America polls in
its final standings.
Zips' Recap
Akron continued to roll along with a 3-1 win at UIC and a
4-0 decision at Western Michigan last week. After playing to a
scoreless draw for the majority of the game, the Zips scored three
times in the final 20 minutes to knock off the Flames. UA's Blair
Gavin scored in the 72nd minute, Kofi Sarkodie found the net
in the 86th minute and Teal Bunbury netted the
game's final goal in the 89th minute as the Zips posted advantages
over UIC for shots (12-5) and shots on goal (9-2).
UA's offense stayed hot with four goals at Western Michigan for the
team's seventh win away from home and its ninth shutout in 11
games. Junior Anthony Ampaipitakwong gave
the Zips all the offense they would need with the first
multiple-goal performance of his UA career. The midfielder scored
the first two goals of the game - both before halftime - then
assisted another to keep Akron's perfect season intact.
Sophomore Michael Nanchoff (50th
minute) and Teal Bunbury (56th minute)
also found the net for Akron.
Ampaipitawkong Named to TDS Team of the
Week
Following his big game at Western Michigan, Anthony Ampaipitakwong
was named to Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week. The
junior nearly defeated the Western Michigan Broncos by himself with
the first two goals of the 4-0 UA win and an assist to boot.
Ampaipitakwong, an NSCAA All-American in 2008 and preseason College
Soccer News All-American this fall, is the third Akron player to be
recognized by Top Drawer Soccer this season and the eighth to earn
national weekly honors overall. Junior Chris Korb was named to TDS'
national team of the week on Sept. 7 while sophomore Teal
Bunbury earned the same designation on Sept. 21.
Ampaipitakwong has three goals, including a pair of game-winners,
and three assists in 11 games this season.
Bunbury Picks Up MAC Honors For Second Time
Sophomore Teal Bunbury has been named
Mid-American Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Week for the
second time this season, the league office announced Monday.
Bunbury helped the top-ranked Zips keep their perfect season intact
last week with two goals and an assist in a pair of road wins at
UIC (3-1) and Western Michigan (4-0). Bunbury added a breakaway
goal against the Flames Wednesday before scoring a goal and
assisting another against the Broncos Saturday.
Bunbury has been on an incredible run lately with eight goals in
his last six games. With nine goals - including a pair of
game-winners - in 11 games for the campaign, the athletic striker
is just two behind the pace set by Steve Zakuani, who netted 11
goals through the first 11 contests last year en route to leading
the nation with 20 goals in 2008.
At little more than the midway point in the season, Bunbury has
already far surpassed his total of six goals scored in 23 games
last year while matching his mark of three assists. Bunbury, who
was also named MAC Player of the Week on Sept. 14, is the fourth UA
player to garner league honors this year. He was also named to Top
Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week on Sept. 21.
Bunbury, the son of former professional soccer player Alex Bunbury,
has scored at least one goal in his last three games and leads the
Zips with three multiple-goal contests on the year. He is currently
ranked seventh in the nation for goals per game (0.82) and ninth
for points per game (1.91).
Akron Matches Best Start in Program History
When the Zips take the field Tuesday night, they will have
the opportunity to do what no other Akron team has done: win its
first 12 games of the season.
With a 4-0 victory at Western Michigan last Saturday, UA matched
the mark, which originally set in 2005. That 2005 squad won its
first 11 matches then played then-ranked No. 4 St. John's to a 2-2
tie on the road. That was the team's lone blemish until enduring a
0-1 setback in overtime at No. 5 Indiana in the regular-season
finalé, snapping a string of 17 straight undefeated
matches.
UA advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Championships that year
where it was defeated by the eventual national champions Maryland
on penalty kicks.
Tracking the Zips
Akron enters the week ranked No. 1 in the nation in
several major categories, including scoring offense (3.0
goals/game), team goals-against-average (0.18), shutout percentage
(0.82) and winning percentage (1.000). The Zips are also ranked
11th in save percentage (0.882).
Defending The Homefront
When NIU comes to town Saturday, the Zips will have the
opportunity to improve on their impressive home record, which now
stands at 45-2-4 (.922) since 2005. Moreover, Akron is a perfect
4-0 at Lee Jackson Field this season where they are undefeated in
their last 16 contests (15 wins, one tie) overall and in their last
27 regular-season matches (25 wins, two ties).
Akron's last home loss during the regular season came at the hands
of the Indiana Hoosiers (0-2), who were ranked 20th in the nation
at the time, in 2006.
Zips Notebook
• Sophomore defender Kofi Sarkodie assisted in
the Zips' ninth shutout of the season at Western Michigan last week
while also having a hand in all three goals scored at UIC. Sarkodie
notched the game-winner - his first of the season and second of his
career - and assisting two other goals against the Flames.
• Sophomore midfielder Michael Nanchoff assisted a
goal against UIC then scored one against Western Michigan to extend
his current streak to eight straight games with at least one point.
During that time, Nanchoff, who is ranked second in the country
with an average of 0.73 assists per game, has recorded three goals
and nine assists.
• True freshman goalkeeper David Meves leads the nation
with a goals-against-average of 0.186 and is ranked 11th in save
percentage (0.882).
• UA has received goals from 10 different players in 2009 and
game-winning goals from seven different players. Of those 10
players, nine have found the net two or more times.
• The Zips have yet to allow a goal in the first half this
season, out-scoring opponents 18-0 before the intermission. In
fact, the last UA opponent to score in the first half was Oakland
(in a game eventually won by Akron, 2-1) on Oct. 8, 2008. Since
then, Akron has gone 23 games without allowing a goal in the
opening period.
• Along those lines, the last time the Zips trailed at the
intermission was against Ohio State on Sept. 26, 2007 in a game
that ended in a 1-1 tie. In fact, Akron has gone 47 games since it
trailed at half. The Zips are 38-0-0 when leading at the break
under fourth-year head coach Caleb Porter.
• The Zips are limiting foes to an average of 3.8 shots and
2.5 corner kicks per game.
• Akron has out-shot its opponents, 182-42, in 2009 including
a 105-12 margin in the first half.
