The University of Akron Athletics
No. 1 Men's Soccer to Host Michigan on STO Tuesday
October 18 | Men's Soccer
The No. 1 University of Akron men's soccer team will look to
remain unbeaten in 2010 when Big Ten Conference opponent Michigan
comes to newly renovated Lee R. Jackson Soccer Field Tuesday. The
Zips and Wolverines will kick off at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on SportsTime
Ohio.
Match #13: No. 1 Akron (11-0-1) vs. Michigan (8-3-3)
Tuesday, Oct. 19 • 7:30 p.m. (ET) | Lee R. Jackson
Soccer Field • Akron, Ohio
Radio: None. | Television: SportsTime Ohio.
Internet Stream: Zips Zone | Live Stats: GoZips.com
Akron vs. Michigan on STO
Tuesday's game will be broadcast live on SportsTime
Ohio. Steve French (play-by-play) and
Simon Spelling (color) will have the call. It will
be the first of two matches during UA's current four-game homestand
that will be broadcast regionally on the network. STO will also
carry the Zips' home match against Creighton on Wed., Oct. 27.
A re-broadcast of the game will appear on STO this Wednesday at
Noon as well as Thursday morning at 5 a.m.
SportsTime Ohio is a Northern Ohio-based regional sports network
reaching 2.8 million homes statewide, plus an additional 3 million
homes in bordering states and on satellite via AT&T U-verse,
DirecTV and Dish Network. For channel listings, visit SportsTimeOhio.com.
Zips Reset
Fueled by Darren
Mattocks' first career hat trick, Akron made quick work of
Buffalo in a 4-0 shutout victory to kick off the Zips' homestand
last Saturday. Mattocks scored twice in the first half and once
again in the second as UA out-shot UB, 22-2, and controlled the
game from start to finish.
• The game marked the 100th of UA head coach Caleb
Porter's career. Porter has posted an overall record of 79-12-9
in four-plus years at Akron, including a 23-1-1 mark in MAC
play.
• A pair of Zips were recognized nationally for their efforts
last week. Mattocks was named National Player of the Week by Top
Drawer Soccer (TDS) while Michael
Nanchoff, who netted the game-winning goal in each match last
week, was named to TDS's National Team of the Week. Mattocks was
also named to the National Team of the Week by College Soccer News
Monday.
• With the win, Akron extended its league unbeaten streak to
27 (25-0-2) games, which is the third-longest run in NCAA history.
Furman set the NCAA standard with a 46-game streak from
1999-2003.
Akron Claims Top NCAA RPI Ranking
UA grabbed the top ranking in the first release of the
NCAA RPI index, which was distributed last Tuesday.
• The RPI -- Ratings Percentage Index -- is the most important
of the criteria the NCAA uses to determine the 48-team field for
the NCAA Division I Men's Tournament. The RPI is a mathematical
formula designed to objectively compare results and strength of
schedule.
• Starting Tuesday night, two of UA's next three matches will
have especially strong RPI implications as Michigan is ranked No.
43 and Creighton, which pays visit on Oct. 27, is ranked No.
14.
• The Zips will also travel to Michigan State, which are
ranked No. 5 on the RPI list, on Nov. 3 in the second-to-last
regular season game of the fall.
About Michigan
The Wolverines (8-3-3, 2-2-0 Big Ten) come to town following a 2-1
defeat at Indiana. The Hoosiers jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a
pair of first-half goals before U-M freshman Soony Saad scored his
team-leading 11th goal of the season to cut the deficit in half.
But that's as close as Michigan would get as it fell to 1-1-2 on
the road this season. The defeat snapped a four-game win streak for
the Wolverines, who started the year 3-1-3.
Michigan and Akron have shared three common opponents thus far this
fall. U-M defeated Oakland (2-1) and Cincinnati (2-0) while
enduring a 1-0 defeat to then-ranked No. 23 Ohio State.
Michigan Series Notes
Tuesday's game will mark the ninth meeting between Akron
and Michigan and the fifth time they have met at Lee R. Jackson
Soccer Field. The Zips, who lead the all-time series, 5-3-0, have
won four of the last five meetings including a 5-1 victory in Ann
Arbor, Mich., last fall. UA is a perfect 4-0-0 against U-M in Akron
since the start of the series in 2003.
Last Time Vs. Michigan
Darlington
Nagbe recorded the first hat trick of his career to lead the
Zips to a 5-1 victory over the Wolverines in Ann Arbor last year.
It was a monster game for Nagbe, who also added an assist, as Akron
defeated Michigan for the first time on the road in four
chances.
Nagbe assisted the first goal of the game then scored twice in less
than a minute as Akron took a 3-0 lead into halftime. The
midfielder then completed UA's first hat trick of the year with a
goal in the 63rd minute to close out the scoring.
Eventual Hermann Trophy winner Teal
Bunbury and Michael
Nanchoff accounted for the Zips' other two goals as Akron
out-shot Michigan, 22-8. Current senior Justin Meram scored U-M's
lone goal in the 48th minute.
Young Guns
Tuesday's match-up with feature the top two scoring freshmen in the
nation in Akron's Darren
Mattocks and Michigan's Soony Saad. Saad is fifth in the nation
in scoring (0.85 goals/game) while Mattocks is tied for sixth place
(0.83). No other freshman cracks the top 15.
Porter vs. The Big Ten
Akron is 11-4-5 (.675) all-time versus teams from the Big
Ten Conference under fifth-year head coach Caleb
Porter, who played and coached at Indiana prior to arriving on
campus in 2006.
• The Zips are 9-1-3 vs. the Big Ten since 2008, including a
2-2 tie at then-ranked No. 19 Ohio State and last Wednesday's 2-1
double overtime victory at Penn State this fall.
• The only Big Ten school to defeat UA during that run was
Northwestern, which edged the Zips 1-0 in the third round of the
NCAA Tournament in 2008.
• Akron went a perfect 5-0-0 against the Big Ten last fall as
part of its NCAA record-tying 23-game winning streak.
• The only two schools to score on the Zips this season are
from the Big Ten; Ohio State (2-2 tie) and Penn State (2-1
win).
Dominant Soccer
The Zips enter the week ranked No. 1 in team
goals-against-average (0.24) and No. 2 in team offense (2.67
goals/game). They are one of just three schools nationally (UCONN
and Butler are the others) to be ranked in the top 15 for both
offense and defense. UA has allowed just three goals this season,
which is the fewest of any school in the country.
