The University of Akron Athletics
Men's Soccer Lands Two on All-America First Team
December 12 | Men's Soccer
- University of Akron juniors Darlington
Nagbe and Kofi
Sarkodie have each been named to the All-America First
Team, the NSCAA announced this week.
It is the second consecutive year Nagbe, who is one of three
finalists for the Hermann Trophy, has achieved All-America status
after being named to the second team last season. He becomes just
the 11th player in school history to receive All-American
recognition in multiple years. It is the first honor for Sarkodie,
who is a two-time, Academic First Team All-American and the 2010
Academic All-America of the Year.
Moreover, it is the third straight year the Zips have landed at
least two players on the All-America list, following Teal
Bunbury, Anthony
Ampaipitakwong and Nagbe in 2009; and Ampaipitakwong and
Steve
Zakuani in 2008. In all, UA has recorded eight NSCAA
All-Americans under fifth-year head coach Caleb
Porter, the 2009 NSCAA National Coach of the Year.
Nagbe and Sarkodie have helped lead Akron (21-1-2) to the national
championship game for the second consecutive season after earning a
2-1 victory over Michigan in the NCAA semifinal Friday night at
Harder Stadium. With a header in the 74th minute, Sarkodie netted
his eighth goal of the campaign, representing a career high, and
his fifth game-winning goal of the year.
The third-seeded Zips will face top-seeded Louisville (20-0-3)
Sunday at Harder Stadium at 4 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2. Akron is
attempting to win the school's first national championship in any
sport.
