The University of Akron Athletics
Men's Soccer Jumps Back Into MAC Play At Northern Illinois Saturday
October 12 | Men's Soccer
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AKRON, Ohio – Unbeaten in its last six matches, the No. 3 University of Akron men's soccer team will head to Northern Illinois Saturday for a key Mid-American Conference match-up. The Zips and Huskies will kick off at 1 p.m. (ET) at NIU Soccer Complex in Dekalb, Ill.
Match #12: No. 3 Akron (8-1-2, 3-0-0 MAC) at Northern Illinois (3-6-2, 2-0-0 MAC)
Date/Time: Oct. 13, 2012 • 1:00 p.m. ET
Venue: NIU Soccer Complex • Dekalb, Ill.
Match Notes: Akron at Northern Illinois (PDF)
Televison: None • Radio: None
Live Stats: NIUHuskies.com • Video Stream: NIUHuskies.com (subscription)
Poll Position
• The Zips are ranked No. 3 in four of the five major polls, including the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
• Soccer America, Top Drawer Soccer and Soccer Times also have Akron third while College Soccer News ranks the Zips No. 6.
In The MAC
• Akron and Northern Illinois will meet in a battle for first place in the MAC Saturday. The Zips, who enter play with a 3-0 record in the league, and the Huskies, who own a 2-0 mark, represent the only two schools with perfect records in the conference.
• New MAC member West Virginia, which hosts Hartwick Sunday, is currently in third place at 2-0-1 while Western Michigan (1-1-1), whom the Zips will host on Nov. 3, is tied with the Hawks (1-1-0) for fourth place in the league.
• The 2012 MAC Tournament, which will consist of a semifinal round and final, will be hosted by the regular-season champion from Nov. 9-11.
About Northern Illinois
• The Huskies began the year winless in their first five matches (0-3-2) after a 3-1 season-opening loss at then-ranked No. 3 Creighton.
• Since that time, the defending Mid-American Conference Tournament champions have gone 3-3-0, including league victories over Florida Atlantic (2-0) and Hartwick (1-0).
• NIU held No. 4 Marquette scoreless for 79 minutes in Milwaukee Monday before allowing the decisive strike in the 80th minute. The 1-0 setback snapped the Huskies' modest two-game win streak and dropped Northern Illinois to 0-3 on the season versus top-10 teams. NIU also suffered a 3-0 setback at then-ranked No. 5 New Mexico last month.
• Junior midfielder Gael Rivera, who has found the back of the net four times, is one of two multiple-goal scorers for the Huskies. Junior striker James Stevenson is second on the team with three goals and two assists.
Northern Illinois Series Notes
• Saturday's match represents the 23rd all-time meeting between the Zips and Huskies in a series that dates back to the 1990 season. UA, which has defeated NIU in its last seven matches and is unbeaten in its last eight, leads the series, 18-3-1.
• Northern Illinois is the only MAC school to defeat Akron under Porter's watch. The Huskies accomplished the feat twice during the coach's first year in 2006. Both matches were 1-0 setbacks in Dekalb.
• Darren Mattocks scored a pair of first-half goals to lead the Zips to a 2-0 victory over the Huskies in the teams' last meeting in Akron last fall. It was a dominant performance in all for UA, which out-shot NIU 13-3, including a 6-1 advantage on frame.
Zips Reset
• Akron used a pair of first-half goals to earn its fifth straight win and sixth straight shutout in a 2-0 decision at Penn State Wednesday.
• Junior Reinaldo Brenes stayed hot by recording his third-straight consecutive game-winning goal in the match's 28th minute. It continued an amazing run for the Costa Rican striker, who has now netted six goals in his last three contests after scoring one in his first 32 career games.
• Hermann Trophy candidate Scott Caldwell netted his team-leading seventh goal of the season on a penalty kick in the 42nd minute after Eric Stevenson was brought down in the box to give the Zips some breathing room.
• For the match, the Zips out-shot the Nittany Lions 12-10 overall and 5-3 on frame.
• In all, it was just Akron's fourth win at Penn State all-time in a series that dates back to the 1978 season.
Chasing History
• While Akron has long been dominant in the Mid-American Conference with an all-time record of 120-18-11 (.842) since joining the league in 1993, the Zips will have the opportunity to make history this season as they attempt to run down another NCAA record.
• Since the start of the 2007 season, UA has gone unbeaten against the MAC (including postseason play) in 41 consecutive matches (38-0-3), which represents the longest current streak in the country and the third-longest in NCAA history.
• Furman set the all-time standard of 46 straight matches from 1999 to 2003 while Clemson's run of 42 straight from 1972-80 is second-highest on the list.
