The University of Akron Athletics
Men's Soccer Heads To Buffalo As MAC Race Heats Up
October 17 | Men's Soccer
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AKRON, Ohio – The No. 23 University of Akron men's soccer team will return to The Empire State for a Mid-American Conference match at Buffalo Friday night. The Zips and Bulls will kick off at 8 p.m. ET at UB Stadium.
Match #13: No. 23 Akron Zips (9-3-0, 2-1-0 MAC) at Buffalo Bulls (2-8-3, 1-2-0 MAC)
Date/Time: Oct. 18, 2013 • 8:00 p.m. ET
Venue: UB Stadium • Buffalo, N.Y.
Match Notes: Akron at Buffalo (PDF)
Televison: None • Radio: None
Live Stats: BuffaloBulls.com • Video Stream: MAC-Sports.com (Free)
Tracking The Zips
• Buffalo Athletics will provide a free video stream (MAC-Sports.com) and live stats (BuffaloBulls.com) for Friday's match.
• Follow @ZipsMSoc on Twitter for updates throughout the match as well as for insider access throughout the season.
Zips Reset
• Akron recorded its first signature win of the fall last Tuesday night by defeating No. 15 Wake Forest, 1-0, at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field.
• Sophomore Matt Foldesy was tackled from behind in the penalty area and senior Aodhan Quinn converted the ensuing penalty kick for the match's lone goal in the 42nd minute. It was Quinn's second game-winner of the year (Col. of Charleston) and the fifth of his Akron career.
• The win snapped the Demon Deacons' seven-match unbeaten streak and was just the third time their high-powered attack had been shutout all season.
• Freshman goalkeeper Fernando Pina finished with five saves – including four stops in the second half – to notch his sixth clean sheet of the fall.
• It was a quality result for Akron, who secured its first win against a nationally-ranked opponent in 2013.
MAC Race Heating Up
• Akron, Bowling Green and Hartwick each sit in a three-way tie for first place in the MAC standings with identical 2-1 conference records and six points.
• The Zips will play two of their last three league games on the road: at Buffalo (Oct. 18), vs. Northern Illinois (Oct. 26) and at Western Michigan (Nov. 9).
• The Hawks, who defeated Akron and West Virginia in their first two league matches, will host Western Michigan (Oct. 19) and Northern Illinois (Nov. 2) and play at Bowling Green (Oct. 26).
• The remainder of BGSU's league schedule plays out this way: at home versus Hartwick (Oct. 26) and on the road versus Western Michigan (Nov. 2) and West Virginia (Nov. 8).
• The winner of the MAC regular-season championship earns the right to host the MAC Tournament and is awarded the top seed. The semifinals and final of the MAC Tournament will be played on Nov. 15 and No. 17, respectively. The winner of the MAC Tournament earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.
About Akron
• The Zips have won six of their last seven matches overall and enter play with a 5-1 record in away/neutral contests.
• All but two of UA's matches this season have been decided by one goal, including 10 of its last 11. The Zips are 8-2 in one-goal games this fall after going 7-0 in that scenario a year ago.
• Akron entered the week ranked 19th in the nation for goals-against-average (0.64) and has held opponents to one goal or less 10 times in 12 matches. UA recorded three consecutive shutouts from Sept. 21-29.
• The Zips are out-scoring opponents 6-1 in the first half and are 5-0-0 when leading at the break. Akron is also 8-1-0 this season when scoring first.
About Buffalo
• The Bulls snapped a four-match losing streak last Tuesday night with a 2-1 victory at home against Hartwick.
• It was a particularly good result for the Zips as it was the Hawks' first conference loss of the season. As a result, hosting the MAC Tournament and defending its eighth-consecutive regular-season championship is now back in play for Akron.
• Other MAC results for Buffalo include losses to Bowling Green (1-0) and Western Michigan (4-0).
• The Bulls share just one other like opponent with Akron to date. UB posted a 1-0 victory at Cleveland State on Sept. 22.
• Freshman Russell Cicerone has scored half of Buffalo's eight goals this fall and owns both game-winners.
Buffalo Series Notes
• Friday's game will represent the 25th meeting between the Zips and Bulls. Akron leads the all-time series 22-1-1 (.938) and is unbeaten in its last 17 meetings (16-0-1) with Buffalo.
• UA notched a 4-0 win against UB last fall at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field. It was a breakout game for Reinaldo Brenes, who recorded the first hat trick of his career in the rout. Brenes scored all three goals in the first 38 minutes of the match.
• Akron is 7-1 all-time at Buffalo in a series that dates back to the 1996 season.
Up Next
• UA will return home for a brief two-game homestand against Michigan State (Oct. 23) and Northern Illinois (Oct. 26). The Zips and Spartans will kick off at 7 p.m. next Wednesday.
Tickets can be purchased online anytime at ZipsTickets.com, or from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET on Mondays through Fridays by either calling 1-888-99-AKRON (25766) or visiting The C.P. and Cornelia S. Chima Athletics Ticket Office at InfoCision Stadium - Summa Field (located at 375 E. Exchange Street, near Gate 1 at the southwest corner of the venue, at the corner of E. Exchange and S. Union streets).
