The University of Akron Athletics
Men's Soccer To Host Big Ten Champ No. 17 Michigan State Wednesday
October 22 | Men's Soccer
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AKRON, Ohio – The No. 18 University of Akron men's soccer team will host Big Ten Champion No. 17 Michigan State Wednesday night at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field. The Zips and Spartans will kick off at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Match #14: No. 18 Akron Zips (10-3-0) vs. No. 17 Michigan State Spartans (8-2-2)
Date/Time: Oct. 23, 2013 • 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field • Akron, Ohio
Match Notes: Akron vs. Michigan State (PDF)
Televison: None • Radio: FOX Sports 1350 AM (WARF)
Live Stats: GoZips.com • Video Stream: MAC-Sports.com (Free)
Tracking The Zips
• Zips Athletics will provide a free video stream (MAC-Sports.com) and live stats (GoZips.com) for Wednesday's match.
• Follow @ZipsMSoc on Twitter for updates throughout the match as well as for insider access throughout the season.
On The Air Waves
• Wednesday's match will air live on FOX Sports 1350 AM (WARF) with the pre-game show starting at 6:45 p.m. ET.
• Longtime voice of the Zips' Steve French will handle play-by-play duties, while former Akron All-American Simon Spelling will provide analysis.
Zips Reset
• Akron notched its second straight 1-0 victory last Friday night in picking up a double-overtime win at Buffalo.
• Freshman Adam Najem bagged the Golden Goal in the 108th minute by finishing a cross from the right side of the field by Saad Abdul-Salaam. With the win, the Zips secured sole possession of first place in the Mid-American Conference regular-season standings.
• Freshman goalkeeper Fernando Pina made a highlight-reel worthy save of Kristian Lee-Him's liner in the 82nd minute to send the match to overtime.
• The Zips out-shot the Bulls 18-9 overall and 9-2 on goal. UA also won eight corner kick's to UB's two.
• Akron was forced to play without leading goal scorer Reinaldo Brenes and starting left back Robbie Derschang due to injuries.
MAC Race Taking Shape
• Friday's win at Buffalo – coupled with Hartwick's 1-0 loss to Western Michigan – left the Zips all alone at the top of the MAC standings with a 3-1-0 record.
• WMU, which has only played two league games to date, is currently in second place with a 2-0 conference record. Bowling Green follows in third with a mark of 2-1-0.
• In all, the Zips have two league matches remaining on their schedule. Following Saturday night's match against the Huskies, Akron will wrap up the regular season at Western Michigan on Nov. 9. A win against NIU Saturday will guarantee a spot for UA in the MAC Tournament.
• The Broncos will play at West Virginia and Bowling Green plays at Western Michigan Saturday.
• 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.
Akron Versus The Big Ten
• UA swept the regular-season schedule against the Big Ten Conference for the third time in four seasons last fall, posting a record of 5-0.
• In all, Akron is 23-4-4 (.806) all-time versus teams from the Big Ten since 2007. During that time, the Zips have out-scored their competition, 58-20.
• UA defeated Ohio State on Sept. 24 by a count of 1-0 at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field.
About Akron
• The Zips, who enter the week ranked No. 33 in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), have won seven of their last eight matches while conceding just four goals during that stretch.
• As a team, Akron is ranked ninth in the country with a goals-against average of 0.58 with eight goals allowed in 13 matches.
• UA has also logged seven shutouts this fall and is ranked 11th in the NCAA with a shutout percentage of 0.54. Only eight teams in the country have recorded more clean sheets than Akron this season. Army (10-1-1), Furman (10-1-2), Georgetown (10-3-1) and Northwestern (8-3-3) are tied for the nation's lead in shutouts with nine.
• All but two of UA's 13 matches have been decided by one goal, including 11 of its last 12. Moreover, nearly half (7) have been 1-0 results. In total, the Zips are 9-2 in one-goal games this fall.
• Najem has scored three goals in his last three matches and netted game-winners at Cleveland State (Oct. 9) and Buffalo (Oct. 18). With three goals and two assists, Najem is third on the team with eight points.
• Six different Zips have scored at least one goal and five different players have recorded at least one game winner in 2013.
• 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 9-1-0 this season when scoring first.
About Michigan State
• The Spartans suffered just their second loss of the season at home Sunday to then-ranked No. 17 Penn State in a 2-1, double-overtime decision. The setback snapped an eight-match unbeaten streak that saw Michigan State go 6-0-2 during that time.
• MSU, which boasts an RPI of 12, is 1-1-1 against nationally-ranked foes overall this fall. The Spartans defeated No. 5 Northwestern 3-2 in double overtime on Oct. 6 and played No. 3 Creighton to a 2-2 draw on Sept. 24.
• Michigan State has gone 3-1-1 against shared Akron opponents to date: Western Michigan (W, 4-0), Bowling Green (W, 1-0), Northern Illinois (W, 2-0), Ohio State (T, 1-1), Penn State (L, 2-1).
• As a team, the Spartans own the 24th-best scoring offense in the nation, averaging 1.92 goals per game. MSU is also ranked 20th with a goals-against-average of 0.70.
• Junior forward Tim Kreutz leads the club with seven goals scored in 12 matches. Sophomore Zach Bennett has logged all 1,150 minutes in net and enters play with a 0.70 GAA.
Michigan State Series Notes
• Wednesday's game represents the 38th meeting between the Zips and Spartans. Akron leads the all-time series 26-11-1 (.689) and is 13-6 in home games against MSU since 1962.
• Akron saw its NCAA record-setting, 48-match home unbeaten streak come to an end the last time Michigan State played at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field in 2011. The Spartans scored the match's only goal in the 87th minute to hand the Zips their first home loss since 2007.
• UA earned a 1-0 win in the teams' last meeting in East Lansing last October. Robbie Derschang scored the game-winner in the 48th minute and Zips goalkeeper David Meves made three saves to became the NCAA's all-time shutouts leader with the 51st clean sheet of his career.
Up Next
• Akron's two-game homestand continues Saturday when Northern Illinois pays visit to FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field. The Zips and Huskies will kick at 7 p.m. ET.
Ticket Information
Tickets to Zips men's soccer matches 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).
