The University of Akron Athletics
Akron set to battle Western Michigan in MAC Championship semifinal
November 13 | Men's Soccer
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GAMENOTES IN PDF
Match #19: Western Michigan (8-6-4) at Akron (11-6-1)
Friday, Nov. 14, 2014 • 7 p.m. ET
FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field (5,000) • Akron, Ohio
Game 1: Bowling Green vs. West Virginia | Webstream | Live Stats
Game 2: Western Michigan at Akron | Webstream | Live Stats
THIS WEEK
Top-seeded Akron begins its quest for its 11th Mid-American Conference Championship title battling fourth-seeded Western Michigan on Friday, Nov. 14, in the semifinals of the MAC Championship. Game time at FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field is set for 7 p.m. and will follow the conclusion of the other semifinal at 4 p.m. pitting second-seeded West Virginia versus third-seeded Bowling Green.
Under the guidance of second-year head coach Jared Embick, the Zips stand 11-6-1 overall and 4-1 in MAC play after a 4-0 triumph past Buffalo this past Saturday, Nov. 8.
After 18 matches, sophomore midfielder Adam Najem (Clifton, N.J.) is the Zips' leading scorer with 11 goals, four assists, and 26 points. Freshman forward Stuart Holthusen (Auckland, New Zealand) follows with four goals, four assists, and 12 points. In goal, junior Jake Fenlason (San Diego, Calif.) has started all 17 games and has a 0.76 goals-against average. He has seven shutouts, 68 saves in nearly 1,700 minutes of action.
The Western Michigan Broncos, under the tutelage of second-year head coach Chad Wiseman, stand 8-6-4 overall and 2-2-1 in MAC play after suffering a 2-1 home setback against West Virginia this past Saturday, Nov. 8.
After 18 matches, Junior midfielder Nick Wysong is the team leader with four goals, four assists, and 12 points. Junior defender Connor Furgason and junior midfielder Sean Conerty follow with 10 points apiece. Furgason has four goals and two assists, while Conerty has a team-best and MAC-best 10 assists. In goal, junior Chase Rau has 37 saves and a 1.42 GAA in 12 starts.
AKRON-WESTERN MICHIGAN: THE SERIES
Friday night's game is the 38th meeting between Akron and Western Michigan in series history (since 1975). The Zips lead, 32-3-2.
The Broncos registered only their third-ever triumph over the Zips earlier this season on Oct. 25 as a goal by Jason Grant in the 31st minute (30:55) proved to be the game-winning tally.
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
Akron maintains an 25-8-5 mark in 38 matches in MAC Championship history, including 2-0 under head coach Jared Embick.
AKRON-WESTERN MICHIGAN MAC CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
The Zips have met Western Michigan nine times in MAC Championship play with Akron owning a 6-1-2 mark in those encounters, including 4-0-1 at FirstEnergy Stadium-Cub Cadet Field. The Zips won the last tournament contest between the two schools, 4-1, in the championship game of the 2013 MAC Championship on Nov. 17, 2013, at FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field.
LAST GAME: AKRON 4, BUFFALO 0
The Akron men's soccer team earned its 10th-consecutive Mid-American Conference regular-season title and 17 title overall on the strength of a 4-0 victory past Buffalo on Saturday, Nov. 8, at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field.
It was only fitting on Senior Night that senior midfielder Clint Caso (Kinnelon, N.J.) delivered the game's first goal in the 13th minute (12:27) striking a header that bested Buffalo goalkeeper Waleed Cassis off a corner kick from Adam Najem. The tally represented the first career goal for Caso, while Najem collected his third assist of the season.
Najem pushed the Zips' advantage to 2-0 in the 27th minute (26:03) registering his team-leading 11th goal of the season striking a ball from the corner of the 18-yard box that found the corner of the net. Earning assists on the tally were freshman midfielder Richie Laryea (Toronto, Ontario) and junior forward Sean Sepe (West Islip, N.Y.).
The Zips posted a 9-2 advantage in shots in the initial stanza, including 2-0 on net.
Just over two minutes later in the 64th minute (63:16) redshirt freshman forward Sam Gainford (Whitehaven, England) found the back of the net for this third goal of the season off an assist from Sepe.
Freshman forward Anthony Macchione (Camas, Wash.) capped the scoring for the Zips with his second goal of the season at the 80:48 mark. Registering assists on the tally was Najem and sophomore midfielder Dener Dos Santos (Missouri City, Texas).
Akron finished the game registering a 17-5 margin shots, including 6-2 on goal. A game-high five shot performance from Gainford led the Zips.
Fenlason recorded two saves in the game for Akron en route to notching his seventh shutout of the season.
ZIPS GARNER CONFERENCE-BEST SEVEN ALL-MAC SELECTIONS
Led by sophomore midfielder Adam Najem, senior forward Saad Abdul-Salaam (Gahanna, Ohio), junior goalkeeper Jake Fenlason and junior defender Andrew Souders (Amherst, Ohio) who were selected as first-team All-Mid-American Conference men's soccer selections, seven Akron student-athletes garnered All-MAC accolades as announced by the league on Thursday (Nov. 13).
Freshman forward Stuart Holthusen, freshman midfielder Richie Laryea along with sophomore midfielder Victor Souto (Sao Paulo, Brazil) were tabbed second-team selections.
NAJEM CAPTURES TOP DRAWER SOCCER COLLEGE GOAL OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Adam Najem captured 69 percent of the votes to easily outdistance Washington's Mason Robertson for Top Drawer Soccer's College Goal of the Week. Najem registered a 2,171-876 advantage in online fan voting.
AKRON HONORS THREE SENIORS
The Zips honored seniors Clint Caso, Saad Abdul-Salaam and manager Foday Kromah prior to Akron's game versus Buffalo on Saturday, Nov. 8. Caso has appeared in 25 games at Akron, including five starts and owns a goal on eight career shots. Abdul-Salaam has started 41 of the 51 games he has played in as a Zip recording three goals and 11 assists on 49 career shots.
PAIR OF ZIPS GARNER NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Akron freshmen Richie Laryea and Bryce Cregan (Dallastown, Pa.) were recently recognized by TopDrawerSoccer.com as part of its national rankings of the top 100 freshmen in the country at the midpoint of the 2014 campaign. Laryea was tabbed at No. 26, while Cregan checked in at No. 72 in the rankings.
SMART COOKIES
Four Akron Zips were nominated for the 2014 CoSIDA Academic All-America Team. To be eligible, student-athletes must have a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.30 or better and be a starter or significant reserve. Representing the Zips are goalkeeper Jake Fenlason, midfielder Adam Najem, defender Brad Ruhaak (Akron, Ohio), and defender Andrew Sounders.
THE ROAD TO MAC CHAMPIONSHIP BEGINS
Defending MAC champion Akron opened 2014 conference play at Bowling Green. Since 1998, the Zips have won 10 conference crowns [1998, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013], as well as 17 regular-season MAC titles. UA has made 28 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the College Cup three times [1986, 2009, 2010], and the national championship game twice [2009, 2010]. Akron won the 2010 national championship.
IN THE POLLS
After being ranked at No. 19 by NCAA.com, No. 22 by Top Drawer Soccer, and No. 29 by College Soccer News (Oct. 21), Akron checks in at 27th in both the Top Drawer Soccer national poll and in the latest NCAA RPI index. The Zips are just outside the College Soccer News Top-30 poll.
SERNA CALLED TO U-23 NATIONAL TEAM
Former Akron men's soccer standout Dillon Serna was recently called up to the U-23 U.S. National Team camp in Brazil. The midfielder, who played one season with the Zips, is listed as a defender on the team's official 21-member roster.
At UA, Serna was named the 2012 Mid-American Conference Newcomer of the Year. He has played the last two seasons with the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.
The Brighton, Colo., native is no stranger to international competition. In 2011, Serna was a member of the U-17 national team and from 2012-13, he was a member of the U-20 national team. Serna played in several matches with the U-20 team, but he was not part of the final squad that competed in the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
MLS TOP 24 UNDER 24
The annual MLSsoccer.com's "24 Under 24" list has a number of familiar names on it, including the No. 1 selection defender DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders) who played two seasons for the Zips (2011-12).
At No. 9 is midfielder Will Trapp (Columbus Crew). At Akron Trapp was a two-time first-team All-MAC selection in 2011 and 2012 and a third-team NSCAA All-American in 2012.
At No. 18 in Perry Kitchen (DC United). As a freshman in 2010, Kitchen started 25 games, scoring six goals and adding one assist. He earned first-team All-MAC honors and helped UA to the 2010 National Championship. He scored an unassisted goal on an emphatic right-footed blast from 30 yards out during Akron's 2-1 win over Michigan in the national semifinal of the College Cup.
Akron has more players on the list than any other college.
ZIPS QUICK HITS
• After a disappointing 0-2-1 road trip to start the season, Akron posted four consecutive victories by an overall scoring margin of 10-2, including two shutouts.
• Junior goalkeeper Jake Fenlason continues to sit atop the Mid-American Conference, ranking first in saves (68) and shutouts (7), while sitting second in save percentage (.8295).
60th ANNIVERSARY
The 2014 season marks the 60th anniversary of the men's soccer program at the University of Akron.
UP NEXT
A victory by Akron will advance the Zips into the title game of the Mid-American Conference Championship on Sunday, Nov. 16.
NCAA SELECTION SHOW
The NCAA will announce its 64-team field for the 2014 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship on Monday, Nov. 17, at 1 p.m. on NCAA.com.
ZIPS LIVE RADIO SHOW
Every Thursday throughout the season from 7-8 p.m. ET, Akron head coaches can be heard on the weekly radio program Zips Live, presented by Lee Hyder and Associates. The show airs locally on 1350 AM (WARF) and originates from Johnny J's Pub and Grill in the Valley (1282 Weathervane Lane). A free audio stream is available on SportsRadio1350.com.
WHAT IS A ZIP?
One of the unique nicknames in collegiate athletics belongs to The University of Akron.
Originally Zippers, athletic director Kenneth "Red" Cochrane officially shortened the nickname to the Zips in 1950. Twenty-five years earlier a campus-wide contest had been conducted to choose a nickname for the University's athletics teams.
Suggestions submitted by students, faculty, and alumni included Golden Blue Devils, Tip Toppers, Rubbernecks, Hillbillies, Kangaroos, and Cheveliers.
The winner, freshman Margaret Hamlin, received a prize of $10 for Zippers, a $6 pair of rubber overshoes and a brand name of the BF Goodrich Company.
The evolution of Zippy, UA's mascot, began 40 years ago when the student council decided the University needed a mascot.
"Zippy" the kangaroo was officially declared the school's mascot on May 1, 1953. The first known printed reference to the mascot as "Zippy" was a 1965 Zip football press brochure. The Buchtelite's first use of the name "Zippy" came Sept. 24, 1965, in an identification of a photo of the cheerleaders listing "Mascot - 'Zippy' - Charles Huettner."
In 2007, Zippy was named the Capital One National Mascot of the Year.
VOTE FOR ZIPPY
Once again, our beloved mascot Zippy is a candidate for the Capital One National Mascot of the Year. One of 16 candidates, she has her work cut out for her!
This year's voting structure provides fans three ways to catapult their mascot to victory. By clicking "vote now," fans earn one (1) point for their mascot. To go even further in expressing their enthusiasm, fans can complete weekly 50-point and/or 100-point challenges by posting clever entries on Twitter or Facebook using their mascot's unique hashtag. Voting opens Monday, August 25, 2014 and continues weekly through Sunday, December 7, 2014. Fans can visit Zippy's Mascot Challenge Headquarters (GoZips.com/VoteForZippy) for more information on the competition, Zippy's schedule, social media resources and more.
