The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Buffalo
Zips Open MAC Play at Buffalo
October 08 | Men's Soccer
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MATCH NOTES NO. 12 AT BUFFALO (PDF)No. 7 Akron (8-2-1, 0-0 MAC) at Buffalo (5-4-3, 0-0 MAC)
Friday, Oct. 9
UB Stadium (29,013)
Buffalo, N.Y. • 7 p.m.
Live Stats: www.ubbulls.com
Webstream: www.ubbulls.com
WHAT'S AHEAD
Akron takes a four-game winning streak into its Mid-American Conference opener on Friday, Oct. 9, as the Zips visit Buffalo for a 7 p.m. tilt.
SCOUTING THE BULLS
Buffalo (5-4-3) enters its league lidlifter versus Akron on Friday, Oct. 9, unbeaten in its last four contests, including two straight victories. Junior Russell Cicerone leads the Bulls' offensive efforts having recorded a team-best eight goals, while adding a team-high six assists on 38 shots, including 19 on goal. Sophomore Scott Doney and junior Braden Scales have contributed to Buffalo's success netting four and three goals, respectively. Sophomore goalkeeper Cameron Hogg owns the majority of minutes in goal for the Bulls having recorded 29 saves, while posting a 1.18 goals against average.
SERIES HISTORY
Friday evening's game is the 27th meeting between Akron and Buffalo. The Zips lead the all-time series, 24-1-1, including a 4-0 home triumph over the Bulls on Nov. 8, 2014.
THE COACHES
Buffalo: Stu Riddle is in his third season as head coach of the Buffalo program, owning a 13-25-9 (.372) record. He is 46-61-17 (.440) in seven years overall as a head coach.
Akron: In his third year on the Akron sidelines as head coach, and ninth season overall, is Jared Embick, who has a 38-12-4 mark (.741), including 85-33-14 (.697) overall, in his seventh year as a head coach.
AKRON HEAD COACH JARED EMBICK
Jared Embick, who had previously served as the Zips' associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, officially became the seventh head coach in the history of The University of Akron men's soccer program in December of 2012.
The 2015 campaign marks his third year leading the Zips and the squad has registered a 38-12-4 (.741) ledger after going 13-6-2 a season ago.
During Embick's time at Akron, the Zips have posted the highest winning percentage in the nation with an overall record of 148-25-20 (.819), including a 44-2-1 (.947) mark in Mid-American Conference play, while securing seven conference tournament titles, eight trips to the NCAA Tournament and two appearances in an NCAA final.
Akron entered the 2014 season seeking to reload the Zips' talented foundation with a young squad following the departure of six starters from a 2013 team that posted a 17-4-1 record and a No. 7 national ranking.
Recording their 14th consecutive double-digit victory campaign, the Zips finished the season with a 13-6-2 ledger, including 4-1-0 mark in the Mid-American Conference. Akron's efforts were rewarded as the Zips earned the MAC's regular season and tournament crowns en route to collecting a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the 29th time in program history.
The Zips became one of just six Division I programs to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in each of the past eight seasons with their 29th overall selection.
Led by Adam Najem, Saad Abdul-Salaam, Jake Fenlason and Andrew Souders, who were selected as first-team All-MAC men's soccer selections, seven Akron student-athletes garnered All-MAC accolades a year ago. Additionally, Stuart Holthusen, Richie Laryea and Victor Souto were recognized as second-team selections.
The Zips came into the campaign maintaining a No. 13 preseason ranking by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) as well as being tabbed preseason No. 14, 15 and 23 by TopDrawerSoccer.com, College Soccer News and Soccer America, respectively.
Akron's opening night line-up featured seven players making their initial collegiate starts for the Zips, while six first-year players took to the field at No. 5 New Mexico.
Individually, Najem, who garnered first-team All-Great Lake Regional honors, ranked fourth, fifth, eighth, eighth and 24th in the NCAA in goals scored (14), total points (32), goals per game (0.67), points per match (1.52) and game-winning goals (4). Jake Fenlason was equally impressive in goal rating 27th, 32nd and 53rd nationally in goals against average (.785), save percentage (.811) and total saves (73).
In January, 2015, Abdul-Salaam became the 10th Zip to have his name called during the first round of the MLS SuperDraft with his selection 12th overall in the MLS SuperDraft by Sporting Kansas City.
Due in large part to Embick's recruiting efforts, Akron identified and secured some of the best prospects in the country – and around the world – with top-five recruiting classes in each of the past five seasons. The Zips' classes of 2012 and 2009 were ranked No. 1 in the country, while the classes of 2011 and 2010 each received a No. 2 designation.
More importantly, Akron's recruits have flourished in the Zips' system, which features a style of play that is attractive and attack-oriented, yet effective on both sides of the ball. In total, Embick recruited or helped develop 24 players who have gone on to play professionally either in MLS or overseas since 2007.
The success of this formula was no more evident than at the 2011 MLS SuperDraft where seven Zips had their names called, including five with the first eight selections overall, to set a pair of MLS records.
Embick has also served as a staff coach with the Under-16 and Under-18 U.S. Soccer Development Academy's Cleveland Internationals club team for the past five years.
Prior to joining the Zips, Embick spent four seasons (2003-06) as the head men's soccer coach at Missouri Baptist University where he led the Spartans to a record of 47-21-8 and the program's first NAIA regional tournament berth in 2003. In all, Embick spent six seasons at MBU, including two seasons as a graduate assistant (2000-01) and one season as an assistant coach (2002).
During his time at Missouri Baptist, Embick also served as assistant coach for River Cities FC of the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) whom he helped lead to a 13-2-1 record in its inaugural season and an appearance in the WPSL national final.
A 2000 graduate of Indiana Wesleyan, Embick was named an All-American by the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) in 1998 and 1999 as a player. He was also an NAIA honorable mention All-America honoree in 1999 and was twice named to the All-Mid-Central Conference squad.
LARYEA SCORES TWO TO PROPEL AKRON PAST SANTA CLARA, 2-0
A pair of goals from sophomore Richie Laryea (Toronto, Ontario (Canada)) propelled seventh-ranked Akron to its fourth consecutive victory, a 2-0 decision, past Santa Clara on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field.
The Zips maintained the flow of offense in the affair registering a 20-7 advantage in shots, including 9-4 on goal.
Laryea posted a game-high four shots, while redshirt sophomores Robby Dambrot (Akron, Ohio) and Sam Gainford (Liverpool, England), sophomore Niko De Vera (Camas, Wash.), junior Adam Najem (Clifton, N.J.), redshirt junior Brad Ruhaak (Akron, Ohio) and junior Victor Souto (Sao Paulo, Brazil) added two shots apiece to Akron's efforts.
The scoring chances came early for both sides as each team was awarded a penalty kick over a span of 34 seconds in the game's eighth minute.
The Broncos were awarded a penalty shot at the 7:22 mark when the Zips were whistled for a trip in the box. Santa Clara's leading scorer Carlos Delgadillo stepped to the line looking to push his strike past Akron senior goalkeeper Jake Fenlason (San Diego, Calif.). The shot went to the right and a diving Fenlason was there to deflect the shot for the save.
The Zips had their own opportunity to net the tilt's first goal at the 7:54 mark when the Broncos were also whistled for a foul in the box. Najem toed the line and attempted to beat goalkeeper Kendall Mcintosh for his team-leading seventh goal of the year, but his attempt missed the mark.
Laryea gave the Zips a 1-0 lead at the 39:04 mark recording his fifth goal of the season. The ball was slid back to the top of box from the six-yard box by sophomore Stuart Holthusen (Auckland, New Zealand) for the assist on the goal.
Akron took a 1-0 advantage into the intermission on the strength of a 7-1 margin in shots in the initial stanza.
Senior Sean Sepe (West Islip, N.Y.) got off a strong scoring chance at the 61:42 mark that Mcintosh was able to knock down for the save.
Laryea extended the Zips' lead to 2-0 with his second tally of the evening in the 83rd minute (82:09). Setting him up for the goal was freshman Pau Belana (Barcelona, Catalonia) and redshirt sophomore Tyler Sanda (North Royalton, Ohio).
Fenlason finished the affair with four saves en route to earning his fourth shutout of the season.
NAJEM'S GOLDEN GOAL PROPELS ZIPS PAST UAB, 2-1
A golden goal by Adam Najem in the 99th minute (98:18) lifted Akron to a 2-1 double-overtime men's soccer triumph past UAB on Oct. 3.
The Zips registered a 20-7 advantage in shots, including 6-3 on goal, en route to netting their third consecutive victory.
Akron got off three shots in overtime with the final one resulting in Najem's team-leading sixth goal of the season off an assist from redshirt sophomore Tyler Sanda.
Sophomore Richie Laryea turned in a game-high six shots to direct the offensive efforts of the Zips. Robby Dambrot, Najem and Sam Gainford off the bench added four, three and two shots, respectively, to Akron's winning efforts.
Jake Fenlason pulled in two saves for the Zips.
The two sides battled through a scoreless first half in which the two sides combined to record 10 shots, with Akron outshooting UAB, 6-4.
Laryea connected on his fourth goal of the season at the 72:18 mark to give the Zips a 1-0 lead. Earning the assist on the tally was Najem with his fourth assist of the season.
The advantage was short lived as the Blazers netted the equalizer in the 75th minute (74:39) when Ruiz found the back of the net for his third goal on the campaign.
AKRON IN MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE LIDLIFTERS
The Zips' contest at Buffalo marks the opening game in Akron's five-game conference slate in this the Zips' 23rd season in the Mid-American Conference. In the previous 22 conference openers, Akron owns a 20-1-1 mark. A year ago, the Zips garnered a 1-0 win at Bowling Green on Oct. 11.
ZIPS TIDBITS
• Richie Laryea netted his second career multi-goal game knocking in a pair of tallies in Akron's 2-0 win past Santa Clara. He earlier added two goals in a 3-2 victory at No. 6 Maryland. Laryea is the first Zip since Eric Stevenson in 2013 to register a pair of multi-goal performances in one season.
• Over the Zips' last five contests, Richie Laryea has paced the Akron attack registering four goals. Adam Najem has contributed a pair of goals over the same span, while as a team, the Zips are averaging 1.60 goals per game.
• Sam Gainford, Richie Laryea and Adam Najem have played a major role in the offensive exploits of the Zips this season as the trio has played a scoring role in 20 of Akron's 22 goals this fall.
• Jake Fenlason, Adam Najem, Brad Ruhaak, Andrew Souders (Amherst, Ohio) and Victor Souto have started each of Akron's 11 games this season.
• Four Zips currently owns starting streaks of 30 or more games in which they have played led by Adam Najem (45), Jake Fenlason (36), Andrew Souders (34) and Richie Laryea (30).
• The Zips are rated 12th nationally in attendance averaging 2,611 fans per contest.
• Adam Najem is currently ranked 11th, 11th and 12th, respectively, among active NCAA career leaders in goals per game (0.44), total assists (18) and total goals (24).
• With its win over No. 4 Georgetown on Sept. 4 and No. 6 Maryland on Sept. 7, Akron posted back-to-back regular season road victories over top 10 opponents for the first time since defeating No. 4 North Carolina (3-0) and No. 3 Wake Forest (2-0) to open the 2010 National Championship campaign.
• In Akron's eight victories this season, Richie Laryea, Adam Najem, Sam Gainford, and Sean Sepe have recorded 28, 23, 22 and 11 shots, respectively.
• Former Zips Saad Abdul-Salaam was a part of Sporting KC's victory on Sept. 30, in the U.S. Open Cup as his squad prevailed in penalty kicks, 7-6, over the Philadelphia Union.
• The Zips have posted a winning record in the month of September in each of the last 13 seasons, including 5-1-1 this season.
• Akron equaled a season-best nine shots on goal in the Zips' 2-0 victory over Santa Clara. The Zips earlier collected nine shots on frame versus UC Santa Barbara and Ohio State.
• Jake Fenlason recorded a season-high seven saves in Akron's 2-1 setback versus Wake Forest.
• Akron has benefited from scoring contributions from 10 players this season, led by 16, 15 and 13 points from Adam Najem, Richie Laryea and Sam Gainford.
• Sam Gainford has already amassed a career-best five goals through 11 games this season, and with his three assists versus Ohio State, he surpassed set a new career-high for points (11) after collecting nine a year ago. He will enter the showdown with Buffalo owning 13 points.
• Richie Laryea's six goals and three assists represent career-high marks.
• Despite having only registered three shots on the campaign, sophomore Nate Shultz (Mayfield, Ohio) owns a pair of assists on the year.
• The Zips' game at UC Santa Barbara marked a homecoming for assistant coach Leo Chappel, who played a key role in transforming the Gauchos into a national powerhouse serving as an assistant coach from 2001-06 and again from 2009-10.
• Akron returned to the site of its greatest triumph when it battled UC Santa Barbara as the Zips claimed the 2010 National Championship with a 1-0 victory past Louisville in the championship game of the 2010 College Cup at Harder Stadium.
• The Zips have scored two or more goals in 10 of the squad's last 17 matches, including on eight occasions this season.
• Sam Gainford registered the Zip' first multi-goal performance of the season with his two tallies versus VCU (Aug. 28). A year ago, only Adam Najem with his three-goal effort against Cleveland State logged a multi-goal game.
• The Zips own four victories over ranked opponents this season having defeated No. 4 Georgetown (1-0 on Sept. 4), No. 6 Maryland (3-2 on Sept. 7), No. 14 Saint Louis (3-2 on Sept. 11) and No. 25 UC Santa Barbara (2-0 on Sept. 25).
• Najem and Brad Ruhaak have been named as team captains for the 2015 campaign.
• Senior goalkeeper Jake Fenlason, a first-team All-MAC honoree in 2014, registered 73 saves a season ago and posted a 0.78 goals against average and seven shutouts.
• Najem was selected by United State's Under-23 men's national team head coach Andi Herzog to attend a college identification training camp that allowed the coaching staff to evaluate collegiate players as the team continues preparations ahead of October qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The four-day camp ran Aug. 5-8 at the U.S. National Training Center in Carson, California.
• Akron owns a 19-2-2 record in its last 23 home matches.
• Since 2007, Akron owns a league record of 44-2-1 (.947) mark in the MAC. Furthermore, the Zips have won 10 consecutive MAC regular season championships and seven of the last eight MAC Tournament titles.
• In all, Akron leads all league members with 17 regular-season and 11 tournament championships since joining the MAC in 1993, and has won both titles in the same season 10 times after doing so in 2014.
• In 22 seasons in the MAC, the Zips have produced 161 All-MAC honorees, including a conference-record nine first-team selections in 2010.
• In all, the Zips have produced 20 Academic All-American honors in its history, dating back to the 1998 season.
• Akron has long been associated with academic excellence. In addition to posting a team GPA of better than 3.37 in 2014, the Zips finished second in Division I in 2011-12 with a cumulative mark of 3.44. The remarkable feat follows years that saw the Zips post GPAs of 3.43 in 2010-11 and 3.33 in 2009-10.
• Najem is Akron's active career leader in goals (24), assists (18), points (66), shots (124) and shots on goal (60). Andrew Souders leads active Zips on the roster in games played (71) and in contests started (59).
• Saad Abdul-Salaam became the 10th Zip to have his name called during the first round of the MLS SuperDraft with his selection 12th overall in the MLS SuperDraft by Sporting Kansas City in January.
NAJEM EARNS NATIONAL AND CONFERENCE HONORS
Akron junior Adam Najem received national recognition for his play as TopDrawerSoccer.com named him as the National Player of the week, while College Soccer News named him to its National Team of the Week on Oct. 5.
Najem also earned recognition by the Mid-American Conference named him as its Athlete of the Week as well as being named the Zips' Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by The University of Akron, Ohio's Polytechnic University.
The conference award is the second of the season and sixth of the career for Najem. The honor marked the third weekly conference accolade for a Zip in 2015.
Najem continued to elevate his play this past week leading the Zips to victories over Penn State (1-0) and at UAB (2-1, OT) as he played a hand in every goal for Akron recording a pair of goals, while adding an assist.
Najem accounted for the lone goal in a 1-0 shutout victory over Penn State on Sept. 30, notching his fifth goal of the season in the 77th minute (76:18). He finished the game with two shots, including one on goal.
He then played a role in both of Akron's goals in a 2-1 overtime win at UAB on Oct. 3, scoring his team-leading sixth goal and fourth assist. He garnered his team-best fourth assist on Richie Laryea's goal in the 73rd minute (72:18). Najem followed notching his second consecutive and third overall game-winning tally in the 99th minute (98:18) to lift the Zips to their third consecutive victory.
AKRON MOVES UP TO NO. 5 IN LATEST RPI REPORT
The NCAA released its second RPI report of the 2015 campaign on Monday, Oct. 5, and the Zips moved up one spot from a week earlier to No. 5 nationally. Atop this list is Wake Forest, whom Akron played on Sept. 22 at FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field. The NCAA RPI is one of the strongest indicators used in the selection and seeding for the NCAA Tournament every year.
ZIPS EARN NSCAA COLLEGIATE TEAM ACADEMIC RECOGNITION
Akron was one of 215 school nationwide to have its men's and women's soccer teams recognized by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) as 2014-15 Collegiate Team Academic Award winners.
The Zips were also one of only two schools in the Mid-American Conference to have both of their respective soccer programs honored.
Under third-year head coach Jared Embick was recognized for the eighth consecutive year and ninth time overall after registering a cumulative 3.37 grade point average for the 2014-15 academic year.
LARYEA GARNERS NATIONAL ACCOLADES
Akron sophomore Richie Laryea continued to garner national recognition for his play as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and TopDrawerSoccer.com named him as their National Player of the Week on Sept. 15.
Laryea also earned recognition by College Soccer News as a member of its National Team of the Week. Additionally, the Mid-American Conference named him as its Athlete of the Week.
In the Zips' 3-2 road win over No. 6 Maryland on Sept. 7, Laryea registered two goals, including the game-winner, while adding an assist. He connected on four shots in the contest, with three falling on goal, and played a role in each of Akron's three goals.
Laryea earned the assist on Adam Najem's 22nd-minute (21:41) tally before giving the Zips a 2-0 lead registering his first goal of the season at the 38:30 mark on what proved to be the game-winning tally. He later extended Akron's margin to 3-1 on his second goal of the match at the 82:49 mark.
In the Zips' 3-2 come-from-behind win past No. 14 Saint Louis on Sept. 11, Laryea netted a pair of assists, including on Sam Gainford's game-winning goal in the 71st minute (70:27). His first assist was also on a Gainford goal at the 38:58 mark.
A LEGACY OF SUCCESS
Since 2007, Akron men's soccer program has posted the highest winning percentage in the nation (.819) through games of Oct. 7 with an overall record of 148-25-20. The Zips are followed by Maryland, 136-35-25 (.758), Connecticut, 115-33-36 (.723), North Carolina, 123-39-28 (.721) and New Mexico, 110-43-19 (.695). Akron has made eight straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament (2007-14), earning a first-round bye in six seasons. The Zips have advanced to the NCAA's Round of 16 in five of the last seven years. Since 1961, the Zips have advanced to the NCAA postseason 29 times, including each of the past eight seasons and 13 of the past 14.
PROTECTING OUR HOUSE
Since 2007, the Zips have recorded an 86-6-12 (.885) ledger in home matches at FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field. Akron owns four unbeaten campaigns during that span, including posting home marks of 12-0-1, 13-0-0, 12-0-1 and 10-0-2 during the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012 seasons, respectively.
SERNA AND TRAPP ADDED TO U.S. NATIONAL SQUAD FOR CONCACAF OLYMPIC QUALIFYING
A pair of former Akron men's soccer players in Dillon Serna and Wil Trapp were among the 20 players selected by U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team head coach Andi Herzog for the 2015 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Championship, which will be played from Oct. 1-13. The USA is seeking to earn a spot in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The Americans opened tournament play downing Canada, 3-1, on Thursday, Oct. 1, at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas. The United States then registered a 6-1 win over Cuba on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 5 p.m. ET, also at Sporting Park. The victory, combined with the USA's tournament opening triumph against Canada secured a top two spot for the team in Group A. The squad concluded group play at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on Tuesday, Oct. 6, with a 4-0 win against Panama.
The United States will play Honduras in the semifinal round on Saturday, Oct. 10 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. The winners of Saturday's two semifinals qualify directly for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, while the winner of the third place match will face Colombia in a one-game playoff for a final Olympic berth.
NAJEM NAMED TO MAC HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST
Adam Najem added another accolade to his growing resume with his selection to the 2015 Missouri Athletic Club's (MAC) Hermann Trophy Watch List.
Najem is one of 30 men tabbed for consideration for the MAC Hermann Trophy, which is the most prestigious individual award in college soccer presented annually to one male and one female athlete. The winners will be announced Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, at the trophy presentation banquet at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.
Near the end of the collegiate regular season, NCAA Division I coaches whose programs are current NSCAA College Services members will vote on their top choices and the lists will be narrowed down to the top 15 players.
College soccer fans will also have the opportunity to participate in the selection process, by voting for their favorite semifinalist in November at the MAC Hermann Trophy website, managed by LockerDome.
From that pool of 30, six finalists (three men, three women) will be chosen for the award. The winners will be announced in January.
ZIPS PRIMED FOR BIG THINGS IN 2015
The Zips enter the 2015 campaign looking to build upon an 13-6-2 mark last season, including a 4-1-0 ledger in the Mid-American Conference.
Akron is seeking to integrate six newcomers Pau Belana, Alonzo Clarke (New Carrollton, Md.), Nick Costa (North Royalton, Ohio), Skye Harter (Copley, Ohio), Barth-Luther Mouafo (Potomac, Md.) and Goncalo Soares this season onto a roster that boasts nine returning starters from a year ago.
Included among the returnees are nine starters from the close of the 2014 campaign is a trio of first-team All-MAC performers in junior Adam Najem and seniors Jake Fenlason and Andrew Souders.
Sophomores Stuart Holthusen and Richie Laryea along with junior Victor Souto were tabbed as second-team All-MAC honorees in 2014.
Complimenting that quartet is the return of sophomore Jesse Garcia-Aguilar (Portland, Ore.), junior Brad Ruhaak and senior Sean Sepe, who were each starters in 2014.
AKRON TABBED TO CAPTURE MAC REGULAR AND POSTSEASON TITLES
Akron was tabbed to capture the Mid-American Conference regular and postseason titles in a preseason poll of six conference coaches.
The Zips under third-year head coach Jared Embick, were picked to repeat as conference champions in the MAC Coaches Preseason poll with three first-place votes. Akron (32 points) was followed by Western Michigan (28 points), who received two first-place votes, while West Virginia (28 points) also garnered a first-place tally.
Rounding out the rest of the poll was 2014 MAC Tournament runner-up Bowling Green (16 points), Buffalo (13 points) and Northern Illinois (nine points).
Also voted on by the coaches was the predicted 2015 MAC Tournament Champion. Akron received three of the six first-place votes. Western Michigan collected two championship votes and West Virginia garnered the final tally.
MLS TOP 24 UNDER 24
The annual MLSsoccer.com's "24 Under 24" list was released on Sept. 22 and a number of familiar names on it, including Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew) and Perry Kitchen (DC United). The duo was rated fourth and eighth, respectively. Trapp was tabbed as the ninth-best prospect on the 24 under 24 list a year ago, while Kitchen was 18th.
Trapp, who was a two-time first-team All-MAC selection in 2011 and 2012 and a third-team NSCAA All-American in 2012, moved up five spots after being tabbed as the ninth-best prospect on the 24 under 24 list a year ago.
Moving up 10 spots from his No. 18 ranking in 2014 was Kitchen, who as a freshman in 2010, started 25 games, scoring six goals and adding one assist. He earned first-team All-MAC honors and helped Akron 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
MLS TOP 24 UNDER 24 PREVIEW
The annual MLSsoccer.com's "24 Under 24" list has become an annual staple for soccer enthusiasts. Will Parchman of TopDrawerSoccer.com has revealed his award for the competition and a number of familiar names on it, including the No. 1 selection midfielder Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew), No. 11 Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids) and No. 14 Perry Kitchen (DC United).
As a freshman in 2012, Serna was named by College Soccer News and TopDrawerSoccer.com to its All-Freshmen Teams as well as being chosen as the MAC Player of the Year and first-team all-conference honoree. He was signed as an MLS Homegrown Signee by the Colorado Rapids following the 2012 campaign after registering a pair of goals and adding eight assists on 48 shots to lead the Zips to a 18-1-3 record in 2012.
EMBICK RECEIVES CONTRACT EXTENSION
Akron men's soccer head coach Jared Embick received a three-year contract extension, interim Director of Athletics Nathan J. Mortimer announced on July 17. The extension will keep Embick at the helm of the storied program through the 2018 season.
ZIPS WELCOME BACK ALUMNI
Akron held its annual alumni reunion in conjunction with the Zips' clash against Saint Louis at FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field on Friday, Sept. 11.
Akron head coach Jared Embick and the current Zips welcomed back all of the proud alumni that have contributed to the growth and development of the Akron men's soccer tradition over the course of the program's 61 years.
A pre-game tailgate and March to the Match festivities preceded the match. On Saturday, Sept. 12, the alums gathered to watch team training at 11 a.m. before a Varsity "A" Tailgate.
ON THIS DATE IN ZIPS HISTORY
The Zips will be playing for the 10th time in program history on Oct. 96 when Akron visits Buffalo on Friday. The Zips own a 7-1-1 mark in the previous nine matches on the date registering victories over Ohio Wesleyan (3-2 in 1965), Kent State (5-0 in 1970), Michigan State (4-0 in 1976), Notre Dame (3-2 in OT in 1988), Western Michigan (2-1 in 1994), Miami University (5-0 in 1998) and Cleveland State (2-1 in 2013).
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.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Redshirt sophomore MF/D Robby Dambrot is the son of Zips' men's basketball coach Keith Dambrot.
• Akron men's soccer has produced 20 Academic All-Americans since 1998.
• Nine Zips have had their names called during the first round of the MLS SuperDraft, including a league record five selections in the first eight picks in 2011 following the Zips' national championship season.
• Akron broke a second MLS record that day as seven Akron players were chosen in the first two rounds, the most from a single team in draft history.
• Zippy is just one of five female-gendered college mascots in Division I athletics. Do you know the other four? (YoUDee, the Delaware Blue Hen; Mrs. Wuf of N.C. State; Lucy Lobo of New Mexico; and Wilma Wildcat of Arizona).
UP NEXT
Akron return to FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field for its conference home opener against Northern Illinois on Oct. 17. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.
