The University of Akron Athletics
Akron Earns No. 4 National Seed; Zips to host Rutgers/LIU Brooklyn on Sunday
November 16 | Men's Soccer
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AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron men's soccer team learned its draw for the 2015 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship on Monday, Nov. 16, and the Zips (15-3-2) garnered a No. 4 national seed and will host the winner of Thursday's match between Rutgers and LIU Brooklyn on Sunday, Nov. 22, at 4 p.m. at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field.
Winner of the Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament titles, Akron will be making its ninth consecutive and 30th overall tournament appearance.
By virtue of its No. 4 seed, the Zips, led by third-year head coach Jared Embick, earned the right to host as many as three games in the NCAA Tournament at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field.
When postseason play begins, the Zips will join an elite group of just five Division I programs that have qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of the past nine seasons. Only Indiana, Maryland, UCLA, and Virginia can share that claim.
Also seeded in the Zips' region are No. 5 North Carolina (14-1-3), No. 12 Creighton (17-3-0) and No. 13 Denver (15-0-3). The remaining top-four overall national seeds went to No. 1 Wake Forest (15-2-2), No. 2 Clemson (15-2-2) and No. 3 Georgetown (15-2-2).
Akron registered a 1-0 road triumph over the Hoyas on Sept. 4, while the Zips dropped a 2-1 home decision versus the Demon Deacons on Sept. 22.
The 2015 College Cup will be played at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan., on Dec. 11 and 13.
The Zips, who have won three-consecutive matches and are 8-1-1 in their last 10 contests, will be making their 30th all-time appearance in the NCAA postseason. Akron has advanced to the round of 16 in five of the last seven seasons and captured the school's first national championship in any sport in 2010.
A year ago, Akron battled Ohio State to a 1-1 double-overtime draw in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes advanced in the tournament by virtue of bettering the Zips in 15 rounds of penalty kicks, 13-12.
Rutgers will be making its 17th NCAA Tournament appearance, last playing in the 48-team bracket in 2011 and advancing to the third round.
Rutgers enters the tournament at 12-6-1 overall and finished tied for third in the Big Ten Conference with a 4-4-0 mark. The Scarlet Knights defeated Northwestern, 2-0, in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals before their run was stopped in the semifinals by Ohio State.
LIU Brooklyn was both the Northeast Conference's regular season and tournament champions and own an 11-5-4 overall record. The Blackbirds captured the NEC Tournament title by defeating Saint Francis (Pa.), in penalty kicks. LIU Brooklyn will be making its 14th overall NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2004.
Tickets are available now by calling the Akron ticket office at 888-99-AKRON (25766) or visiting gozips.com/tickets. Prices are $15 for reserved, $10 for general admission and $35 for a family four-pack.
Five hundred free tickets will be provided to University of Akron students with a valid Zip Card (limit one per Zip Card).
One hundred tickets will be available from The AK-ROWDIES at Monday's men's basketball contest versus Hiram, which begins at 7 p.m. inside James A. Rhodes Arena.
Tickets will then be available at the Student Union Thursday, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. near the Union Market at the Athletics table, as well on Saturday's Football Tailgate in lot 13 near the JAR prior to the Zips' game with Buffalo.
Any remaining tickets will be available on Sunday, Nov. 22, starting at 3 p.m. along with pizza courtesy of Coach Embick. Follow @TheAKROWDIES, @ZipsMSoc, @AkronZips on Twitter for updates on remaining ticket pick-up location information.
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After the available allotment of free student tickets is exhausted, students can purchase tickets for $1.
