The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Wake Forest
Top 10 battle looms as Zips host No. 8 Wake Forest
September 21 | Men's Soccer
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MATCH NOTES NO. 7 VS. WAKE FOREST (PDF)
No. 6 Akron (4-1-1) vs. No. 8 Wake Forest (6-1-0)
Tuesday, Sept. 22
FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field (5,000)
Akron, Ohio • 7 p.m.
Live Stats: www.gozips.com
Webstream: www.gozips.com
WHAT'S AHEAD
Unbeaten in their last four matches, the Zips face another top 10 showdown to close out their homestand on Tuesday, Sept. 22, welcoming No. 8 Wake Forest to FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field for a 7 p.m. contest.
SCOUTING THE DEMON DEACONS
Wake Forest (6-1) comes into action on Tuesday, Sept. 22, having captured victories in six of its first seven games, including a 3-1 triumph past Syracuse on Saturday, Sept. 19. Senior Michael Gamble leads the Demon Deacons in goals (5), points (11) and shots on goal (11), while ranking second in total shots (20). Freshman Jack Harrison has contributed a team-best four assists, while he and two other Wake Forest players have each tallied two goals apiece. Redshirt junior goalkeepers Alec Ferrell and Andrew Harris have split the minutes in net for the Demon Deacons, registering six and two saves, respectively, en route to goals against averages of 0.75 and 0.33. As a team, Wake Forest owns four shutouts, two apiece from Ferrell and Harris.
SERIES HISTORY
Tuesday evening's game is the eighth meeting between Akron and Wake Forest in series history. The series is deadlocked at 3-3-1. A year ago, the Demon Deacons registered a 2-1 victory over the Zips on Sept. 30, 2014, in Winston-Salem, N.C.
THE COACHES
Wake Forest: Bobby Muuss is in his first season as head coach of the Wake Forest program, owning a 6-1 (.857) record.
Akron: In his third year on the Akron sidelines as head coach, and ninth season overall, is Jared Embick, who has a 34-11-4 mark (.735), including 81-32-14 (.693) 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 34-11-4 (.735) 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 144-24-20 (.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.
ZIPS AND BUCKEYES BATTLE TO 3-3 DRAW
Five second-half goals highlighted a spirited in-state showdown in which seventh-rated Akron and Ohio State fought to a 3-3 double-overtime draw on Wednesday, Sept. 16, before 3,889 fans at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field.
The Zips twice overcame second-half deficits to net the equalizer and eventually force the contest in overtime where Akron outshot the Buckeyes in extra time, 7-2, including 3-2 on net.
Senior Sean Sepe (West Islip, N.Y.) opened the scoring in the affair in the eighth minute (7:44) connecting on his first goal of the season chesting the ball past Ohio State goalkeeper Chris Froschauer to give the Zips a 1-0 advantage. Registering the first of three assists on the night after playing the ball in from the corner to a charging Sepe was redshirt sophomore Sam Gainford (Liverpool, England).
The Zips held a 1-0 lead at the intermission despite being outshot in the initial stanza, 7-6, including 3-2 on goal.
Danny Jensen netted the equalizer for the Buckeyes in the 49th minute (48:09) off an assist from Kyle Culbertson.
Culbertson gave Ohio State a 2-1 advantage in the 56th minute (55:15) delivering a ball from approximately 13 yards out. Garnering the assist with a solid ball from the corner was Yaw Amankwa.
Inserted into the game in the 64th minute, redshirt sophomore Tyler Sanda (North Royalton, Ohio) made the most of his opportunity scoring his first career goal on a sliding shot in front of the box at the 68.46 mark. Sanda was the beneficiary of strong passes into the box from junior Adam Najem (Clifton, N.J.) and Gainford.
The momentum quickly swung back in favor of Ohio State as Abdi Mohamed extended the Buckeye's lead to 3-2 with his first goal of the season in the 70th minute (69:34). Collecting the assist on the tally was Hunter Robertson.
Scoring a dominating equalizer at the 76:43 mark with a header to score his fourth goal of the year was Najem. Gainford served a ball in from the corner that Najem propelled into the back of the net.
Sophomore Richie Laryea (Toronto, Ontario (Canada)), senior Andrew Souders (Amherst, Ohio) and Gainford notched shots on goal in overtime at the 96:34, 104:31 and 108:09 marks, respectively, that were stopped by saves from Froschauer.
Senior goalkeeper Jake Fenlason (San Diego, Calif.) made two of his five saves for Akron in overtime. Froschauer registered six saves for Ohio State.
The Zips bettered the Buckeyes on the evening in shots, 24-13, including a 9-8 margin in shots on goal. Akron outshot Ohio State in the second half and overtime, 17-6.
Sepe recorded a game-high five shots, while Najem, Gainford and Laryea added four, three and three shots, respectively, to the Zips' offensive efforts.
ZIPS NET 3-2 COME-FROM-BEHIND VICTORY OVER NO. 14 SAINT LOUIS
Overcoming a two-goal first-half deficit, No. 22 Akron registered a come-from-behind 3-2 triumph over No. 14 Saint Louis in the 1,000th match in program history on a rain-soaked Sept. 11, at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field.
The Zips fell behind early in the affair as Anthony Brown gave the Billikens a 1-0 advantage netting his first goal of the season in the game's third minute (2:22).
Saint Louis pushed its margin to 2-0 at the 6:58 mark when Filip Pavisic redirected his initial shot that deflected off of the save of Jake Fenlason and found the back of the net for his second tally on the year.
Faced with a 2-0 deficit, the Zips dug in defensively and ratcheted up their game on the offensive end attacking the Billiken's defensive third with 13 first-half shots.
Akron's persistence paid off in the 39th minute (38:58) when Sam Gainford took a ball slid into the box from Richie Laryea and lifted it into the net to cut the Zips' deficit to 2-1. Playing the ball to Laryea to garner a second assist on the score was junior Victor Souto (Sao Paolo, Brazil).
Despite being outshot on net in the initial stanza, 4-2, the Zips posted a 13-6 advantage in shots over the first 45 minutes.
Both teams returned from the intermission with rain showers increasing in intensity forcing both sides to play through a persistent and at times heavy precipitation.
Just over seven minutes into the final period, in the 53rd minute (52:17), Saint Louis was whistled for a foul just outside the far side of the box that resulted in an Akron free kick. Stepping over the ball and delivering a strike that resulted in his second goal of the year and more importantly the equalizer was Adam Najem.
The momentum clearly had swung back in the Zips' favor and spirited crowd of 2,734 helped lift the Akron efforts as the squad looked to net the go-ahead goal.
Taking the ball in the midfield and sliding a pass towards a streaking Gainford in the 71st minute was Laryea. Gainford capitalized on Laryea's effort recording what proved to be the game-winning goal at the 70:27 mark. The assist was the second of the evening and third of the season for Laryea.
The Billikens had strong scoring opportunities from Brown at the 83:46 mark which narrowly missed the net and a strike from Tyler David in the 90th minute (89:07) that was corralled for a save by Fenlason.
The Zips owned a 23-12 advantage on the evening in shots, including 8-6 on goal.
Najem collected a game-high six shots, including three on frame, while adding five, two, two, two, two and two shots, respectively, was Gainford, Andrew Souders, Sean Sepe, Laryea, Souto and redshirt junior Brad Ruhaak (Akron, Ohio). Brown and Jair Minors paced the Saint Louis attack with three shots apiece.
Fenlason finished the contest recording four saves for the Zips.
ZIPS TIDBITS
• Akron owns a 34-22-9 overall record against the current men's soccer members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• The Zips are rated 16th nationally in attendance averaging 3,312 fans per contest.
• Akron has benefited from scoring contributions from eight players this season, led by 11, 10 and seven points from Sam Gainford, Adam Najem and Richie Laryea.
• Sam Gainford has already amassed a career-best four goals through six 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.
• Richie Laryea's two goals and three assists represent career-high marks.
• Despite having only registered one shot on the campaign, sophomore Nate Shultz (Mayfield, Ohio) owns a pair of assists on the year.
• Adam Najem is currently ranked 10th, 13th and 16th, respectively, among active NCAA career leaders in goals per game (0.45), total assists (16) and total goals (22).
• 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.
• The Zips have scored two or more goals in seven of the squad's last 12 matches, including on five 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.
• Richie Laryea netted his first career multi-goal game knocking in a pair of tallies in Akron's 3-2 victory at No. 6 Maryland.
• The Zips own a trio of victories over ranked opponents this season having defeated No. 4 Georgetown (1-0 on Sept. 4), No. 6 Maryland (3-2 on Sept. 7) and No. 14 Saint Louis (3-2 on Sept. 11).
• Najem and Brad Ruhaak have been named as team captains for the 2015 campaign.
• Akron finished the 2014 campaign with a 7-2-1 mark in its last 10 matches en route to winning the 2014 Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament championships.
• 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 17-1-2 record in its last 20 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 (22), assists (16), points (60), shots (113) and shots on goal (55). Andrew Souders leads active Zips on the roster in games played (66) and in contests started (54).
• 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.
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.
IN OUR LAST MEETING
Wake Forest def. Akron, 2-1 (Sept. 30, 2014)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Akron saw its four-game winning streak snapped as Wake Forest registered a 2-1 triumph past the Zips.
The Demon Deacons scored a pair of first-half to earn the victory. Ian Harkes put Wake Forest on the scoreboard in the 32nd minute before Ricky Greensfelder added a goal in the 37th minute.
Richie Laryea scored the Zips' lone goal in the 59th minute.
Akron had opportunities in the second half but was not able to convert the chances into an equalizer.
Wake Forest outshot Akron, 14-11, with each side recording six shots on goal. Sam Gainford and Stuart Holthusen (Auckland, New Zealand) registered three shots apiece for the Zips.
Jake Fenlason recorded four saves for Akron.
A LEGACY OF SUCCESS
Since 2007, Akron men's soccer program has posted the highest winning percentage in the nation (.819) through games of Sept. 20 with an overall record of 144-24-20. The Zips are followed by Maryland, 134-34-25 (.759), Connecticut, 115-30-35 (.736), North Carolina, 120-39-28 (.717) and New Mexico, 109-41-19 (.701). 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 84-5-12 (.891) 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 QUALIFYINF
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 United States was selected to play in Group A opening with a pair of games at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas, against Canada on Oct. 1 at 9 p.m. ET and Cuba on Oct. 3 at 5 p.m. ET. The squad will conclude group play at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on Oct. 6 against Panama at 9:30 p.m. ET.
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 (Barcelona, Catalonia), Alonzo Clarke (New Carrollton, Md.), Nick Costa (North Royalton, Ohio), Skye Harter (Copley, Ohio), Barth-Luther Mouafo (Potomac, Md.) and Goncalo Soares (Lisbon, Portugal) 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 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) who was a two-time first-team All-MAC selection in 2011 and 2012 and a third-team NSCAA All-American in 2012.
At No. 11 is Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids). 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.
At No. 14 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 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.
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 11th time in program history on Sept. 22 when Akron hosts Wake Forest on Tuesday. The Zips own a 5-3-2 mark in the previous 10 matches on the date registering victories over Dennison (4-3 in 1962), Wooster (4-0 in 1982), Milwaukee (1-0 in 1984), Ohio Wesleyan (2-1 in 1987), and Bowling Green (2-0 in 2012).
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
The Zips are nationally-ranked in several categories this season as of Sept. 21. As a team, Akron is rated ninth in scoring offense (2.33), 13th in points per contest (6.67), 17th in assists per game (2.00), 18th in total goals (14), 21st in shots per contest (15.83), 22nd in total points (40), 24th in total assists (11), 25th in winning percentage (.750) and 33rd in shots on goal per game (6.67). Individually, Richie Laryea is ranked 17th in assists per game (0.60), 37th in total assists (3), 47th in shots on goal per game (1.60) and 57th in points per contest (1.40). Adam Najem is rated 25th in goals per game (0.67), 26th in total goals (4), 27th in points per tilt (1.67), 31st in total points (10), 44th in shots per contest (3.33) and 59th in shots on goal per outing (1.50). Additionally, Anthony Macchione (Camas, Wash.) is ranked 50th in game-winning goals (1), Sam Gainford is 18th in points per outing (1.83), 25th in goals per game (0.67), 26th in total points (11) and total goals (4) and 37th in assists (3) and assists per game (0.50). Goalkeeper Jake Fenlason is rated 58th in total saves (24) and 68th in saves per game (4.00).
SEASON AND INDIVIDUAL-GAME TICKETS NOW ON SALE
Limited Reserved Bleacher Back ($110) and General Admission ($60) season tickets as well as individual-game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by logging on to GoZips.com/tickets, 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) Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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 (Akron, Ohio) 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 travels to Santa Barbara, Calif., to battle No. 25 UC Santa Barbara on Friday, Sept. 25, in a 10:30 p.m. ET match.
