The University of Akron Athletics
Women's Soccer Primed for MAC Play at Home
September 29 | Women's Soccer
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WHATS AHEAD
Akron plays its first Mid-American Conference contests on its home pitch, FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field, this weekend. The Zips host Toledo on Friday, Sept. 30, to open the home slate of MAC play at 7 p.m. Akron is then set for a match with Bowling Green in an afternoon tilt at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 2.
LAST WEEK
Akron began MAC play on the road last weekend against two of the top-tier teams in the conference. On Sept. 23, the Zips traveled to Oxford, Ohio, where Akron and Miami (Ohio) played to a 0-0 draw after 110 minutes of play. The Zips then traveled to the reigning MAC regular season champion Ball State on Sept. 25. The Zips battled with the first place Cardinals but fell just short, 1-0.
Senior Annabelle Hegeman (Frostburg, Md.) boasted her first clean sheet of the year in the double-overtime contest and was a perfect 4-for-4 in saves. The senior made three saves the initial 90 minutes and one save in the 20 minutes of overtime play. The shutout was Hegeman's fourth of her Akron career. The senior followed her shutout performance by allowing just one goal against Ball State. The Zips keeper made four saves on five attempts.
SCOUTING THE ROCKETS
After the first weekend of MAC competition, Toledo owns a 6-4-0 overall record including 1-1-0 in the MAC. The Rockets dropped their opener to Kent State, 2-1, before defeating Ohio, 2-1, to round out the weekend.
Kiersten Johnson leads the Rockets offensively with five of the teams 15 goals to date. Johnson leads the team in goals, points (10), shots (31), shots on goal (20), and game-winning goals (2).
In the net for the Rockets is Katie Wilson who has started all 10 games this season. Wilson has logged 900 minutes of work, owns a goals-against average of 1.20, made 37 saves, allowed 12 goals, and has tallied four shutouts.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Following the first weekend of MAC play, Bowling Green stands at 6-4-0 overall and 1-1-0 in the league play. The Falcons opened the conference season with a 2-0 shutout over Ohio on Sept. 23, before being held scoreless by the Golden Flashes, 1-0, on Sept. 25.
Bowling Green's Skyler Fleak and Erica Hubert lead the team in goals with five and four, respectively. Fleak's five goals on the year tied for fourth in the MAC, while Huberts boasts a team-high and conference-best 44 shots.
Kathleen Duwve earned the starting nod in the goal for the Falcons to begin conference play. Duwve owns a 3-1-0 record in five starts making 31 saves, allowing six goals, posted a 1.19 GAA, and owns two clean sheets.
SERIES HISTORY
The Zips are slated to square-off with both the Rockets and Falcons for the 16th time in program history. Toledo holds the advantage over Akron, 12-2-1, while Ball State owns a 9-5-1 record against the Zips. The last time Akron and Toledo met, the Zips edged the Rockets, 2-1, at FirstEnergy Stadium last year, but Akron fell to the Falcons, 3-0, at Bowling Green.
COACHES
Toledo: TJ Buchholz: is in his first season as the Rockets head coach. Buchholz garnered a 38-32-5 record at Southwest Minnesota State prior to joining the Toledo program.
Bowling Green: Lindsay Basalyga: enters her fourth year at the helm of the Bowling Green program. Since taking over the program, she owns a 11-39-4 overall record and is 6-24-3 in the MAC.
Akron: Noreen Herlihy is in her second year with the Akron women's soccer program and owns a 9-18-3 record with the Zips (all-time 259-132-33).
AKRON NOTES
- Allen ranks fourth-T in the MAC with five goals, fifth-T in points (10), fifth-T goals per game (.50)
- Hegeman ranks second in the MAC with 42 saves and eighth in saves per game (4.20)
- Hegeman boasted her first clean sheet of the year against Miami (9/23)
- Allen Notched her first career hat-trick against Robert Morris (9/8) fifth in program history, first since 2013
- Sivic now sits third-T overall in most career goals scored (16) and second in most career points (43)
- Allen's five goals are tied for 8th most scored in a single-season
- Amato, Baughman, Corrigan, Schrader all tallied their first career goal vs. CSU (9/4)
- Corrigan also notched her first career assists vs. CSU (9/4)
- Akron scored three unanswered goals in the second half vs. CSU to complete come from behind win (9/4).
- Hegeman made season-high eight saves vs. Butler (8/28)
- Freshman Chloe Allen scored first two collegiate goals against Green Bay (8/21)
- Freshman Julia Crowe recorded her first collegiate assists vs. Green Bay (8/21)
- Junior Sydney Schipani recorded her first collegiate assists vs. Green Bay (8/21)
- Seven freshman started against Green Bay including the entire back line.
- Akron returns 13 letterwinners from the 2015 squad.
- New to the roster this year are 13 newcomers made up of 11 incoming freshman and two foreign transfers.
- Assistant coach Rob Battisson is in his second stint with the Zips program. He was an assistant coach in 2007.
- Three Zips' scored during Akron's lone exhibition match: Abby Gindlesberger, Sarah Sivic, Rachel Baughman.
- All 22 available players for the exhibition saw action including eight newcomers.
- Sarah Sivic is closing in on Akron's all-time career leader in goals (13-19) and one assist away from becoming the program leader in most career assists (11).
- Sivic's six goals last year are seventh most in a season.
- Sivic and Rachel Baughman posted four assists each last year and sit fourth all-time in mosts assists in a season.
- In just her first year with the program, Annabelle Hegeman posted the second most saves in a season (85) and sits at sixth all-time in career saves (85).
- Rachel Baughman, Abby Gindlesberger, Karin Norman, and Sarah Sivic all set a program-best 21 games played in a season last year.
- Gindlesberger and Sivic also started all 21 of those games.
