The University of Akron Athletics
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Top-Five Showdown Ahead for Akron at No. 4 UCLA
September 04 | Men's Soccer
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MATCH NOTES NO. 4 AT UCLA (PDF)
No. 1 Akron (2-1-0) at No. 4 UCLA (1-1-1)
Monday, Sept. 5
Drake Stadium (11,700)
Los Angeles, Calif. • 8 p.m. ET
Live Stats: www.uclabruins.com
Live Stream: www.uclabruins.com
Television: Pac-12 Network (Neil Sika and Cobi Jones calling the action)
WHAT'S AHEAD
The top-rated Zips eye a return to their winning ways as Akron squares off against fourth-ranked UCLA on Monday, Sept. 5. Game time at Drake Stadium is set for 8 p.m. ET with the contest being televised on the Pac-12 Network with Neil Sika and Cobi Jones calling the action.
SCOUTING THE BRUINS
UCLA (1-1-1) comes into its showdown with Akron on Monday, Sept. 5, on the heels of a 1-0 setback versus Duke on Friday, Sept. 2. The Bruins began their campaign earning a 1-1 double-overtime draw with No. 4 Maryland before besting Cal State Fullerton, 1-0. Redshirt junior Brian Iloski is UCLA's leading scorer owning a goal and an assist , while junior Jason Romero and sophomore Jackson Yueill have added a goal and an assist, respectively. Senior goalkeeper Juan Cervantes has recorded 15 saves on the young campaign and owns a 0.61 goals against average with one shutout.
As a team (as of Sept. 1), UCLA is ranked 29th in the NCAA in shutout percentage (0.50), 30th in save percentage (.909), saves per game (5.00) and goals against average (0.44) and 50th in winning percentage (.750).
SERIES HISTORY
Monday evening's game is only the fourth meeting between Akron and UCLA, and the first in Los Angeles, Calif., since Oct. 20, 991 (a 2-0 UCLA win). The Bruins lead the all-time series, 3-0, after registering a 4-2 triumph at FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field, a contest the Zips played without their leading scorer Richie Laryea.
IN OUR LAST MEETING
No. 25 UCLA def. No. 6 Akron, 4-2 (Nov. 1, 2015)
AKRON, Ohio - In a battle of two of the more storied men's soccer programs in the country, a pair of second-half goals lifted No. 25 UCLA to a 4-2 victory over sixth-ranked Akron at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field.
In a contest that was not indicative of the final score, the Zips and Bruins waged a non-conference showdown in which each side battle back and forth en route to recording 11 shots, with UCLA posting a 5-4 margin in shots on goal.
Adam Najem (Clifton, N.J.) led all players with four shots for Akron, while Sam Gainford (Liverpool, England) added two shots. Seyi Adekoya paced the Bruins' attack with three shots, while three different UCLA players contributed a pair of shots.
Jake Fenlason made one save for the Zips, while Pepe Barroso Silva corralled two stops for UCLA.
Trailing 2-1 early in the second half, Goncalo Soares (Lisbon, Portugal) netted the equalizer at the 53:14 mark to square Akron and UCLA at two. Stuart Holthusen (Auckland, New Zealand) beautifully played ball in ball from the corner of the box that Soares curled into the corner of the net from the top corner of the box for his first career goal.
Najem narrowly missed giving the Zips their first lead of the evening in the 75th minute (74:13) as his strike the box struck the crossbar.
The Bruins immediately stole the momentum off of the miss as Abu Danladi pushed the ball up the field to Adekoya, who scored his second goal of the game, for what proved to be the game-winning tally, at the 74:27 mark.
The Zips were whistled for a foul in the box in the 82nd minute (81:08) that resulted in a successfully penalty kick for Jose Hernandez to give UCLA the final 4-2 margin.
Adekoya opened the scoring in the affair converting a defensive turnover into his 10th goal of the year at the 7:14 mark off an assist from Danladi.
Najem evened the game at one in the 29th minute (28:12). Niko De Vera (Camas, Wash.) played the ball up the sideline to Holthusen in the center of the field, who slide a long pass into a streaking Najem.
The Bruins took a 2-1 lead into the intermission on the strength of a 30th minute (29:58) goal from Hernandez.
AKRON VERSUS THE PAC-12 CONFERENCE
• The Zips are meeting a team from the Pac-12 Conference for the 12th time in program history.
• Akron will battle three schools from the Pac-12 Conference in men's soccer this season facing San Diego State (Sept. 2), UCLA (Sept. 5) and Oregon State (Sept. 9).
• A year ago, Akron suffered a 4-2 home setback versus UCLA on Nov. 1, before garnering a 1-1 double-overtime draw with Stanford in the semifinals of the College Cup on Dec. 11.
• In all, Akron is 4-5-2 (.455) versus teams from the Pac-12 Conference.
THE COACHES
UCLA: Jorge Salcedo is in his 13th season as head coach of the UCLA program, owning a 156-63-40 (.680) record.
Akron: In his fourth year on the Akron sidelines as head coach, and 10th season overall, is Jared Embick, who has a 50-14-6 mark (.757), including 97-35-16 (.709) 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 2016 campaign marks his fourth year leading the Zips having registered a 50-14-6 (.757) ledger after posting an 18-3-3 record 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 160-26-22 (.822), including a 48-2-2 (.942) mark in Mid-American Conference play, while securing eight conference tournament titles, nine trips to the NCAA Tournament and two appearances in an NCAA final.
Recording their 15th consecutive double-digit victory campaign, the Zips finished the 2015 season ranked No. 3 nationally with an 18-3-3 ledger, including 4-0-1 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 No. 4 national seed and a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the 30th time in program history.
The Zips became one of just five Division I programs to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in each of the past nine seasons with their 30th overall selection.
Akron was led by the play of Adam Najem and Richie Laryea, who garnered second- and third-team National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America accolades, respectively, en route to directing the Zips to rank second in the NCAA in points (159), goals (56), and scoring offense (2.33), third in points per game (6.63) and shots per contest (17.54), fourth in assists (47), seventh in winning percentage (.813) and 10th in shots on goal per game (7.13).
The Zips also found success in the classroom as Akron boasted a team 3.1955 grade-point average, while Najem was tabbed a first-team NSCAA Academic All-American.
Led by Sam Gainford, Stuart Holthusen, Laryea, Najem, Brad Ruhaak and Andrew Souders, who were selected as first-team All-MAC men's soccer selections, eight Akron student-athletes garnered All-MAC accolades a year ago. Additionally, Jake Fenlason and Sean Sepe were recognized as second-team selections.
The Zips came into the campaign maintaining a No. 25 preseason ranking by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) as well as being tabbed preseason No. 24 by College Soccer News.
After opening the season splitting a pair of matches at VCU and Old Dominion, Akron rolled off three consecutive victories over ranked opponents registering a 1-0 triumph at No. 4 Georgetown before notching a 3-2 road win at No. 6 Maryland and then opening its home campaign downing No. 14 Saint Louis, 3-2.
In a rematch of its 2014 NCAA Tournament showdown, the Zips battled Ohio State to a 3-3 double-overtime draw before No. 8 Wake Forest bettered Akron, 2-1.
The Zips then began a run of seven straight wins with a 2-0 triumph at No. 25 UC Santa Barbara. Akron followed with victories past Penn State (1-0), UAB (2-1 in OT), Santa Clara (2-0), Buffalo (2-1), Northern Illinois (4-0) and Michigan State (4-1) before earning a 1-1 double-overtime draw at Western Michigan.
Akron closed out the month of October recording a 2-0 win at West Virginia before dropping a 4-2 decision against No. 25 UCLA to open the month of November.
The Zips registered a 4-0 victory over Bowling Green to earn the right to host the MAC Championship at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field after claiming the schools 18th regular season league title.
Akron captured the MAC Tournament crown with a 1-0 victory past Buffalo before opening NCAA Tournament play downing No. 25 Rutgers, 6-1, in the tournament's second round.
The Zips continued tournament besting No. 11 SMU, 2-1, before earning a 3-2 overtime victory over No. 3 Creighton in the Elite Eight to advance to the College Cup where Akron battled eventual national champion Stanford to a 1-1 double-overtime draw, before the Cardinal advanced on penalty kicks, 8-7 in 10 rounds.
In January, 2016, Laryea became the 11th Zip to have his name called during the first round of the MLS SuperDraft with his selection seventh overall in the MLS SuperDraft by Orlando City.
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.
LATE PENALTY KICK LIFTS NO. 23 SAN DIEGO STATE OVER ZIPS, 1-0
A successful penalty kick by Travis Nicklaw in the 61sth minute (60:55) proved to be all the scoring No. 23 San Diego State needed as the Aztecs registered a 1-0 victory over top-rated Akron on Friday, Sept. 2.
The Zips were outshot in the affair, 10-6, including 3-2 on goal. Redshirt sophomore Ezana Kahsay (Asmeras, Eritrea) posted a game-high two shots for Akron, while the Zips also received one shot apiece from seniors Brad Ruhaak (Akron, Ohio) and Goncalo Soares, Sam Gainford and redshirt junior Tyler Sanda (North Royalton, Ohio). Recording two shots apiece for the Aztecs was Kyle Adams and Jeroen Meefout.
Allmaras registered two saves for San Diego State en route to posting the shutout. Sophomore goalkeeper Ben Lundt (Berlin, Germany) also recorded one stop for Akron.
SANDA'S GAME-WINNER LIFTS AKRON TO 1-0 WIN PAST NO. 9 SEATTLE
A game-winning goal in the 88th minute (87:49) from Tyler Sanda lifted the top-rated University of Akron men's soccer team to a dramatic 1-0 triumph past No. 9 Seattle in the finale of the Akron Classic on Aug. 28, at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field.
The goal capped a furious second-half attack from the Zips that resulted in the second victory over a top-10 ranked opponent this weekend as Akron captured the title at the Akron Classic.
The game-winner was set-up by a beautiful offensive attack from Adam Najem, who served a cross into the box to Sanda, who drilled a ball from 10 yards out that bested Seattle goalkeeper RJ Noll.
Heavy rains and a fierce lightning display delayed the start of the affair for more than 20 minutes before the two teams got underway just before 8 p.m. ET.
Sparked by a 15-7 advantage in second-half shots, the Zips outshot the Redhawks on the evening, 22-15, despite being bettered on shots on goal, 8-6.
Sam Gainford recorded a game-high five shots for Akron, while the Zips also benefited from four shots in reserve duty courtesy of Sanda. Najem, Ezana Kahsay and freshman Marcel Zajac (Mississauga, Ontario) added three, three and two shots, respectively, for Akron. Sergio Rivas directed the Redhawks with a game-best five shots.
Ben Lundt registered a career-best eight saves for Akron en route to collecting his second clean sheet of the season. Noll posted five saves for Seattle.
ZIPS ASCEND TO NO. 1 IN THREE POLLS
Parlayed by a pair of impressive 1-0 season-opening victories over No. 7 Georgetown and No. 9 Seattle, the University of Akron men's soccer team continued its rise on the national stage as the Zips are now ranked No. 1 in the country in three polls.
Akron now stands as the top-rated squad in the country according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), College Soccer News and Soccer America. Additionally, TopDrawerSoccer.com ranks the Zips No. 3 nationally.
LUNDT EARNS NATIONAL HONORS
Sophomore Ben Lundt continued to garner recognition for his play this past week as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) named him as their National Player of the Week on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
Lundt also earned recognition by the Mid-American Conference as its Men's Soccer Athlete of the Week on Aug. 29, as well as by TopDrawerSoccer.com, who named him to its National Team of the Week.
On Wednesday, Aug. 31, he was selected by an online vote at the NCAASoccer.com National Player of the Week.
Lundt turned in an outstanding week for Akron leading the Zips to a pair of shutout victories past top-10 ranked opponents.
In the Zips' 1-0 triumph past No. 7 Georgetown on Aug. 26, Lundt registered a pair of saves and kept the Hoyas at bay before Akron scored the game-winner with 36 seconds remaining in the game. The shutout was the first of his career as a Zip.
He followed registering a career-best eight saves in a 1-0 triumph over No. 9 Seattle on Aug. 28.
Five of his eight stops came in the first half when the Redhawks outshot the Zips on goal, 5-1.
EMBICK GARNERS NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Akron head coach Jared Embick received high praise for his efforts leading the Zips as TopDrawerSoccer.com named him as one of the Top-10 coaches in the country.
TopDrawerSoccer.com described Akron as a machine with talented young players, and much of that goes down to Embick's aesthetic. Akron seeks to dominate possession, build from the back and create scoring opportunities that way. That, in turn, creates well-rounded pros.
Embick collected his 50th career coaching victory at Akron with a 1-0 triumph past No. 9 Seattle on Aug. 28. He enters the Zips' contest at San Diego State on Friday, Sept. 2, needing three wins for 100 in his coaching career.
NAJEM AMONG THE NCAA'S ELITE
One of the most dynamic players in men's collegiate soccer, Adam Najem enters play this Monday, Sept. 5, at UCLA as the only active men's soccer player in Division 1 to have scored more than 25 career goals and registered 25 or more career assists. He has amassed 28 goals and 25 assists in 70 career games. Najem is currently ranked first, second, second, fourth, sixth, seventh and 18th, respectively, among active career leaders in assists (25), points (81), games played (70), assists per contest (0.357), goals (28), points per game (1.17) and goals per tilt (0.40).
ZIPS TIDBITS
• Akron is 2-1 this season versus ranked opponents following wins over No. 7 Georgetown (Aug. 26) and No. 9 Seattle (Aug. 28).
• Since the start of the 2015 campaign, the Zips own a 9-4-1 mark against ranked opponents. In 2015, Akron registered seven victories over ranked opponents defeating No. 3 Creighton (3-2 on Dec. 5), No. 4 Georgetown (1-0 on Sept. 4), No. 6 Maryland (3-2 on Sept. 7), No. 11 SMU (2-1 on Nov. 29), No. 14 Saint Louis (3-2 on Sept. 11), No. 23 Rutgers (3-1 on Nov. 22) and No. 25 UC Santa Barbara (2-0 on Sept. 25).
• On the season, Ben Lundt owns a pair of shutouts on the strength of 12 saves. His efforts helped the Zips extend their shutout streak dating back to last season to nearly 369 minutes (368.32) before the run was halted by a San Diego State penalty kick on Sept. 2 at the 60:55 mark.
• Akron's 1-0 victory over No. 9 Seattle represented the 50th career win for Zips' head coach Jared Embick at Akron.
• Tyler Sanda connected on his first-ever game-winning goal with his tally in the 88th minute (87:49) against No. 9 Seattle on Aug. 28.
• Ben Lundt, Adam Najem, Danilo Radjen (Broadview Heights, Ohio) and Victor Souto (Sao Paulo, Brazil) were named all-tournament selections after leading the Zips to the title at the Akron Classic.
• Dating back to the 2015 campaign, the Zips have registered 20 or more shots in 12 games, including both contests in 2016.
• By virtue of its back-to-back shutouts to open the 2016 campaign, Akron has now opened a season with consecutive shutouts for the sixth time in the last nine years.
• Brad Ruhaak's game-winning goal in a 1-0 win past Georgetown on Aug. 26, was the second of his career. He also netted game-winner in a 2-0 victory at West Virginia last season.
• Ben Lundt made the most of his Akron debut as he registered the shutout on the strength of two saves in a 2-0 win against No. 7 Georgetown on Aug. 26.
• Adam Najem has started in each of the last 61 games in which he has played in.
• The Zips have scored two or more goals in 19 of the squad's last 33 matches, including on 18 occasions last season.
• Adam Najem owns 169 career shots, seven shots shy of surpassing Eric Stevenson (2010-13) for the fifth-most in program history.
• Akron advanced to the College Cup for the fourth time (1986, 2009, 2010 and 2015) in program history in 2015.
• The Zips posted a 7-1-2 mark away from FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field last season.
• Since Oct. 1, 2015, Akron owns a 14-2-2 record, with the setbacks occurring versus UCLA on Nov. 1 and at San Diego State on Friday, Sept. 2.
• The Zips played some of their best soccer at home last season as Akron had 12 players who contributed points. Leading the way with 22, 20, 19, 16 and 14 points, respectively, was Richie Laryea (eight goals and six assists), Adam Najem (six goals and eight assists), Stuart Holthusen (seven goals and five assists), Victor Souto (seven goals and two assists) and Sam Gainford (four goals and six assists).
• Sam Gainford, Richie Laryea and Adam Najem played a major role in the offensive exploits of the Zips last season as the trio has played a scoring role in 43 of Akron's 55 goals.
• Jake Fenlason, Adam Najem, Brad Ruhaak, Andrew Souders and Victor Souto started each of Akron's 24 games this past season.
• The Zips is ranked fifth nationally in attendance in 2016 averaging 2,881 in two home games. A year ago, Akron rated seventh nationally in attendance in 2015 averaging 2,187 fans per contest.
• Akron benefited from scoring contributions from 14 players this past season, led by 31, 29 and 23 points, respectively, from Adam Najem, Richie Laryea and Sam Gainford.
• Najem and Brad Ruhaak have been named as team captains for the 2016 campaign.
• Akron owns a 28-3-2 record in its last 33 home matches.
• Since 2007, Akron owns a league record of 48-2-2 (.942) 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 18 regular-season and 12 tournament championships since joining the MAC in 1993, and has won both titles in the same season 11 times after doing so in 2015.
• In 23 seasons in the MAC, the Zips have produced 169 All-MAC honorees, including a conference-record nine first-team selections in 2010.
• In all, the Zips have produced 22 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's of better than 3.20 in 2015 and 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 (28), assists (25), points (81), shots (169) and shots on goal (79).
• Richie Laryea became the 11th Zip to have his name called during the first round of the MLS SuperDraft with his selection seventh overall in the MLS SuperDraft by Orlando City SC in January.
A LEGACY OF SUCCESS
Since 2007, Akron men's soccer program has posted the highest winning percentage in the nation (.818) as of games of Sept. 3, with an overall record of 160-27-22. The Zips are followed by Maryland, 145-39-29 (.749), Creighton, 132-37-23 (.747), North Carolina, 132-41-30 (.724), Connecticut, 125-37-38 (.720), Wake Forest, 126-46-27 (.701) and New Mexico, 113-48-22 (.678). Akron has made nine straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament (2007-15), earning a first-round bye in seven seasons. The Zips have advanced to the NCAA's Round of 16 in seven of the last nine years. Since 1961, the Zips have advanced to the NCAA postseason 30 times, including each of the past nine seasons and 14 of the past 15.
PROTECTING OUR HOUSE
Since 2007, the Zips have recorded an 96-7-12 (.887) 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.
NAJEM NAMED TO MAC HERMANN TROPHY WATCH LIST
Adam Najem added another accolade to his growing resume with his selection to the 2016 Missouri Athletic Club's (MAC) Hermann Trophy Watch List.
Najem is one of 28 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 Jan. 6, 2017, 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 28, six finalists (three men, three women) will be chosen for the award. The winners will be announced in January.
ZIPS PAIR WITH TEAM IMPACT TO ADD MAVERICK WESTOVER TO 2016 ROSTER
The University of Akron men's soccer team and head coach Jared Embick announced the signing of Maverick Westover on Aug. 19. The 11-year-old Akron native, signed a national letter of intent to join the Zips' men's soccer squad this season.
Team IMPACT, an organization that connects children facing chronic or life threatening illnesses to college athletic teams in an effort to improve their quality of life, orchestrated Maverick's recruitment with the Akron men's soccer program.
Maverick deals with Common Variable Immune Deficiency (CVID), which makes him highly susceptible to infection, especially in his lungs, sinuses, and ears.
ZIPS PRIMED FOR BIG THINGS IN 2016
The Zips enter the 2016 campaign looking to build upon an 18-3-3 mark last season, including a 4-0-1 ledger in the Mid-American Conference, an return to the College Cup in search of winning the program's second national championship.
Akron is seeking to integrate 12 newcomers Manuel Cordeiro (Porto, Portugal), Jackson Crawford (Massillon, Ohio), Nick Hinds (Plantation, Fla.), Joe Korb (Willowick, Ohio), Reggie Laryea (Toronto, Ontario), Jonathan Lewis (Plantation, Fla.), Ben Lundt, Alex Mapp (Medina, Ohio), Jesus Perez (Waukegan, Ill.), Jeremy Pollard (Sydney, Australia), Tor Saunders (Bothell, Wash.) and Marcel Zajac this season onto a roster that boasts seven returning starters from a year ago.
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 fourth-year head coach Jared Embick, were picked to repeat as conference champions in the MAC Coaches Preseason poll with five first-place votes. Akron (29 points) was followed by Western Michigan (17 points), who also garnered a first-place tally.
Rounding out the rest of the poll was 2015 MAC Tournament participants West Virginia (16 points) and Buffalo (15 points), along with Bowling Green (11 points) and Northern Illinois (two points).
Also voted on by the coaches was the predicted 2016 MAC Tournament Champion where Akron was a unanimous selection to repeat as league tournament winner.
SOCCER AMERICA SELECTS AKRON AS PRESEASON NO. 1
The University of Akron men's soccer team made its 2016 debut on Aug. 26, as the newly minted top-rated team in the country after Soccer America released its preseason Top 25 poll. Stanford, UCLA, Maryland and North Carolina follow the Zips in the top five of the poll, respectively.
NAJEM, SOUTO AND HINDS RECOGNIZED TO TOPDRAWERSOCCER.COM
Three University of Akron men's soccer standouts were recognized as some of the game's best when TopDrawerSoccer.com unveiled its Men's Preseason Best XI squads.
Adam Najem was honored as a first-team honoree in the midfield, while Victor Souto and freshman Nick Hinds were recognized as third- and freshman-team selections.
NAJEM AND SOUTO GARNER MEN'S NATIONAL TOP 100 HONORS
Adam Najem and Victor Souto were recently honored as members of the initial Men's National Top 100 list compiled by TopDrawerSoccer.com. Najem was tabbed as the No. 2 player in the country, while Souto came in at No. 32.
NAJEM AND LARYEA EARN 2015 ALL-AMERICA HONORS
University of Akron men's soccer standouts Adam Najem and Richie Laryea garnered All-America accolades when the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) unveiled its 2015 All-American teams on Dec. 11, 2015.
Both Zips earned All-America status for the first time in their respective Akron careers as Najem and Laryea were tabbed as second- and third-team honorees.
The NSCAA All-America citations were the 54th and 55th in the Zips' storied men's soccer history.
NAJEM SELECTED AS FIRST-TEAM ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN
Adam Najem was selected as a First-Team Scholar All-America award winner when the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) unveiled its 2015 Scholar All-American team last season.
Najem became the sixth Zip to garner First-Team NSCAA Scholar All-America accolades and the first since Reinaldo Brenes in 2013.
The NSCAA Scholar All-America citation was the ninth in the Zips' storied men's soccer history, while also marking the 22nd overall academic All-America honor in program history.
SANDA NAMED 2015 ELITE 90 WINNER
Tyler Sanda was named the recipient of the NCAA Elite 90 award for the 2015 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship.
In its seventh year, the award recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The Elite 90 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 90 championships.
Eligible student-athletes are sophomores or above who have participated in their sport for at least two years with their school. They must be an active member of the team, traveling and a designated member of the squad size at the championship. All ties are broken by the number of credits completed.
Sanda appeared in 14 games for Akron this past fall and registered a pair of goals, while adding two assists. He maintains a 3.954 GPA majoring in biology.
NAGBE AND YEDLIN HELP LEAD USMNT IN WORLD CUP QUALIFYING
A pair of former Zips in Darlington Nagbe and DeAndre Yedlin are helping lead the United States Men's National Team as the Americans look to continue advancement to the Final Round of World Cup Qualifying, a.k.a. 'The Hex.' Yedlin started and played all 90 minutes in the United States' 6-0 victory in the semifinal round past St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Friday, Sept. 2. Yedlin is one of two USMNT players to start all five of the Americans 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying matches. The United States returns to action on Tuesday, Sept., battling Trinidad & Tobago at Everbank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.
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 the Spaghetti Warehouse (510 S. Main Street). A free audio stream is available on www.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 junior MF/D Robby Dambrot is the son of Zips' men's basketball coach Keith Dambrot.
• Akron men's soccer has produced 22 Academic All-Americans since 1998.
• Eleven 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
The Zips return to FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field to square off against Oregon State on Friday, Sept. 9. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. as part of the University of Akron Tournament.
