Gainford Lifts Akron to 1-0 Victory Over Penn State in Exhibition Action

Wednesday, August 16

Akron, Ohio

1:00 PM

University of Akron

Penn State

Gainford Lifts Akron to 1-0 Victory Over Penn State in Exhibition Action

August 16 | Men's Soccer

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BOXSCORE (PDF) | PHOTO GALLERY | HEAD COACH JARED EMBICK COMMENTS

AKRON, Ohio – A goal in the 22nd minute (21:19) from senior Sam Gainford (Liverpool, England) proved to be all the scoring the 16th-ranked Akron men's soccer team needed en route to posting a 1-0 triumph past Penn State in exhibition play on Wednesday, Aug. 16, at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field.

Gainford corralled a pass from the top of the box courtesy of senior Niko De Vera (Camas, Wash.) and unfurled a shot from 10 yards out to beat goalkeeper Ari Ammann for what proved to be the game-winning tally.

The Zips posted a decided 16-2 advantage in shots on the afternoon, including registering an 8-1 margin in shots on goal.

Gainford directed Akron with a game-high five shots, while redshirt junior Ezana Kahsay (Asmeras, Eritrea) and senior Manuel Cordeiro (Porto, Portugal) added three shots apiece. Five other Zips also tallied a shot in the victory.

Junior Ben Lundt (Berlin, Germany) played the initial 45 minutes of the match in goal for Akron and faced one shot before giving way to redshirt freshman Tor Saunders (Bothell, Wash.) for the second half. Saunders recorded a save on the lone shot attempted by Penn State in the final period.

The Zips were able to get extended playing time for 23 players in the match, including seven newcomers.

Akron will close out its exhibition campaign on Saturday, Aug. 19, as the Zips square off against Loyola (Md.) in a 4 p.m. tilt at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field.

Limited Reserved Bleacher Back ($110) and General Admission ($60) season 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.

Discounted general admission season tickets for Akron faculty/staff are also available for $48 and must be purchased in person or on the phone. Additionally, general admission family plans ($200), which include a combination of two adult and two youth tickets or one adult and three youth tickets, are available for the fall at this time.

Individual single-game tickets for all of Akron's home matches are now on sale.

As another option, all Akron Alumni are eligible to purchase the Alumni all-sport season-ticket package for $175, which includes general admission season tickets for men's and women's soccer, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, and a reserved seat for football.

Group experiences that include discounted tickets are on sale now for a minimum of 15 people. These include line-up buddies when the players are announced and chances to be ball boys during the game.