Akron Travels to Arizona for Showdown with Grand Canyon

Thursday, September 20

Phoenix, Ariz.

10:00 PM

University of Akron

Grand Canyon

Akron Travels to Arizona for Showdown with Grand Canyon

September 19 | Men's Soccer

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MATCH NO. 7 - AKRON AT GRAND CANYON GAME NOTES (PDF) (9/20)

Akron (2-3-1) at Grand Canyon (3-3-0)
Thursday, Sept. 20
GCU Stadium (6,000)
Phoenix, Ariz. • 10 p.m. ET

Series History: Akron leads 1-0-0
Live Stats: www.gozips.com
Live Stream: YouTube.com
Television: YouTube.com

MATCH PREVIEW WITH HEAD COACH JARED EMBICK

WHAT'S AHEAD
The University of Akron men's soccer team opens a two-match road swing on Thursday, Sept. 20, as the Zips travel to Phoenix, Ariz., for a contest at Grand Canyon. The tilt is slated for a 10 p.m. ET start.

AKRON VERSUS THE WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
• The Zips are meeting a team from the Western Athletic Conference for the eighth time in program history and second time this season.
• Earlier in the campaign, Akron dropped a 2-1 setback at No. 24 Seattle on Sept. 7.
• In all, Akron is 5-2-0 (.714) versus teams from the Western Athletic Conference.

SCOUTING GRAND CANYON
Grand Canyon enters play on Thursday, Sept. 20, having dropped three of its last four matches following a 3-1 setback at Oral Roberts on Monday, Sept. 17. Freshman Calvin Kissi directs the offensive exploits for the Lopes owning team-high marks in goals (2), points (4), shots (7), shots on goal (3) and game-winners (2). Redshirt freshman goalkeeper George Tasouris has played the majority of minutes in net for Grand Canyon recording 30 saves and holding two shutouts on the strength of a 1.03 goals against average.

As a team, the Lopes are sixth in the NCAA in saves per game (5.83) and 12th in save percentage (.854). Individually, Kissi is 18th in game-winning goals (2), while Tasouris is seventh in saves per game (6.00), 12th in save percentage (.857), 13th in total saves (30) and 41st in shutouts (2).

SERIES HISTORY
Akron is squaring off against Grand Canyon for the second time in program history. The Zips registered a 3-2 double-overtime victory past the Lopes on Nov. 2, 2016 at FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field.

THE COACHES
Grand Canyon: Schellas Hyndman is in his fourth season as head coach of the Grand Canyon program, owning a 24-33-4 (.426) record and is 490-153-55 (.741) in 35 years as a head coach.

Akron: In his sixth year on the Akron sidelines as head coach, and 12th season overall, is Jared Embick, who owns a 81-26-12 mark (.731), including 128-46-20 (.711) overall, in his 10th 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 2018 campaign marks his sixth year leading the Zips having registered a 81-26-12 (.731) ledger after posting an 18-4-2 record a season ago en route to earning the program's fifth College Cup berth. Akron also posted a perfect 12-0 ledger at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field in 2017.

During Embick's time at Akron, the Zips have posted the highest winning percentage in the nation with an overall record of 191-39-28 (.795), including a 55-4-3 (.911) mark in Mid-American Conference play, while securing 10 conference tournament titles, 11 trips to the NCAA Tournament and two appearances in the College Cup final.

Due in large part to recruiting efforts of Embick and his staff, Akron identified and secured some of the best prospects in the country – and around the world – with top-five recruiting classes. The Zips' classes of 2015, 2012 and 2009 were ranked No. 1 in the country, while the classes of 2016, 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 37 players who have gone on to play professionally either in MLS or overseas since 2007.

Since 2008, Akron leads the country with eight players selected among the top-five selections in the MLS SuperDraft. The Zips also boast the highest total of players chosen among the top-10 draftees over the same span with 12

AKRON TURNS IN DOMINATING 10-0 WIN OVER CANISIUS
The University of Akron men's soccer team broke open a tight contest with a pair of late first-half goals before garnering a pair of second-half hat tricks from senior Ezana Kahsay (Asmeras, Eritrea) and sophomore David Egbo (Enugu, Nigeria) en route to a 10-0 triumph over Canisius on Sept. 15, at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field.

The win marked the Zips' largest margin of victory in a match since downing Cleveland State, 12-2 during the 2005 campaign.

The hat tricks for Ebgo and Kahsay marked the first in the respective careers for each Zip and represented the initial one by an Akron player since Stuart Holthusen collected three goals in a 4-0 victory over West Virginia on Oct. 27, 2018.

Despite the final outcome, the game proved to be a defensive battle over the opening 30 minutes of play as the Golden Griffins held a 3-0 edge in shots before senior Marco Micaletto (Reading, England) posted the Zips first shot of the evening at the 30:12 mark, a strike pulled in for a save by Canisius goalkeeper Bryce Tramuta.

Egbo and freshman Sam Tojaga (Erie, Pa.) added shots for Akron before Kahsay scored what proved to be the game-winning tally in the 38th minute (37:45). Micaletto played a ball in from the corner of the box which was flicked with a back heel by Egbo to a charging Kahsay, who converted the scoring chance into his first goal of the season.

Just over a minute later at the 38:56 mark, senior Morgan Hackworth (Bradenton, Fla.) gave Akron a 2-0 lead with his initial tally of the year with Egbo earning the assist on the goal.

The Zips finished the opening stanza outshooting the Golden Griffins, 6-4, including 4-2 on frame, and held a 2-0 lead.

Before Akron fans could blink in the second half Egbo connected on his fourth goal of the season at the 45:30 mark. Hackworth delivered a perfect throw-in to Egbo, who secured the ball over the defender and nailed a shot past Tramuta to extend the Zips' lead to 3-0.

In the 51st minute (50:06), Egbo created his own offense taking a ball down the middle of the pitch and unleashing a shot from 22 yards out that found the back of the net to push Akron's advantage to 4-0.

Egbo capped his first career hat trick at the 54:23 mark registering his team-leading sixth goal of the season. Redshirt junior Skye Harter (Copley, Ohio) and Kahsay earned assists on the score.

Kahsay garnered his first career multi-goal performance delivering his second tally of the evening in the 66th minute (65:13) off assists from Micaletto and freshman Pol Hernandez (Teia, Spain).

Entering the contest following the goal to record his initial minutes of the season was junior Marcel Zajac (Mississauga, Ontario). His efforts paid off immediately as Canisius was whistled for a foul in the box at the 67:29 mark setting up a successful penalty kick by Zajac to give Akron a 7-0 lead.

Making his collegiate debut and earning the start for the Zips was redshirt sophomore Diogo Pacheco (Lisbon, Portugal). His persistence in the attack for Akron was rewarded as Pacheco connected on goals at the 77:20 and 78:14 marks, respectively. Junior Leonard Sohn (Richmond Hill, Ontario) and Zajac earned the assist on Pacheco's first tally, while Zajac posted his second assist of the evening on the second goal.

Kahsay capped the scoring on the evening and completed his first career hat trick with a score in the 84th minute (83:36).

Senior goalkeeper Ben Lundt (Berlin, Germany) finished the game making three saves to post his 22nd career clean sheet for the Zips, while Tramuta made four saves for the Golden Griffins.

Akron concluded the evening owning a 21-5 margin in shots, including 14-3 on goal. The Zips were led by a trio of game-high four-shot performances from Egbo, Micaletto and Pacheco, while Kahsay and Zajac added three and two shots, respectively. Melvin Blair led Canisius with a team-high two shots.

EGBO NAMED MAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
David Egbo was honored as the Mid-American Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Week, the league announced on Sept. 18.

Egbo recorded his first career hat trick with a three-goal explosion in Akron's 10-0 victory over Canisius, the preseason Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference favorites, on Sept. 15.

Registering a trio of goals, while adding a pair of assists, including on the game-winning tally, Egbo's eight-point performance marked the best single-game effort for an Akron player since Ørjan Bjånesø tallied three goals and added a pair of assists in a 7-1 win against St. Bonaventure on Oct. 20, 2000. His effort represented the second multi-goal game of the season for Egbo, who leads the Zips in goals (6), assists (3), points (15), shots (16), shots on goal (9) and game-winners (1).

EGBO AND KAHSAY EARN NATIONAL HONORS
University of Akron men's soccer standouts David Egbo and Ezana Kahsay were chosen on Tuesday, Sept. 18, by TopDrawerSoccer.com as honorable-mention selections on its Men's Soccer National Team of the Week.

Egbo and Kahsay each recorded their first career hat tricks with a pair of three-goal explosions in Akron's 10-0 victory over Canisius, the preseason Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference favorites, on Sept. 15.

Kahsay also turned in a career game posting his first career hat trick, while also adding an assist in the Zips' triumph. Kahsay scored what proved to be the game-winning tally in the 38th minute (37:45) with his first goal of the season. Kahsay garnered his first career multi-goal performance delivering his second tally of the evening in the 66th minute (65:13) off assists from Marco Micaletto and Pol Hernandez. He capped his efforts with a goal at the 83:36 mark.

On the season, Kahsay has recorded three goals and an assist on five shots, including four on goal.

MOHAMED NAMED CANDIDATE FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Akron senior Abdi Mohamed (Westerville, Ohio) has been selected as one of 30 men's soccer candidates on Sept. 19 for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate soccer. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

Mohamed has started each of the Zips' six contests this season owning an assist, while adding five shots, including two on frame. He maintains a 3.278 GPA in sport management after transferring to Akron from Ohio State for his senior season. While at Ohio State, he was twice named an Academic All-Big Ten selection.

Outside of academics and athletics, all candidates also have been consistently involved in community service on their campus or in their communities.

The men's class will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.

The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2018 NCAA Men's and Women's College Cup® championships in December.

A CELEBRATION OF AKRON SOCCER
The University of Akron will welcome back legendary Zips' head men's soccer coach Caleb Porter, a 2018 Varsity 'A' Sports Hall of Fame inductee, alongside current head coach Jared Embick, for a special evening celebrating the success of Akron men's soccer on Thursday, Oct. 4.

The event held at InfoCision Stadium promises to be an evening of stories and laughter that fans of Akron men's soccer will not want to miss. Steve Zakuani, who starred for the Zips during the 2007 and 2008 campaign and was the top pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft as well as 2008 All-America honoree and Hermann Trophy finalist and 2009, will serve as host for the special night.

A VIP meet-and-greet will kick off the event from 6-7 p.m. with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. The evening will officially begin with opening remarks at 7:15 p.m. followed by the serving of dinner at 7:20 p.m.

The highlight of the evening will be a gathering of two of the most successful coaches in program history with Embick and Porter taking the stage at 8 p.m. A fireside chat hosted by Zakuani over the next hour will take the coaches down memory lane to discuss their memories of the past, present and future success of Akron men's soccer.

ZIPS TIDBITS
• David Egbo's eight-point effort in a 10-0 triumph past Canisius (Sept. 15) marked the most points in a match for a Zip since Ørjan Bjånesø tallied three goals and added a pair of assists in a 7-1 win against St. Bonaventure on Oct. 20, 2000.
• Five different Zips registered goals in Akron's 10-0 victory over Canisius on Sept. 15, including a trio of multi-goal efforts from David Egbo (3), Ezana Kahsay (3) and Diogo Pacheco (2).
• Making his return from injury, Marcel Zajac had a career game against Cansius netting a goal and three assists in the Zips' victory on Sept. 15.
• Three different Akron players recorded their first collegiate points donning a Zips' uniform as Diogo Pacheco tallied two goals, while Pol Hernandez and Leonard Sohn each posted an assist.
• Akron's 10 goals, 12 assists and 32 points in its 10-0 victory over Canisius represent NCAA single-game highs across Division I this season.
• As a team, the Zips are rated eighth in the NCAA in assists per game (2.67), ninth in points per contest (7.33), 13th in scoring offense (2.33), 15th in total assists (16), 21st in total points (44) and 22nd in total goals (14).
• Individually, David Egbo is ranked sixth in the NCAA in points per game (2.50), ninth in goals per contest (1.00) and 45th in assists per outing (0.50).
• The shutout for Ben Lundt in a 10-0 win over Canisius on Sept. 15 was the 22nd of his Akron career to move him into seventh place on the all-time career list for the Zips.
• Akron has held its last two home opponents off the scoreboard posting 1-0 and 10-0 victories over Pittsburgh (Sept. 1) and Canisius (Sept. 15). Dating back to the Zips' 2-0 setback versus North Carolina State (Aug. 27), Akron has held opponents scoreless on their home field for more than 230 minutes (233.09).
• Akron's win over Canisius marked the Zips' largest margin of victory in a match since downing Cleveland State, 12-2 during the 2005 campaign.
• Sixteen different Zips have registered shots this season, including nine newcomers.
• Ezana Kahsay is Akron's active career leader in goals (9), shots (68), shots on goal (22) and games played (62) and game-winning goals (4), while Skye Harter paces the squad in assists (11) and points (25). Marcel Zajac leads the Zips in shots on goal (22), while Ben Lundt has started a team-high 48 games.
• Four Akron freshmen in Colin Biros, Marco Milanese, Carlo Ritaccio and Sam Tojaga earned the starting assignment in their collegiate debuts versus Butler on Aug. 24. Overall, seven Zips' newcomers started against the Bulldogs, with seniors Marco Micaletto and Abdi Mohamed along with junior Leonard Sohn also getting the starting nod.
• Seven different Akron freshmen have earned the starting nod this season for the Zips. Colin Biros and Marco Milanese have started each of Akron's first six matches on the campaign, while Carlo Ritaccio, Sam Tojaga, Pol Hernandez and Daniel Oliveira (Lisbon, Portugal) have started four, three, three and one game, respectively.
• Ben Lundt ranks among the active career leaders in Division I rating sixth in career shutouts (23), eighth in minutes played (4,867.12), 16th in goals against average (.925), 28th in saves (143) and 34th in save percentage (.741). Additionally, Marco Micaletto is ranked 21st in career points (58), 26th in goals (22), 30th in goals per game (0.35) and 32nd in points per contest (0.92).
• The Zips are ranked 13th nationally in attendance in 2018 averaging 1,857 for four home games. In 2016 and 2017, Akron rated 10th nationally in attendance averaging 2,147 and 1,819 fans per contest, respectively.

A LEGACY OF SUCCESS
Since 2007, Akron men's soccer program has posted the highest winning percentage in the nation (as of games on Sept. 18) (.795), with an overall record of 191-39-28. The Zips are followed by Maryland, 173-46-36 (.749), North Carolina, 166-49-35 (.734), Creighton, 169-57-24 (.724) and Wake Forest, 155-49-33 (.724). Akron has made 11 straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament (2007-17), earning a first-round bye in eight seasons. The Zips have advanced to the NCAA's Round of 16 in eight of the last 11 years. Since 1961, the Zips have advanced to the NCAA postseason 32 times, including each of the past 11 seasons and 16 of the past 17.

PORTER AND UBIPARIPOVIC TO BE INDUCTED INTO VARSITY "A" SPORTS HALL OF FAME
Caleb Porter, the Akron head men's soccer coach for seven seasons (2006-12), along with two-time All-America honoree Sinisa Ubiparipovic will be honored as part of the 44th Annual Varsity "A" Sports Hall of Fame ceremonies on Oct. 6

Porter guided the Zips to five MAC titles and was named the MAC Coach of the Year six times (2007-12). He was chosen as the NCAA Coach of the Year in 2009 leading the Zips to their second-ever College Cup and an appearance in the title game of the College Cup. A year later in 2010, he coached Akron to the 2010 national championship title.

A two-time All-America honoree and 2006 MAC Player of the Year, Ubiparipovic starred for the Zips for three seasons (2004-06) and earned first-team All-MAC selection as a junior and senior.

UP NEXT
Akron closes out a two-match road swing traveling to Richmond, Va., to square off against VCU on Sept. 26 in a 7 p.m. contest.