Akron Opens Home Campaign Hosting No. 4 Stanford

Monday, September 2

Akron, Ohio

7:00 PM

University of Akron

Stanford

Akron Opens Home Campaign Hosting No. 4 Stanford

September 01 | Men's Soccer

Follow Akron Men's Soccer on Twitter and Facebook

Purchase 2019 Men's Soccer Season and Single-Game Tickets Click Here

MATCH NO. 2 - AKRON VS. STANFORD GAME NOTES (9/2) | FIRSTENERGY STADIUM CONSTRUCTION MAP

Akron (0-1-0) vs. Stanford (1-0-0)
Monday, Sept. 2
FirstEnergy Stadium (5,000)
Akron Ohio • 7 p.m.

Series History: Akron leads 3-1-1
Live Stats: www.gozips.com
Live Stream: ESPN+
Television: ESPN+
Radio: Fox Sports Radio (1350 AM)

MATCH PREVIEW WITH HEAD COACH JARED EMBICK

WHAT'S AHEAD

In one of the most anticipated matches of the 2019 NCAA men's soccer season, the second-ranked University of Akron men's soccer team opens its home campaign welcoming No. 4 Stanford to FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday, Sept. 2. The 7 p.m. contest will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Dave Bacon and Dino Campellone calling the action. The match will also air on Fox Sports Radio (WARF 1350 AM) with Steve French and Joe Dunn on the call.

ACCESS CHANGES FOR AKRON FANS TO FIRSTENERGY STADIUM
Attention Akron soccer fans: Construction around FirstEnergy Stadium will cause changes to your trip to follow the Zips in person. Effective immediately, Gate 4 (located in the SW Corner of FirstEnergy Stadium) will be closed for entrance and exit as will the path from Exchange Street leading behind the Akron Baseball Field and around the Shrank Practice Field. Fans parking in the South Campus Parking Deck (Lot 36) are asked to follow the path along the West side of the Shrank Practice Field before turning right towards FirstEnergy Stadium. Fans can then enter at either Gate 1 (SE corner), Gate 2 (NE Corner) or Gate 3 (NW Corner) at First Energy Stadium. Once inside FirstEnergy Stadium, access to the restrooms will be via the gate at the end of the Southeast Reserved section.

AKRON VERSUS THE PAC-12 CONFERENCE
• The Zips are meeting a team from the Pac-12 Conference for the first time this season and the 18th time in program history.
• A year ago, Akron suffered a 2-0 setback at then No. 9 Washington before registering a 3-2 victory at No. 2 Stanford in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 30.
• In all, Akron is 7-8-2 (.471) versus teams from the Pac-12 Conference.

SCOUTING STANFORD
Stanford enters play on Monday, Sept. 2, versus the Zips on the heels of a season-opening 5-0 triumph at Penn State on Friday. Five different Cardinal recorded a goal in the affair as senior Tanner Beason, freshman Ousseni Bouda, sophomore Will Richmond, freshman Gabe Segal and junior Charlie Wehan found the back of the net against the Nittany Lions. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Andrew Thomas made four saves in net for the Cardinal before giving way late in the match to redshirt freshman Matt Frank. Thomas may miss the contest against the Zips after being named to the U.S. Under-23 men's national soccer team roster for a training camp from Sept. 1-10 at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center. He is the lone collegian called up for training.

As a team, Stanford ranked second in the NCAA in 2018 in save percentage (.860), fifth in shutout percentage (.571), eighth in goals against average (.625), 10th in total assists (43), 16th in assists per game (2.05), 22nd in winning percentage (.690), 30th in points per contest (5.19), 33rd total goals (33) and 47th in shots per outing (13.57). Individually, Thomas ranked third in save percentage (.854) seventh in minutes played (2,011:45) and shutouts (11) and ninth in goals against average (.626).

SERIES HISTORY
Akron and Stanford are squaring off for the sixth time in program history with the Zips leading the all-time series, 3-1-1. In the last encounter between the two schools, Akron halted the reign of the three-time defending NCAA Champion Cardinal with a 3-2 victory over second-ranked Stanford in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 30 in Stanford, Calif. In 2017, the Cardinal registered a 2-0 victory over Akron in the semifinals of the College Cup in Chester, Pa., on Dec. 8, 2017. In 2015, Akron and Stanford battled to a 0-0 double-overtime draw on Dec. 11, 2015, in the semifinals of the College Cup in Kansas City, Kan., before the Cardinal edged the Zips in 10 rounds of penalty kicks, 8-7. In the previous two tilts, Akron posted a 4-3 overtime decision at Stanford on Oct. 2, 1994, while besting the Cardinal, 2-0, at home in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 29, 2009.

IN OUR LAST MEETING (NOV. 30, 2018 - STANFORD, CALIF.)
The University of Akron men's soccer team garnered a game-winning goal from Colin Biros (Canton, Ohio) in the 81st minute (80:08) to end the reign of three-time defending NCAA Champion Stanford (12-4-5) with a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Cardinal in the Elite Eight on Nov. 30, 2018 in Stanford, Calif.

The Zips garnered a two-goal performance on the evening from Marcel Zajac, who scored a point in his eight consecutive match for Akron, and in 10 of the then last 11 tilts for the Zips overall.

The Zips recorded an 18-11 margin in shots on the night, including a 7-6 edge in shots on goal. David Egbo (Enugu, Nigeria) and Biros posted a game-high three shots each for Akron, while the Zips also received two shots apiece from Morgan Hackworth, Abdi Mohamed and Marco Micaletto, along with Sam Tojaga (Erie, Pa.) and Zajac. Recording a team-best two shots each for the Cardinal was Amir Bashti, Logan Panchot, Zach Ryan and Charlie Wehan.

Ben Lundt made four saves en route to earning the victory for the Zips, while Stanford goalkeeper Andrew Thomas also garnered four stops for the Cardinal.

Zajac gave Akron an early 1-0 lead scoring an unassisted tally at the 14:09 mark. Zajac flashed a burst of speed strolling inside the corner of the 18-yard box where he struck a ball which hit the far post before bouncing back off the other post and into the net for his ninth goal of the season.

It was the first postseason goal Stanford had allowed since Dec. 5, 2015 at Wake Forest and ended the program's NCAA-record tournament shutout streak at 1,428:09.

Lundt came up with a key save in the 23rd minute (22:02) off a shot from Ryan Ludwick, before Egbo unleashed a shot at the 24:35 mark that was blocked to deny the scoring chance.

Micaletto tallied a shot on goal in the 41st minute (40:54), one that was thwarted by a save from Thomas.

Zajac extended Akron's lead to 2-0 collecting his third career multi-goal performance and second of the postseason connecting on a tally in the 44th minute (43:01) off assists from Ezana Kahsay and Tojaga. Kahsay fed a beautiful ball from the top of the box to a streaking Zajac, who struck a shot off Thomas and into the corner of the net.

The Zips maintained a 2-0 lead at halftime on the strength of posting a 6-2 advantage in shots, including 3-1 on net.

The Cardinal recorded three of the first four shots in the final stanza, including a strike from Panchot that was saved by Lundt in the 51st minute (50:53).

Stanford cut Akron's lead in half when Tanner Beason connected on a penalty kick at the 56:14 mark after the Zips were whistled for a foul in the box.

Egbo's header at the 57:31 mark was denied by another save from Thomas.

Less than 10 minutes later in the 68th minute (67:11), Ryan netted the equalizer beating after a ball was played into the box off a free kick and bounced off several players before finding the foot of Ryan for the goal. Jared Gilbey and Adam Mosharrafa were awarded assists on the tally.

Panchot again struck a header in the box for Stanford at the 69:51 mark that was disrupted by a save from Lundt.

Biros had back-to-back shots in the box blocked in the 79th minute (78:50 and 78:53) before delivering the game-winning tally at the 80:08 mark. The first career game-winner for Biros came off a cross served from the corner of the box by Micaletto to the far post where Zajac headed ball back towards a surging Biros, who had a header of his own for his third goal on the campaign.

Lundt denied the final scoring opportunity for the Cardinal making a stop off a shot from Wehan in the 87th minute (86:12).

The loss snapped Stanford's 17-match postseason unbeaten streak. It was the Cardinal's first tournament defeat in 1,469 days, since losing in the second round to UC Irvine, 1-0, on Nov. 23, 2014.

THE COACHES
Stanford: Jeremy Gunn is in his eighth season as head coach of the Stanford program, owning a 97-29-23 (.728) record and maintains an overall ledger of 284-90-54 (.727) in 21 years as a head coach.
Akron: In his seventh year on the Akron sidelines as head coach, and 13th season overall, is Jared Embick, who owns a 94-31-13 mark (.728), including 141-52-21 (.708) overall, in his 11th year as a head coach.

XAVIER EDGES ZIPS, 2-0
The second-rated University of Akron men's soccer squad was unable to overcome an early deficit as the Zips dropped a 2-0 decision at Xavier in their season opener on Friday, Aug. 30.

Akron registered a 16-7 margin in shots on the evening, including a 6-4 edge in shots on goal. The Zips garnered a game-high three shots apiece from David Egbo, redshirt junior Diogo Pacheco (Lisbon, Portugal) and Sam Tojaga. Samson Sergi directed the Musketeer's attack with a game-high three shots.

Matthew Rosenberg corralled six saves in goal for Xavier en route to posting the shutout, while redshirt junior goalkeeper Tor Saunders (Seattle, Wash.) made two stops for the Zips.

Freshman Will Jackson (Hudson, Ohio), who earned the start in his first collegiate game, headed a shot off a corner from Colin Biros that was saved by Rosenberg at the 10:52 mark of the first half.

The Musketeers capitalized on their scoring opportunity in the 13th minute (12:05) as a side-winding kick in the box from Karsen Henderlong resulted in a goal off an assist from Payton Miller to give Xavier an early 1-0 advantage.

The Zips entered the intermission trailing the Musketeers, 1-0.

Akron and Xavier registered four shots apiece in the opening stanza, with the Musketeers posting a 2-1 margin in shots on goal.

The Zips dominated the pace of play over the final 45 minutes registering a 12-3 advantage in shots, including a 5-2 edge in shots on frame.

A 1v1 shot opportunity by Pacheco in the box at the 61:43 mark bounced off the Xavier goalkeeper and nearly dribbled across the line for the goal in not for Rosenberg covering up the loose ball.

Egbo unleashed a shot at the 69:41 mark that was pulled in again by Rosenberg for a save.

Junior Daniel Strachan (Lakewood, Ohio) got off a header in the box in the 73rd minute (72:52) courtesy of a corner by senior Skye Harter (Copley, Ohio) that was denied by a save.

Back-to-back shots at the 76:11 and 76:17 marks, respectively, by sophomore Marco Milanese (Isernia, Italy) and Egbo off a free kick by Harter were thwarted by strong saves from Rosenberg.

The Musketeers capitalized off the saves as Samson Sergi headed home a goal off a deflection on a cross in the 78th minute (77:22) to account for the final 2-0 score.

UP NEXT
Akron travels to Omaha, Neb., to square off against Creighton in a 8:30 p.m. match on Friday, Sept. 6.