Akron Visits Maryland in College Cup Rematch

Friday, September 13

College Park, Md.

6:30 PM

University of Akron

Maryland

September 12 | Men's Soccer

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MATCH NO. 4 - AKRON AT MARYLAND GAME NOTES (9/13)

Akron (0-3-0) at No. 14 Maryland (1-2-0)
Friday, Sept. 13
Ludwig Field (7,000)
College Park, Md. • 6:30 p.m.

Series History: Series tied 2-2-1
Live Stats: www.gozips.com
Live Stream: www.gozips.com
Television: www.gozips.com

MATCH PREVIEW WITH HEAD COACH JARED EMBICK

WHAT'S AHEAD

A highly-anticipated rematch of the 2018 NCAA College Cup final awaits the University of Akron men's soccer team as the Zips travel to College Park, Md., for a showdown with No. 14 Maryland on Friday, Sept. 13. The 6:30 p.m. tilt between the winningest programs in Division I men's soccer since 2007 will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network (Channel 410 on Dish Network and 610 on DirectTV) with Dean Linke and Jasen Garey calling the action from Ludwig Field.

AKRON VERSUS THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE
• The Zips are meeting a team from the Big Ten Conference for the first time this season and 188th time overall.
• Akron owns a 103-67-17 (.596) all-time record versus the current 14 members of the Big Ten Conference.
• The Zips have gone 21-4-4 against the league since 2012.
• A year ago, Akron registered a 2-1 victory at then No. 8 Michigan State on Oct. 9 before handing the Spartans a 5-1 setback on Dec. 7. The Zips then dropped a 1-0 decision versus No. 3 Maryland in the title match of the 2018 College Cup on Dec. 9.
• In all, Akron is 38-9-7 (.769) versus teams from the Big Ten since 2007. During that time, the Zips have out-scored the competition, 107-45.

SCOUTING MARYLAND
Maryland enters its showdown with Akron this Friday, Sept. 13, having dropped its last two contests following a 3-2 setback at UCLA on Sept. 6. The Terrapins have featured a balanced scoring attack with junior Eric Matzelevich, sophomore Brayan Padilla and freshman Malcolm Johnston each owning a goal. Matzelevich leads Maryland in goals (1), points (2), shots (7) and shots on goal (2). Maryland has split its goalkeeper duties this season between redshirt freshman Russell Shealy and freshman Niklas Neumann, who have combined to register seven saves, while sporting a 1.67 goals against average.

SERIES HISTORY
Akron is encountering Maryland for the sixth time in program history with the series tied at 2-2-1. In the last meeting between the two schools, No. 3 Maryland edged No. 2 Akron, 1-0, in the title match of the 2018 College Cup in Santa Barbara, Calif. In the last regular season encounter, Akron posted a 3-2 victory past the then No. 6 Terrapins on Sept. 7, 2015 in College Park, Md. The Zips and Maryland have met three in NCAA Tournament play (2003, 2005 and 2018). The Terrapins edged Akron, 1-0, in the third round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament. In the quarterfinals of the 2005 NCAA Tournament, the Zips and Maryland battled to a 1-1 draw before the Terrapins advanced to the College Cup on penalty kicks, 4-1. Akron also registered a 4-1 home triumph past Maryland on Sept. 4, 1993 as part of the Children's Hospital Classic.

IN OUR LAST MEETING (DEC. 9, 2018 - SANTA BARBARA, CALIF.)
A successful penalty kick by Amar Sejdic in the 57th minute (56:35) proved to be the deciding tally that propelled Maryland to capture the national title with a 1-0 triumph over Akron on Dec. 9, 2018 at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara, Calif.

The setback snapped a nine-game winning streak for Akron that began following a 2-1 loss at Northern Illinois on Oct. 20.

Refusing to be defined by expectations of others, the Zips came together and moved within one half of capturing the second national title in program history.

Akron was outshot on the evening, 15-10, including 8-2 on net, with Marcel Zajac registering a team-high four shots. The Terrapins were paced by a six-shot performance from Sejdic.

Goalkeeper Ben Lundt capped his stellar Akron career making six saves en route to being named the Defensive Most Outstanding Player of the College Cup. Dayne St. Clair earned the clean sheet making a pair of stops for Maryland.

The Terrapins posted the first two shots of the evening, before Zajac recorded a shot on goal at the 17:43 mark that was saved by St. Clair.

The Zips had a nice flurry in the 30th minute as Ezana Kahsay had his strike in the box blocked at the 29:23 mark before sophomore Marco Milanese (Isernia, Italy) delivered a left-footed shot that went just wide of frame.

In the 35th minute (34:11), junior Daniel Strachan (Lakewood, Ohio) struck a header off a corner kick by senior Skye Harter (Copley, Ohio) that was pulled in for a save by St. Clair.

Lundt came up with a diving save off a shot by DJ Reeves from just beyond the corner of the six-yard box at the 40:33 mark before Milanese made a timely clearance of the deflection to end the scoring chance by Maryland.

The Zips were credited for a team save in the 53rd minute (52:19) when Strachan headed a ball off the line off a shot by Chase Gasper.

The deciding call in the game came at the 56:35 mark when Akron was whistled for a foul in the box that awarded the first penalty kick of the season in the run of play to the Terrapins. Sejdic stepped to the line and scored what proved to be the game-winning tally.

Zajac got off a strong shot in the box for the Zips in the 60th minute (59:56) that was blocked off a cross from sophomore Colin Biros (Jackson, Ohio).

Marco Micaletto registered a shot that went wide of net in the 70th minute (69:06) off a well-played ball from junior David Egbo (Enugu, Nigeria).

The Zips best scoring opportunity in the second half came in the 74th minute as sophomore Pol Hernandez (Teia, Spain) served a ball into the box which Milanese headed off the defender before the redirected deflection for a shot by Egbo was again blocked. The resulting deflection was then headed over the net by Zajac to end the scoring opportunity for Akron.

Less than two minutes later at the 75:38 mark, the Zips again were whistled for a call in the box resulting in a penalty kick for Maryland. Trying a stutter-step move on his penalty shot was Sedjic, whose attempted was thwarted by a brilliant save from Lundt to keep the margin at 1-0.

Lundt again denied the Terrapins with a save at the 76:00 mark off a shot from Andrew Samuels.

The momentum of the contest swung in Maryland's favor in the 81st minute when a pair of cards were booked against the Zips forcing Akron to play the final 10 minutes a man down.

Lundt again came up with a big save at the 82:55 mark off a shot by Reeves.

Sophomore Sam Tojaga (Erie, Pa.) recorded the final shot for the Zips on the evening at the 87:25 mark, a strike that was blocked.

THE COACHES
Maryland: Sasho Cirovski is in his 27th season as head coach of the Maryland program, owning a 388-144-53 (.709) record, while maintaining a 414-157-60 (.704) mark in 29 years overall.
Akron: In his seventh year on the Akron sidelines as head coach, and 13th season overall, is Jared Embick, who owns a 94-33-13 mark (.718), including 141-54-21 (.701) overall, in his 11th 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 2019 campaign marks his seventh year leading the Zips having registered a 94-33-13 (.718) ledger after posting an 15-7-2 record en route to earning the program's second consecutive and sixth overall College Cup berth in 2018. Akron's 94 victories since Embick took the helm of the Zips' program in 2013 rank second among all men's soccer programs in Division I.

During Embick's time at Akron, the Zips have posted the highest winning percentage in the nation with an overall record of 204-46-29 (.783), including a 56-6-4 (.879) mark in Mid-American Conference play, while securing 11 conference tournament titles, 12 trips to the NCAA Tournament and three appearances in the College Cup final.

The Zips became one of just four Division I programs in 2018 to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in each of the past 12 seasons.

CREIGHTON EDGES AKRON, 2-1
Akron was unable to overcome an early first-half deficit as Creighton dealt the Zips a 2-1 setback on Friday, Sept. 6.

Akron on the strength of an 8-5 second-half advantage in shots and an 11-5 overall edge in corner kicks had scoring opportunities to square the contest at two, but the Bluejays' defense led by goalkeeper Paul Kruse kept the Zips off the scoreboard.

The Zips finished the evening posting a 15-13 edge in shots, despite Creighton earning an 8-5 margin in shots on goal.

Redshirt junior Diogo Pacheco's (Lisbon, Portugal) directed Akron's attack with a game-high five shots, including a pair on goal, while David Egbo and senior Christian Lue Young (Plantation, Fla.) added three and two shots, respectively. Ziyad Fares led the Bluejays with a match-best five shots.

Redshirt junior goalkeeper Tor Saunders (Seattle, Wash.) recorded a career- and season-high six saves for the Zips, while Kruse registered four stops for Creighton.

Four corners in succession in the 13th and 14th minutes nearly resulted in a goal, as the Zips had shots deflected on each attempt before the Bluejays finally cleared the ball. Sophomore Carlo Ritaccio (Westbury, N.Y.) had the best attempt with a strike inside the six-yard box at the 12:41 mark that was pulled in for a save by Kruse.

A strong diving save by Saunders at the 22:47 mark denied a Creighton scoring chance by Luke Haakenson.

A missed clearance in the box off a cross from the corner by Creighton nearly resulted in an own goal if not for Saunders pushing the ball out of danger in the 29th minute.

Saunders made another great save off a shot by Haakenson in the 33rd minute (32:33), before Fares knocked in the deflection to give Creighton a 1-0 lead at the 32:39 mark.

Dominic Briggs got around the Akron defender on a ball in the box in the 37th minute (36:31) and bested a diving Saunders with a shot to extend the Bluejays' advantage to 2-0.

Akron responded at the 39:06 mark when sophomore Federico Serra (Cagliari, Italy) played a ball into the box from the endline that Lue Young blasted through a line of defenders into the back of the net for his first career goal as a Zip to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Akron had another strong scoring chance in the 44th minute as Skye Harter played a ball through to Serra, who in turn dished off to freshman Will Jackson (Hudson, Ohio), who got off a shot at the 12:41 mark wide of frame at the 43:44 mark.

The two sides each registered seven first-half shots, with the Bluejays owning a 5-2 margin in shots on goal.

Pacheco had his strike in the 49th minute (48:53) denied by a save from Kruse.

Egbo nearly chipped a ball from the corner of the box over the head of Kruse and into the top of the net at the 49:43 mark. Unfortunately for the Zips, the ball went just high of the crossbar.

Saunders made consecutive stops of shots from Fares at the 52:02 and 53:41 marks, respectively.

Egbo's header off a corner by Harter in the 57th minute (56:19) was blocked out of danger by Musa Qongo. Egbo then narrowly missed connecting inside the six-yard box at the 58:00 mark.

Pacheco's header off a corner from Harter in the 62nd minute (61:35) was denied by a save, before his strike at the 76:43 mark narrowly missed finding the corner of the net as it squarely hit the post before bounding out.

Freshman Henrique Cruz (Fortaleza, Brazil) culminated the Zips' scoring opportunities in the 83rd minute (82:12) as he struck a ball that was denied by a save from Kruse.

ZIPS TIDBITS
• The Zips are facing their second match against a ranked team this season when it battles Maryland on Friday. Akron dropped a 2-1 decision versus Stanford on Sept. 2 as the Zips recorded 12 shots against the Cardinal in the match.
• A year ago, Akron owned a MAC-best eight victories over opponents ranked in the top-50 of the final NCAA RPI report. The Zips bettered No. 1 Wake Forest (1-0 on Nov. 25), No. 9 Stanford (3-2 on Nov. 30), No. 19 Syracuse (3-1 on Nov. 18), No. 21 West Virginia (3-1 on Nov. 9), No. 31 Creighton (1-0 on Oct. 16), No. 33 Michigan State (2-1 on Oct. 9 and 5-1 on Dec. 7) and No. 42 Pittsburgh (1-0 on Sept. 1).
• In 2018, the Zips posted a 6-3 mark versus ranked teams away from FirstEnergy Stadium. Carlo Ritaccio posted three goals, all coming in postseason, while David Egbo and Skye Harter each scored a pair of tallies. As a team, Akron registered 2.0 goals per contest, while limiting their opponents to 1.22 goals per contest.
• Since the start of the 2015 campaign, the Zips own a 26-16-2 mark against ranked opponents.
• As a team, the Zips are rated 13th in the NCAA in corner kicks (7.33), 34th in shots on goal per game (6.33) and 43rd in shots per game (14.33).
• Individually, David Egbo is ranked 16th in the NCAA in shots on goal per contest (2.00).
• Skye Harter enters play against Maryland among the active NCAA leaders in assists and games played. He is rated fifth in games played (67) and 11th in assists (16) among Division I players, while ranking17th and 48th, overall, across all divisions.
• Will Jackson has paced a talented core of freshmen for Akron this season leading the newcomers in assists (1), points (1), shots (6) and shots on goal (3).
• Five Akron newcomers have garnered a start in the Zips' initial three contests this season. Will Jackson has recorded a trio of starts, while owning two starts each is senior Tom Smart (Birmingham, England) and freshmen Bradley Chick (Melbourne, Australia) and Henrique Cruz. Freshmen Mani Austmann (Gardabaer, Iceland) recorded the start versus Xavier.
• Four different Zips in seniors Christian Lue Young and Tom Smart and Mani Austmann and Will Jackson earned their first-ever Akron starts versus Xavier.
• Four additional newcomers in Federico Serra and freshmen Bradley Chick, Henrique Cruz and Jaden Wright (Lorain, Ohio) made their Zips' debuts against Xavier.
• Tor Saunders has made the most of his playing time in goal for the Zips having registered three career shutouts on the strength of garnering 22 saves and posting a 1.11 goal against average. He has earned shutouts over No. 8 Creighton last season as well as past No. 8 Notre Dame and Cleveland State in 2017.
• Twelve different Zips have registered a shot this season, including four newcomers.

UP NEXT
Akron travels to Pittsburgh, Pa., for a match versus Pittsburgh on Monday, Sept. 16. The showdown with the Panthers will begin at 7p.m. and will be broadcast on the ACC Network.