Zips Host Santa Clara in Opening Round of NCAA Tournament

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Akron (9-5-3) vs. No. 16 Santa Clara (11-1-4)
Thursday, Nov. 18
FirstEnergy Stadium
Akron, Ohio • 7 p.m.

Series History: Series Tied 1-1
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WHAT'S AHEAD
The University of Akron men's soccer team will open its quest for its second-ever NCAA Championship on Thursday, Nov. 18, as the Zips welcome No. 16 Santa Clara to FirstEnergy Stadium in the opening round of the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship. The 7 p.m. tilt with the Broncos will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Dave Bacon and Chad Welker calling the action.

HEAD COACHES
Santa Clara: Cam Rast (Santa Clara, 1991), Overall Record: 189-135-55 (20th Season)/SCU Record: 189-135-55 (20th Season)
Akron: Jared Embick (Indiana Wesleyan, 2000), Overall Record: 159-70-28 (15th Season)/Akron Record: 113-49-20 (Ninth Season)

SCOUTING SANTA CLARA
Santa Clara, which is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015 and 21st overall, comes into play this Thursday with a 11-1-4 ledger, including posting a 5-0-2 mark en route to capturing the Big West Conference title, following a 0-0 double overtime victory draw at Loyola Marymount on Nov. 13. The Broncos are unbeaten in their last 12 games, with their lone loss of the season coming at the hands of Georgetown on Sept. 6 in Washington, D.C.

Santa Clara is led offensively by senior Oladayo Thomas, who owns team-high marks in goals (9), points (24), shots (51), shots on goal (30) and game-winners (3). Senior goalkeeper Andreu Cases Mundet has recorded 37 saves en route to posting a 0.88 goals against average as part of five shutouts.

As a team, the Broncos are ranked 10th in the NCAA in save percentage (.806), 11th in assists per game (2.38) and winning percentage (.812), 12th in shot accuracy (.486), 19th in goals against average (.820), 23rd in total assists (38), 26th in points per contest (6.25), 27th in goal differential (17), 29th in shots on goal (6.50), 38th in scoring offense (1.94) and 43rd in total points (100). Individually, Thomas is rated 10th in the NCAA in shots on goal (1.88), 19th in shot accuracy (.588), 22nd in points per outing (1.50), 30th in goals per game (0.56), 33rd in total goals (9), 34th in total points (24), 36th in shots per tilt (3.19) and 43rd in game-winning goals (3), while Cases Mundet is ranked 29th in goals against average (.877) and 37th in save percentage (.771).

SERIES HISTORY
Akron and Santa Clara are squaring off for third time in program history and first in NCAA Tournament play with each side claiming a victory. In the last encounter between the teams, the Zips bested the Broncos, 2-0, on Oct. 6, 2015 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Broncos won the first tilt between the schools, 4-2, in overtime on Sept. 25, 1992, at the Women's Federal Savings Bank Classic hosted by Cleveland State.

ZIPS' NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Akron maintains a 33-27-9 mark in 69 matches in NCAA Championship history, including capturing the school's first national championship in any sport in 2010. The Zips are 12-4-3 under head coach Jared Embick. Since 2005, Akron owns a 24-7-9 ledger.

Juniors Carlo Ritaccio (Westbury, N.Y.) and Sam Tojaga (Erie, Pa.) are Akron's active leader in NCAA Tournament games played (6), with each having started a team-high six games. Ritaccio enters action versus Santa Clara as the team's NCAA Tournament career scoring leader with one goal, while Tojaga has contributed a pair of assists.

Tojaga has recorded a team-best seven shots, including one on goal. Senior Daniel Strachan (Lakewood, Ohio), senior Diogo Pacheco (Lisbon, Portugal) and Ritaccio have registered 3 (1), 1 (1) and 1 (1) shot (shots on goal), respectively.

AKRON VERSUS THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE
• The Zips are meeting a team from the West Coast Conference for the first time this season and seventh time overall.
• Akron owns a 3-2-1 (.500) all-time record versus the current eight members of the West Coast Conference.
• In their last encounter with a school from the West Coast Conference, the Zips registered a 2-1 victory past St. Mary's (Calif.) on Sept. 30, 2017 at FirstEnergy Stadium.

IN OUR LAST MEETING (OCT. 6, 2015 - AKRON, OHIO)
A pair of goals from Richie Laryea propelled seventh-ranked Akron to its fourth consecutive victory, a 2-0 decision, past Santa Clara on Oct. 6, 2015, at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The Zips maintained the flow of offense in the affair registering a 20-7 advantage in shots, including 9-4 on goal.

Laryea posted a game-high four shots, while Robby Dambrot, Sam Gainford, Niko De Vera, Adam Najem, Brad Ruhaak and Victor Souto added two shots apiece to Akron's efforts.

The scoring chances came early for both sides as each team was awarded a penalty kick over a span of 34 seconds in the game's eighth minute.

The Broncos were awarded a penalty shot at the 7:22 mark when the Zips were whistled for a trip in the box. Santa Clara's leading scorer Delgadillo stepped to the line looking to push his strike past Akron GK Jake Fenlason. The shot went to the right and a diving Fenlason was there to deflect the shot for the save.

The Zips had their own opportunity to net the tilt's first goal at the 7:54 mark when the Broncos were also whistled for a foul in the box. Najem toed the line and attempted to beat goalkeeper Kendall Mcintosh, but his attempt missed the mark.

Laryea persevered and gave the Zips a 1-0 lead at the 39:04 mark. The ball was slid back to the top of box from the six-yard box by Stuart Holthusen for the assist on the goal.
Akron took a 1-0 advantage into the intermission on the strength of a 7-1 margin in shots in the initial stanza.

Laryea extended the Zips' lead to 2-0 with his second tally of the evening in the 83rd minute (82:09). Setting him up for the goal was Pau Belana and Tyler Sanda.

Fenlason finished the affair with four saves en route to earning the shutout, while Mcintosh collected a game-high seven stops for the Broncos.

SEVEN ZIPS PLAY IN FINAL AKRON HOME GAME
The Zips' contest versus Santa Clara on Nov. 18, will mark the final home games in the careers of seniors Samuel George (Dagenham, England), Will Meyer (Solon, Ohio), Diogo Pacheco, Hazem Sobhy (Cairo, Egypt) and Daniel Strachan, as well as Carlo Ritaccio and redshirt sophomore Ivan Nikolic (Toronto, Ontario).

George has appeared in 10 of the Zips' 17 contests this season, owning a goal on the strength of eight shots, including a pair on frame.

A two-year member of the Akron squad, Meyer has played 27 games in net for the Zips owning 75 saves and eight shutouts en route to a 1.20 goals against average.

Nikolic has persevered through injuries to appear in nine games during his four-year Zips' career owning a goal on the strength of four shots, including a pair on net.

Pacheco has appeared in 51 matches, including 27 starts and has posted 17 goals and 11 assists on 114 shots, including 46 on frame.

Ritaccio has played in 57 games over his Akron career, including 51 starts. He has registered six goals, while adding two assists on the heels of 24 shots, including 10 on goal.

Sobhy is in his second season at Akron and has recorded a goal and two assists in 21 contests.

Strachan has played in a team-best 91 games over his Akron career, including 81 starts. He has registered three goals, while adding six assists on the strength of 33 shots, including 13 on goal.

AKRON GARNERS FOUR ALL-MAC MEN'S SOCCER SELECTIONS
Led by Diogo Pacheco and Ryan Kingsford, who were selected as First-Team All-Mid-American Conference men's soccer selections, four Akron student-athletes garnered All-MAC accolades as announced by the league on Nov. 10.

Dyson Clapier and freshman Malik Henry (Hamilton, Ontario) were tabbed second-team honorees.

Earning all-league honors for the second consecutive campaign was Pacheco, who has started 10 of the 16 games he has appeared in for the Zips this season, registering team-high marks in goals (7), assists (7), points (21), shots (46), shots on goal (14) and game-winners (2). He ranks second in the MAC in assists (.438), goals (.438) and points (1.38), third in shots (2.88), seventh in shots on goal (0.88) and ninth in game-winners (.125). In league-only affairs, Pacheco led the conference in goals (.667), while rating third in shots (3.33), fourth in game-winners (.167) and fifth in assists (.333) and shots on goal (1.00).

Hauling in All-MAC honors for the first time was Kingsford, who has started 16 of Akron's 17 contests on the campaign. He ranks second on the team in goals (6), points (16) and shots on goal (12), while rating fourth in assists (4) and shots (27) en route to ranking fourth in the conference in goals (.353) and fifth in points (0.94). In league-only games, he ranked fourth in game-winners (.167), seventh in goals (.333) and eighth in points (0.83).

Clapier has started 16 of the Zips' 17 games en route to earning Second-Team All-MAC accolades for the first time and ranks second on the team in shots (29) and shots on goal (12), while adding four goals and three assists on the campaign.

Garnering All-MAC accolades for the first time, Henry, has started 16 of Akron's 17 contests this season. He helped anchor a Zips' defensive unit that posted six shutouts on the campaign, while adding a team-high seven assists on the strength of six shots, including three on goal. He ranks fourth in the MAC in assists per game (.412).

A LEGACY OF SUCCESS
Since 2007, the Akron men's soccer program has posted the highest winning percentage in the nation (as of games on Oct. 29) (.751), with an overall record of 223-62-36. The Zips are followed by Wake Forest, 206-66-38 (.726), Maryland, 212-67-43 (.725), North Carolina, 204-71-45 (.708) and Creighton, 198-80-30 (.692). Akron made 12 straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament (2007-18), earning a first-round bye in eight seasons. The Zips have advanced to the NCAA's Round of 16 in eight of their last 11 NCAA Tournament appearances. Since 1961, the Zips have advanced to the NCAA postseason 34 times, including 18 of the past 21 seasons.

ZIPS TIDBITS
• Nineteen of Akron's 37 NCAA Tournament matches with head coach Jared Embick on the Zips' sideline have resulted in a shutout, including nine of 19 with him as head coach, with the Zips owning a 8-7-4 mark in those contests.
• The Zips own a 20-6-2 all-time ledger in 28 home NCAA Tournament games and have outscored their opponents, 64-34.
• Under head coach Jared Embick, the Zips own a 12-4-3 NCAA Tournament record. Akron has outscored the opposition, 38-19, including 25-9 at FirstEnergy Stadium.
• Daniel Strachan cracked the top-10 in games played at Akron against Georgia Southern and has now appeared in 91 career contests during his decorated Zips' career, a mark that is fourth on the all-time list.
• Diogo Pacheco has now scored a point in 11 of Akron's 17 games this season.
• Twelve different Zips have scored a goal this season.
• Daniel Strachan is rated second among all players in men's Division I in games played having appeared in 91 games.
• Nineteen Zips have registered a shot this season, including nine newcomers.
• Akron ranks seventh in the NCAA in assists per game (2.53), while rating 11th in assists (43), 19th in points per tilt (6.53), 22nd in corner kicks (6.29), 28th in total points (111), 30th in scoring offense (2.00), 31st in goal differential (16), 37th in total goals (34) and 46th in goals against average (1.02).
• Will Meyer is ranked 32nd in the NCAA in shutouts (6) and 44th in minutes played (1,595.12), while Malik Henry and Diogo Pacheco are rated 43rd in total assists (7).
• The Zips are 2-2-2 versus ranked teams this season having best No. 3 Pitt, 2-1, on Sept. 6, garnering a 1-1 double-overtime draw with No. 3 Indiana on Sept. 10, dropping a 2-0 decision at No. 5 Marshall on Sept. 21, battling No. 3 West Virginia to a 0-0 double-overtime draw on Sept. 30, edging No. 14 Bowling Green, 5-1, on Oct. 22 and falling 2-1 at Northern Illinois on Oct. 30.
• Diogo Pacheco is Akron's active career leaders in goals (17), points (45), shots (114) and shots on goal (46). Will Jackson and Pacheco paces the team in game-winning goals (3), while Daniel Strachan has appeared in a team-high 91 games.
• The Zips own a 113-49-20 mark over the last nine seasons under head coach Jared Embick. Akron's 113 wins are ranked seventh in all of Division I.

UP NEXT
A victory advances Akron into the second round of the NCAA Tournament to battle ninth-seeded Kentucky on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. in Lexington, Ky.

The University of Akron Athletics

Zips Host Santa Clara in Opening Round of NCAA Tournament

Players Mentioned

Dyson Clapier

Samuel George

Malik Henry

Will Jackson

Ryan Kingsford

Will Meyer

Ivan Nikolic

Diogo Pacheco

Carlo Ritaccio

Hazem Sobhy

Daniel Strachan

Sam Tojaga

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