Akron Faces Mid-Week MAC Clash at SIU Edwardsville

Wednesday, March 17

Edwardsville, Ill.

2:00 PM

University of Akron

SIU Edwardsville

Akron Faces Mid-Week MAC Clash at SIU Edwardsville

March 16 | Men's Soccer

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GAME NO. 5 - AKRON AT SIU EDWARDSVILLE NOTES (3/17)

No. 10 Akron (2-1-1, 1-1-0 MAC) at SIU Edwardsville (4-1-0, 1-1-0 MAC)
Wednesday, March 17
Ralph Korte Stadium
Edwardsville, Ill. • 2 p.m. ET

Series History: SIUE leads 12-6-1
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WHAT'S AHEAD
The 10th-rated University of Akron men's soccer team continues Mid-American Conference play this Wednesday, March 17, as the Zips square off against SIU Edwardsville. The 2 p.m. ET showdown will be broadcast on ESPN+.

HEAD COACHES
SIU Edwardsville: Cale Wassermann (Saginaw Valley State, 2007), Overall Record: 151-29-21 (Seventh Season)/SIUE Record: 12-6-4 (Second Season)
Akron: Jared Embick (Indiana Wesleyan, 2000), Overall Record: 149-62-24 (14th Season)/Akron Record: 102-41-16 (Eighth Season)

SCOUTING SIU EDWARDSVILLE
SIU Edwardsville enters action on Wednesday, March 17, on the heels of the Cougars suffering their initial loss of the season, 1-0, to Bowling Green on Sunday, March 14.

Sophomore Oskar Lenz leads the Cougars in goals (3), assists (2), points (8) and shots on goal (5). Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Liuis Martorell has recorded 20 saves on the strength of a 0.85 goals against average.

As a team, SIU Edwardsville is 16th in the NCAA in save percentage (.889), 19th in shot accuracy (.528), 21st in saves per game (4.80), 27th in winning percentage (.800), 31st in goal differential (+5) and 34th in goals against average (.581). Individually, Martorell is eighth in the NCAA saves per game (5.00), 22nd in save percentage (.870) and 35th in total saves (20).

SERIES HISTORY
Akron and SIU Edwardsville are meeting for the 20th time in program history with the Cougars owning a 12-6-1 series advantage. A year ago, the Zips earned a 3-0 victory over SIU Edwardsville at FirstEnergy Stadium on Oct. 25, 2019.

IN OUR LAST MEETING (OCT. 25, 2019 - AKRON, OHIO)
The University of Akron men's soccer team turned in a dominating Mid-American Conference performance against league-leading SIU Edwardsville en route to notching a 3-0 triumph past the Cougars on Oct. 25, 2019, at FirstEnergy Stadium, on the strength of the Zips registering a pair of first-half goals, before adding a late tally to earn the win.

Sparked by a 12-8 advantage in second-half shots, Akron finished the match posting a 17-13 edge in shots, including a 6-2 margin in shots on goal.

David Egbo directed the Zips' offensive performance with a game-high five shots, including two on frame, and finished the night with a goal and two assists. Adding three shots apiece for the Zips were Mani Austmann and sophomore Will Jackson (Hudson, Ohio), along with Christian Lue Young. Jorge Gonzalez, the leading scorer in the MAC, registered a team-high five shots for the Cougars, but was held off the scoreboard by a stout defensive effort by Akron.

Goalkeeper Tor Saunders garnered the clean sheet for the Zips pulling in a pair of saves, while Noah Heim posted three stops for SIU Edwardsville.

Austmann gave the Zips a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute (3:29) connecting on a shot from outside the 18-yard box to the upper 90 off an assist from Egbo.

Jackson nearly extended the margin to 2-0 at the 18:20 mark as his 1v1 attempt in the box hit the near post to thwart the scoring opportunity.

Egbo extended Akron's margin to 2-0 in the 37th minute (36:27) delivering a shot from 10 yards out that found the corner of the net courtesy of an assist from sophomore Henrique Cruz (Fortaleza, Brazil).

Each side registered five shots in the opening stanza, with the Zips owning a 3-0 edge in shots on goal.

The Cougars posted the initial two shots of the second half before Lue Young placed a shot on goal inside the box in the 49th minute (48:12) that was headed off the line by Lachlan McLean for a team save. The follow-up shot at the 48:17 mark by junior Carlo Ritaccio (Westbury, N.Y.) was blocked to end the scoring chance for the Zips.

Egbo had his shot on goal in the 53rd minute (52:16) denied by a save from Heim, before Saunders pushed back a strike from Jake Meier at the 60:23 mark to preserve the shutout.

Gonzalez had a goal wiped off the scoreboard for the Cougars by an offsides call in the 64th minute (63:13), before getting off a shot at the 68:23 mark in the box that was thwarted by stellar save from Saunders. He later saw his 1v1 attempt in the box go wide of target in the 72nd minute (71:46), before striking the post with a shot at the 75:30 mark.

The Zips finished the contest registering a 6-2 edge in shots over the final 15 minutes capped by the third goal of the season in the 90th minute (89:22) from Jackson. Egbo and junior Pol Hernandez (Teia, Spain) split the defense to set-up the tally and earn the Akron duo a pair of assists.

ZIPS SUFFER SETBACK AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS
A trio of second-half goals proved too much for the fifth-rated University of Akron men's soccer team to overcome as Northern Illinois dealt the Zips a 3-0 setback on Sunday, March 14, at the NIU Soccer Complex.

Freshman Jason Shokalook (Erie, Pa.) led the Zips with a team- and game-high three shots, as Akron was outshot on the afternoon, 9-6, including 4-2 on goal. Adding one shot apiece for the Zips was senior Diogo Pacheco (Lisbon, Portugal), junior Marco Milanese (Isernia, Italy) and Will Jackson. Nick Markanich recorded a team-high three shots for the Huskies and scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 62nd minute (61:07).

Martin Sanchez garnered a pair of saves in net for the Huskies, while senior GK Will Meyer (Solon, Ohio) recorded one stop for Akron.

The two teams battled through a scoreless opening half as Northern Illinois recorded a 3-2 edge in shots in the opening stanza.

Markanich scored what proved to be the game-winning tally at the 61:07 mark off an assist from Roque Viegas, Jr., to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.

Northern Illinois extended its advantage to 2-0 in the 67th minute (66:42) when Diego Maynez found the back of the net courtesy of an assist from Camilo Estrada.

Jackson notched the Zips initial strike on net in the contest at the 76:05 mark, one that was saved by Sanchez, before Shokalook added a shot on goal in the 82nd minute (81:05).

Enrique Banuelos capped the scoring for Northern Illinois scoring off a free kick at the 84:56 mark.

AKRON DOWNS BOWLING GREEN IN MAC OPENER, 2-0
A pair of first-half goals lifted the seventh-ranked Akron to a 2-0 triumph past Bowling Green in the Mid-American Conference opener for both schools on Sunday, March 7, at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The Zips opened defense of its 2019 MAC regular season title avenging a 1-0 setback suffered against the Falcons in the semifinals of the 2019 MAC Tournament, on the strength of the first collegiate goals from junior Federico Serra (Cagliari, Italy) and sophomore Tonny Temple (Millville, Pa.).

Akron finished the contest registering a 12-8 edge in shots, including a 6-0 margin in the opening half, while outshooting Bowling Green on goal, 5-3.

Will Jackson led the Zips with a team-high three shots, while Serra added two strikes of his own. Seven other Akron players garnered one shot apiece in the tilt. The Falcons received four and three shots, respectively, from Jacob Erlandson and Kale Nichols.

GK Will Meyer recorded his first clean sheet as a member of the Akron men's soccer program pulling in three saves en route to earning the shutout. Logan Kowalczyk posted a trio of stops for Bowling Green.

Serra had his initial shot of the game ping off the post in the 24th minute (23:41) before successfully converting on a penalty kick to give the Zips a 1-0 lead at the 27:59 mark after the Falcons were whistled for a handball in the box. The goal was the first of Serra's collegiate career.

Temple extended Akron's edge to 2-0 in the 45th minute (44:30) as his header from eight yards out off a pass from the corner of the box by freshman Nick Scott (Fairview, Pa.) found the back of the net. The tally and assist were the first of the collegiate careers for Temple and Scott, respectively. Senior Daniel Strachan (Lakewood, Ohio) also garnered an assist on the tally for his pass from the midfield to Scott.

Diogo Pacheco added a shot on goal at the 52:59 mark for the Zips that was pulled in for a save by Kowalczyk.

Akron was forced to play the majority of the second half a man down after the Zips were assessed a red card in the 54th minute (53:38).

Jackson delivered a shot on net at the 56:47 mark that was again denied by a save from Kowalczyk.

Meyer thwarted shot attempts by Bowling Green with saves in the 75th (74:38), 82nd (81:06) and 90th (89:17) minutes, respectively, to preserve the shutout.

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 March 16) (.765), with an overall record of 212-54-32. The Zips are followed by Wake Forest, 190-59-36 (.730), Maryland, 197-61-40 (.728), North Carolina, 188-63-42 (.713) and Creighton, 186-70-28 (.704). 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 the last 12 years. Since 1961, the Zips have advanced to the NCAA postseason 33 times, including 17 of the past 19 seasons.

ZIPS TIDBITS
• Akron has won six straight matches against SIU Edwardsville after the Cougars posted a 12-0-1 in the first 13 meetings between the two schools, all between 1969-1979.
• Since 2012, the Zips have recorded two or more goals in five of the last six meetings versus the Cougars, while outscoring SIU Edwardsville, 13-4.
• Diogo Pacheco scored tallies in back-to-back tilts for the second time in his career with goals versus Kentucky and Marshall.
• Fourteen Zips have registered a shot this season, including five newcomers.
• Akron owns a 1-0-1 mark against ranked squads in 2021.
• The Zips are ranked 41st in the NCAA in assists per game (1.50).
• Jason Shokalook, who netted his first career goal, a game-winning golden goal, in a 2-1 overtime win over No. 9 Marshall on March 2, leads the Zips in game-winners (1), while ranking second in goals (1), shots (7) and shots on goal (3) and third in points (2).
• The Zips own a 11-10-3 mark in their last 24 matches away from home on the strength of five and three goals, respectively, from Diogo Pacheco and Carlo Ritaccio. The Zips have also posted a 164-104 margin in corner kicks and a 307-264 edge in total shots.
• Diogo Pacheco is Akron's active career leaders in goals (9), points (22), shots (59) and shots on goal (26). Junior Colin Biros (Jackson, Ohio) directs the squad in assists (6), Will Jackson paces the team in game-winning goals (3), while Daniel Strachan has appeared in a team-high 69 games.
• The Zips own a 102-41-16 mark over the last eight seasons under head coach Jared Embick. Akron's 102 wins are ranked fourth in all of Division I.
• Under head coach Jared Embick, Akron's record following a loss is 22-10-3.
• The Zips have scored two or more goals in 69 of the squad's last 122 matches.

UP NEXT
Akron is scheduled to welcome Western Michigan to FirstEnergy Stadium for a 3 p.m. match on Monday, March 22.