Worthy Heads Home Game-Winner to Lift Akron over Rival Kent State, 1-0

Sunday, March 28

Akron, Ohio

5:00 PM

University of Akron

1-4-1, 1-4-1MAC

Kent State

2-4-0, 2-4-0MAC

Kent State

Akron

Worthy Heads Home Game-Winner to Lift Akron over Rival Kent State, 1-0

March 28 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

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BOXSCORE (PDF) | POST-GAME COMMENTS

AKRON, Ohio - A first-half goal from junior Sydney Worthy (Groveport, Ohio) and a stout defensive effort propelled the University of Akron women's soccer team to a 1-0 triumph over rival Kent State (2-4, 2-4 MAC) in Mid-American Conference action on Sunday, March 28 at wind-swept FirstEnergy Stadium.

The Zips (1-4-1, 1-4-1 MAC) earned a half point in the Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center Wagon Wheel Challenge with the victory to assume a 4.5-4.0 overall series lead in the cumulative team standings.

Akron cracked the scoring column at the 14:34 mark on the first goal of the year for Worthy, who headed home a ball served into the center of the box off a corner kick from freshman Sarah Nguyen (Irwin, Pa.). The assist was the first collegiate point for Nguyen.

In only her third start of the campaign, sophomore GK Libby Harper (Hatfield, England) earned her second clean sheet of the season for Akron, registering four saves. Sarah Melen recorded a trio of stops in net for the Golden Flashes.

Each side garnered 10 shots in the affair, while matching one another with four strikes on goal each.

Junior Sydney Ward (Connellsville, Pa.) led the Zips with a game-high four shots, while redshirt junior Aislinn Meaney (Ennis, Ireland) and Worthy added three and two shots, respectively. Yasmine Hall paced the Kent State attack with a team-high three shots.

The Zips scored their goal on the initial shot of the game in the 15th minute (14:34).

Ward added a shot on goal at the 19:19 mark that Melen corralled for a save.

The Zips held a 1-0 advantage at the intermission posting a 4-2 edge in first-half shots, including a 2-0 margin in shots on goal.

Akron garnered the first five shots of the second half, including a shot on net from junior Carly Pcholinsky (South Park, Pa.) in the 47th minute (46:38).

Harper posted her first save of the night at the 56:46 mark off a shot by Hall before adding another in the 75th minute (74:38).

Meaney delivered a strike on frame at the 75:11 mark, a shot that was saved by Melen.

Harper denied shots in the 82nd (81:29) and 83rd (82:25) minutes, respectively, to preserve the shutout.

Akron returns to action traveling to Bowling Green, Ohio to battle Bowling Green in a 7 p.m. tilt on Thursday, April 1.