The University of Akron Athletics
Akron Announces 2021 Men’s Soccer Schedule
July 12 | Men's Soccer
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2021 AKRON MEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE
AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron men's soccer team unveiled a challenging 2021 fall slate, one that will see the Zips face five opponents from the 2020 NCAA Tournament field, including a trio of College Cup participants, ninth-year head coach Jared Embick announced today.
In 2021, the Zips' 13-match season-ticket package features trips to FirstEnergy Stadium from 2020 College Cup participants Indiana and Pittsburgh, as well as Michigan and Penn State from the Big Ten Conference, Yale from the Ivy League and Cleveland State, Robert Morris and Wright State of the Horizon League. A very fan-friendly slate features seven of Akron's 13 home games taking place on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
Akron is set to return eight starters in 2021, including 2020-21 All-MAC performers, seniors Diogo Pacheco (Lisbon, Portugal) and Daniel Strachan (Lakewood, Ohio) along with junior Carlo Ritaccio (Westbury, N.Y.) and sophomore Will Jackson (Hudson, Ohio).
The Zips are slated to open their regular season campaign hosting Wright State on Aug. 26 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Akron's home opener before traveling to East Lansing, Mich., to battle Michigan State on Aug. 30.
The month of September includes home league contests versus Robert Morris (Sept. 3), Pittsburgh (Sept. 6), Indiana (Sept. 10) and Yale (Sept. 25).
The Zips face a challenging month of October as six of the squad's seven games will be played at FirstEnergy Stadium. Akron will host league newcomers Georgia Southern and Georgia State on Oct. 7 and Oct. 9, respectively, before battling Penn State (Oct. 13), Michigan (Oct. 18), Bowling Green (Oct. 23) and Cleveland State (Oct. 26).
The Zips the close out their regular season campaign with road tests at Northern Illinois and Western Michigan on Oct. 30 and Nov. 4, respectively. The MAC Tournament returns in 2021 with semifinals slated for Nov. 10 and the championship match on Nov. 13.
The Zips take the field for the initial time on Aug. 14 when Akron hosts Niagara in the first of three exhibition tilts. The Zips also host Xavier at FirstEnergy Stadium on Aug. 15 before traveling to Richmond, Va., to battle VCU on Aug. 20.
Akron and Niagara have never met in regular season play in program history, while the Zips lead the all-time series with Xavier, 7-1. The Musketeers earned a 2-0 triumph past Akron on Aug. 30, 2019, in the last encounter between the two schools.
The Zips lead the all-time series with VCU, 2-1-1, as the Zips earned a 2-0 victory over the Rams in the most recent regular season encounter on Oct. 2, 2019 at FirstEnergy Stadium.
The Zips commence their 67th season of intercollegiate soccer opening their home slate on Aug. 26 battling Wright State for the 12th time, and first since Akron garnered an 8-0 win over the Raiders on Oct. 15, 2008. Wright State went 5-3-1 during the spring 2021 campaign.
The Zips then travel to East Lansing, Mich., to square off versus Michigan State on Aug. 30. The Spartans posted a 4-7 mark during the spring 2021 campaign. Akron leads the all-time series between the two schools, 30-13-2, following a 2-0 home victory past Michigan State on Oct. 15, 2019.
The Zips open the month of September with three consecutive home contests beginning with the 10th all-time meeting between Akron and Robert Morris on Sept. 3. The Zips lead the all-time series with the Colonials, who posted a 1-6-1 mark during the 2021 spring season, 8-1, including a 1-0 overtime victory on Sept. 8, 2006, in the last meeting between the two sides.
Akron battles 2020 College Cup participant Pittsburgh for the fifth consecutive fall season on Sept. 6 as the Zips host the Panthers on Labor Day. Pittsburgh, the No. 2 national seed in the 2020 NCAA Tournament, posted a 16-4 overall record, including a 9-1 mark in the ACC this past spring en route to advancing to the College Cup for the first time. On the strength of 6-1, 4-0 and 3-0 decisions past Monmouth, UCF and seventh-seeded Washington in the second-, third- and quarterfinal rounds, respectively, Pittsburgh made the College Cup before falling to third-seeded Indiana, 1-0, in the national semifinals.
For the first time since the opening round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament, 2020 College Cup finalist Indiana will visit FirstEnergy Stadium on Sept. 10. The Zips and Hoosiers last met in the regular season on Sept. 7, 2012 as part of the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament in South Bend, Ind., when Akron earned a 1-0 win over No. 10 Indiana. The No. 3 national seed, the Hoosiers registered a 12-2-2 overall ledger this past spring, including a 7-1 record in the Big Ten Conference. Indiana bested St. Francis Brooklyn on penalty kicks in the second round of the NCAA Tournament before edging Marquette (2-1), sixth-seeded Seton Hall (2-0) and second-seeded Pittsburgh to advance to the national title game, where the Hoosiers dropped a 1-0 overtime decision to Marshall.
A two-game road swing follows with matches at Ohio State and defending NCAA Champion Marshall on Sept. 15 and Sept. 21, respectively.
The Zips visit Columbus, Ohio on Sept. 15 to renew their in-state series with the Buckeyes for the first time since Akron recorded a 2-0 victory at Ohio State on Oct. 26, 2016. The Buckeyes finished the 2021 spring campaign with a 3-6-1 record, including a 3-5-1 mark in Big Ten Conference play.
Akron then travels to Marshall on Sept. 21. This past spring, the Thundering Herd became only the second unseeded team to capture the NCAA title when it registered a 1-0 victory over No. 3 national seed Indiana in the title match of the 2020 NCAA Tournament. Marshall earned its first-ever national title on the strength of 13-2-3 ledger, including a 6-0-1 mark in Conference USA.
The Zips were one of two teams to hand the Thundering Herd a defeat during the 2021 spring campaign as Akron bested Marshall, 2-1, in overtime on March 2, 2021 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Thundering Herd garnered its first star on the strength of edging Fordham (2-1, OT), defending NCAA Champion and No. 8 national seed Georgetown (1-0), 16th-seeded North Carolina (1-0) and third-seeded Indiana (1-0, OT), while defeating top-rated Clemson in penalty kicks (7-6) in a 1-1 second-round draw.
Akron will square off against Yale for the first time in program history when the Zips host the Bulldogs on Sept. 25 at FirstEnergy Stadium. Yale posted a 13-3-2 record in 2019, including a 6-1-0 ledger in the Ivy League en route to advancing to NCAA Tournament, where the Bulldogs suffered a 3-0 setback at Boston College in the opening round. Yale and the Ivy League didn't compete during the 2021 spring campaign due to COVID-19.
The Zips open MAC play at West Virginia on Sept. 30. In the last meeting between the schools, Akron registered a 3-2 double-overtime home triumph past the Mountaineers on April 7, 2021.
The 2021 MAC schedule will consist of a trio of home and away contests versus the other six league schools.
Akron opens the month of October hosting MAC newcomers Georgia Southern and Georgia State on Oct. 7 and Oct. 9, respectively, at FirstEnergy Stadium. The games represent the first-ever meetings between the schools.
Georgia Southern finished the 2020 fall season with a 1-9 record, including an 0-6 ledger in the Sun Belt Conference, while Georgia State cultivated a 9-2-2 mark, including a 4-2-0 record in the Sun Belt Conference. The Panthers advanced to the title game of the Sun Belt Conference Championship before falling in penalty kicks, 4-3, to top-seeded Coastal Carolina in a 0-0 double-overtime draw.
Akron steps out of conference for back-to-back home games against Penn State and Michigan on Oct. 13 and Oct. 18, respectively.
The Nittany Lions (9-2-2, 6-1-1 Big Ten) advanced to the third round of the 2020 NCAA Tournament besting Massachusetts, 4-1, before eighth-seeded and defending NCAA Champion Georgetown edged Penn State, 3-2. The Zips lead the all-time series with the Nittany Lions, 17-14-6, with Akron and Penn State battling to a 2-2 double-overtime draw in the last regular season encounter on Oct. 18, 2016 in Penn State, Pa.
The Wolverines (6-4-1, 5-3-1 Big Ten) are visiting FirstEnergy Stadium for the first time since Oct. 14, 2014 when the Zips earned a 3-0 triumph in the last meeting between the two programs. Akron leads the all-time series against Michigan, 11-4-0.
The Zips continue league play hosting 2020 league champion Bowling Green (7-5-1, 5-2-1 MAC) on Oct. 23. Akron earned a 2-0 victory over the Falcons on March 7, 2021 at FirstEnergy Stadium before Bowling Green edged the Zips in overtime, 1-0, on April 11, 2021 in Bowling Green, Ohio. Monmouth bested the Falcons, 2-1, in the opening round of the 2020 NCAA Tournament.
Akron concludes its home regular season slate on Oct. 26 as the Zips welcome Cleveland State to FirstEnergy Stadium. The Vikings registered a 4-5-0 record this past spring, with all matches in the Horizon League. Cleveland State earned a 3-1 triumph past the Zips in the last meeting between the schools on Oct. 29, 2019 at Krenzler Field in downtown Cleveland.
Akron then closes the regular season with a two-game road swing at Northern Illinois (Oct. 30) and Western Michigan (Nov. 4).
The Huskies bested the Zips, 3-0, on March 14, 2021 in DeKalb, Ill., while registering a 3-1 victory over Akron on April 4, 2021 at FirstEnergy Stadium. Northern Illinois finished the 2021 spring campaign with a 5-8-1 record, including 4-6-0 ledger in MAC play.
The Zips battled the Broncos to a 0-0 double-overtime draw on April 14, 2021 at FirstEnergy Stadium before Western Michigan (7-3-1, 5-3-1 MAC) thwarted Akron's bid to capture the MAC regular season title with a 4-3 home victory on April 18, 2021.
The MAC Tournament returns after a two-year hiatus with the top-four teams qualifying for the championship event. The semifinals will be contested on Nov. 10 before the championship match and the league's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Championship is on the line on Nov. 13
The NCAA Men's Soccer Championship play is set to commence on Nov. 18 and will culminate Dec. 10-12 at the College Cup in Cary, N.C.
Season ticket plans for the 2021 season, which include a ticket to all home games, can be purchased now by calling or texting 888-99-AKRON (25766) or visiting The C.P. and Cornelia S. Chima Athletics Ticket Office at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field (located at 375 E. Exchange Street, near Gate 1 at the southwest corner of the venue, at the corner of E. Exchange and S. Union streets) during our transitional business hours (Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.).
2021 AKRON MEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE
AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron men's soccer team unveiled a challenging 2021 fall slate, one that will see the Zips face five opponents from the 2020 NCAA Tournament field, including a trio of College Cup participants, ninth-year head coach Jared Embick announced today.
In 2021, the Zips' 13-match season-ticket package features trips to FirstEnergy Stadium from 2020 College Cup participants Indiana and Pittsburgh, as well as Michigan and Penn State from the Big Ten Conference, Yale from the Ivy League and Cleveland State, Robert Morris and Wright State of the Horizon League. A very fan-friendly slate features seven of Akron's 13 home games taking place on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
Akron is set to return eight starters in 2021, including 2020-21 All-MAC performers, seniors Diogo Pacheco (Lisbon, Portugal) and Daniel Strachan (Lakewood, Ohio) along with junior Carlo Ritaccio (Westbury, N.Y.) and sophomore Will Jackson (Hudson, Ohio).
The Zips are slated to open their regular season campaign hosting Wright State on Aug. 26 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Akron's home opener before traveling to East Lansing, Mich., to battle Michigan State on Aug. 30.
The month of September includes home league contests versus Robert Morris (Sept. 3), Pittsburgh (Sept. 6), Indiana (Sept. 10) and Yale (Sept. 25).
The Zips face a challenging month of October as six of the squad's seven games will be played at FirstEnergy Stadium. Akron will host league newcomers Georgia Southern and Georgia State on Oct. 7 and Oct. 9, respectively, before battling Penn State (Oct. 13), Michigan (Oct. 18), Bowling Green (Oct. 23) and Cleveland State (Oct. 26).
The Zips the close out their regular season campaign with road tests at Northern Illinois and Western Michigan on Oct. 30 and Nov. 4, respectively. The MAC Tournament returns in 2021 with semifinals slated for Nov. 10 and the championship match on Nov. 13.
The Zips take the field for the initial time on Aug. 14 when Akron hosts Niagara in the first of three exhibition tilts. The Zips also host Xavier at FirstEnergy Stadium on Aug. 15 before traveling to Richmond, Va., to battle VCU on Aug. 20.
Akron and Niagara have never met in regular season play in program history, while the Zips lead the all-time series with Xavier, 7-1. The Musketeers earned a 2-0 triumph past Akron on Aug. 30, 2019, in the last encounter between the two schools.
The Zips lead the all-time series with VCU, 2-1-1, as the Zips earned a 2-0 victory over the Rams in the most recent regular season encounter on Oct. 2, 2019 at FirstEnergy Stadium.
The Zips commence their 67th season of intercollegiate soccer opening their home slate on Aug. 26 battling Wright State for the 12th time, and first since Akron garnered an 8-0 win over the Raiders on Oct. 15, 2008. Wright State went 5-3-1 during the spring 2021 campaign.
The Zips then travel to East Lansing, Mich., to square off versus Michigan State on Aug. 30. The Spartans posted a 4-7 mark during the spring 2021 campaign. Akron leads the all-time series between the two schools, 30-13-2, following a 2-0 home victory past Michigan State on Oct. 15, 2019.
The Zips open the month of September with three consecutive home contests beginning with the 10th all-time meeting between Akron and Robert Morris on Sept. 3. The Zips lead the all-time series with the Colonials, who posted a 1-6-1 mark during the 2021 spring season, 8-1, including a 1-0 overtime victory on Sept. 8, 2006, in the last meeting between the two sides.
Akron battles 2020 College Cup participant Pittsburgh for the fifth consecutive fall season on Sept. 6 as the Zips host the Panthers on Labor Day. Pittsburgh, the No. 2 national seed in the 2020 NCAA Tournament, posted a 16-4 overall record, including a 9-1 mark in the ACC this past spring en route to advancing to the College Cup for the first time. On the strength of 6-1, 4-0 and 3-0 decisions past Monmouth, UCF and seventh-seeded Washington in the second-, third- and quarterfinal rounds, respectively, Pittsburgh made the College Cup before falling to third-seeded Indiana, 1-0, in the national semifinals.
For the first time since the opening round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament, 2020 College Cup finalist Indiana will visit FirstEnergy Stadium on Sept. 10. The Zips and Hoosiers last met in the regular season on Sept. 7, 2012 as part of the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament in South Bend, Ind., when Akron earned a 1-0 win over No. 10 Indiana. The No. 3 national seed, the Hoosiers registered a 12-2-2 overall ledger this past spring, including a 7-1 record in the Big Ten Conference. Indiana bested St. Francis Brooklyn on penalty kicks in the second round of the NCAA Tournament before edging Marquette (2-1), sixth-seeded Seton Hall (2-0) and second-seeded Pittsburgh to advance to the national title game, where the Hoosiers dropped a 1-0 overtime decision to Marshall.
A two-game road swing follows with matches at Ohio State and defending NCAA Champion Marshall on Sept. 15 and Sept. 21, respectively.
The Zips visit Columbus, Ohio on Sept. 15 to renew their in-state series with the Buckeyes for the first time since Akron recorded a 2-0 victory at Ohio State on Oct. 26, 2016. The Buckeyes finished the 2021 spring campaign with a 3-6-1 record, including a 3-5-1 mark in Big Ten Conference play.
Akron then travels to Marshall on Sept. 21. This past spring, the Thundering Herd became only the second unseeded team to capture the NCAA title when it registered a 1-0 victory over No. 3 national seed Indiana in the title match of the 2020 NCAA Tournament. Marshall earned its first-ever national title on the strength of 13-2-3 ledger, including a 6-0-1 mark in Conference USA.
The Zips were one of two teams to hand the Thundering Herd a defeat during the 2021 spring campaign as Akron bested Marshall, 2-1, in overtime on March 2, 2021 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Thundering Herd garnered its first star on the strength of edging Fordham (2-1, OT), defending NCAA Champion and No. 8 national seed Georgetown (1-0), 16th-seeded North Carolina (1-0) and third-seeded Indiana (1-0, OT), while defeating top-rated Clemson in penalty kicks (7-6) in a 1-1 second-round draw.
Akron will square off against Yale for the first time in program history when the Zips host the Bulldogs on Sept. 25 at FirstEnergy Stadium. Yale posted a 13-3-2 record in 2019, including a 6-1-0 ledger in the Ivy League en route to advancing to NCAA Tournament, where the Bulldogs suffered a 3-0 setback at Boston College in the opening round. Yale and the Ivy League didn't compete during the 2021 spring campaign due to COVID-19.
The Zips open MAC play at West Virginia on Sept. 30. In the last meeting between the schools, Akron registered a 3-2 double-overtime home triumph past the Mountaineers on April 7, 2021.
The 2021 MAC schedule will consist of a trio of home and away contests versus the other six league schools.
Akron opens the month of October hosting MAC newcomers Georgia Southern and Georgia State on Oct. 7 and Oct. 9, respectively, at FirstEnergy Stadium. The games represent the first-ever meetings between the schools.
Georgia Southern finished the 2020 fall season with a 1-9 record, including an 0-6 ledger in the Sun Belt Conference, while Georgia State cultivated a 9-2-2 mark, including a 4-2-0 record in the Sun Belt Conference. The Panthers advanced to the title game of the Sun Belt Conference Championship before falling in penalty kicks, 4-3, to top-seeded Coastal Carolina in a 0-0 double-overtime draw.
Akron steps out of conference for back-to-back home games against Penn State and Michigan on Oct. 13 and Oct. 18, respectively.
The Nittany Lions (9-2-2, 6-1-1 Big Ten) advanced to the third round of the 2020 NCAA Tournament besting Massachusetts, 4-1, before eighth-seeded and defending NCAA Champion Georgetown edged Penn State, 3-2. The Zips lead the all-time series with the Nittany Lions, 17-14-6, with Akron and Penn State battling to a 2-2 double-overtime draw in the last regular season encounter on Oct. 18, 2016 in Penn State, Pa.
The Wolverines (6-4-1, 5-3-1 Big Ten) are visiting FirstEnergy Stadium for the first time since Oct. 14, 2014 when the Zips earned a 3-0 triumph in the last meeting between the two programs. Akron leads the all-time series against Michigan, 11-4-0.
The Zips continue league play hosting 2020 league champion Bowling Green (7-5-1, 5-2-1 MAC) on Oct. 23. Akron earned a 2-0 victory over the Falcons on March 7, 2021 at FirstEnergy Stadium before Bowling Green edged the Zips in overtime, 1-0, on April 11, 2021 in Bowling Green, Ohio. Monmouth bested the Falcons, 2-1, in the opening round of the 2020 NCAA Tournament.
Akron concludes its home regular season slate on Oct. 26 as the Zips welcome Cleveland State to FirstEnergy Stadium. The Vikings registered a 4-5-0 record this past spring, with all matches in the Horizon League. Cleveland State earned a 3-1 triumph past the Zips in the last meeting between the schools on Oct. 29, 2019 at Krenzler Field in downtown Cleveland.
Akron then closes the regular season with a two-game road swing at Northern Illinois (Oct. 30) and Western Michigan (Nov. 4).
The Huskies bested the Zips, 3-0, on March 14, 2021 in DeKalb, Ill., while registering a 3-1 victory over Akron on April 4, 2021 at FirstEnergy Stadium. Northern Illinois finished the 2021 spring campaign with a 5-8-1 record, including 4-6-0 ledger in MAC play.
The Zips battled the Broncos to a 0-0 double-overtime draw on April 14, 2021 at FirstEnergy Stadium before Western Michigan (7-3-1, 5-3-1 MAC) thwarted Akron's bid to capture the MAC regular season title with a 4-3 home victory on April 18, 2021.
The MAC Tournament returns after a two-year hiatus with the top-four teams qualifying for the championship event. The semifinals will be contested on Nov. 10 before the championship match and the league's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Championship is on the line on Nov. 13
The NCAA Men's Soccer Championship play is set to commence on Nov. 18 and will culminate Dec. 10-12 at the College Cup in Cary, N.C.
Season ticket plans for the 2021 season, which include a ticket to all home games, can be purchased now by calling or texting 888-99-AKRON (25766) or visiting The C.P. and Cornelia S. Chima Athletics Ticket Office at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field (located at 375 E. Exchange Street, near Gate 1 at the southwest corner of the venue, at the corner of E. Exchange and S. Union streets) during our transitional business hours (Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.).
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