Akron Renews In-State Rivalry with Ohio State

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No. 6 Akron (4-0-1) at Ohio State (1-3-1)
Wednesday, Sept. 15
Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium
Columbus, Ohio • 7 p.m.

Series History: Akron leads 29-6-5
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WHAT'S AHEAD
The sixth-ranked University of Akron men's soccer team renews its in-state rivalry with Ohio State on Wednesday, Sept. 15 as the Zips travel down I-71 to battle the Buckeyes. The 7 p.m. showdown with Ohio State will be broadcast on BTN+ with Neil Sika calling the action.

HEAD COACHES
Ohio State: Brian Maisonneuve (Indiana, 1995), Overall Record: 12-35-5 (Fourth Season)/Ohio State Record: 12-35-5 (12th Season)
Akron: Jared Embick (Indiana Wesleyan, 2000), Overall Record: 155-65-26 (15th Season)/Akron Record: 108-44-18 (Ninth Season)

SCOUTING OHIO STATE
Akron is renewing its rivalry with Ohio State for the first time since the 2016 campaign. The Buckeyes come into play this Wednesday on the heels of a 1-0 setback at West Virginia on Friday, Sept. 10. This past spring, Ohio State went 3-6-1, including a 3-5-1 mark in the Big Ten Conference.

The Buckeyes are led offensively from sophomore Laurence Wootton and senior Xavier Green, who own team-high marks in goals (2). Senior goalkeepers Noah Lawrence and Keagan McLaughlin have split the minutes in goal en route to combining to record 12 saves for Ohio State, while maintaining a 1.53 goals against average.

SERIES HISTORY
Akron and Ohio State are meeting for the 41st time in program history with the Zips owning a 29-6-5 series advantage with Akron being unbeaten in the previous 12 games versus the Buckeyes. In the last encounter between the two schools, the Zips earned a 2-0 triumph over Ohio State on Oct. 26, 2016 in Columbus.

AKRON VERSUS THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE
• The Zips are meeting a team from the Big Ten Conference for the third time this season and 192nd time overall. Akron bested Michigan State, 2-1, on Aug. 30 in East Lansing, Mich., before battling No. 3 Indiana to a 1-1 double-overtime draw on Sept. 10.
• Akron owns a 105-68-18 (.597) all-time record versus the current 14 members of the Big Ten Conference.
• The Zips have gone 23-5-5 against the league since 2012.
• In all, Akron is 40-10-8 (.759) versus teams from the Big Ten since 2007. During that time, the Zips have out-scored the competition, 112-48.

AKRON BATTLES NO. 3 INDIANA TO A 1-1 DOUBLE-OT DRAW
In an early-season men's soccer showdown the 16th-rated University of Akron and third-ranked Indiana battled to a 1-1 double-overtime draw on Friday, Sept. 10 at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Both sides had opportunities to capture the game in overtime, but a pair of stellar diving saves from Akron senior goalkeeper Will Meyer (Solon, Ohio) persevered the result for the Zips.

The two heavyweights battled through a scoreless opening half with the Hoosiers edging the Zips in first-half shots, 6-3.

Akron turned up the attack in the second half en route to registering a 12-8 margin in second-half shots.

The Hoosiers broke the stalemate in the 66th minute (65:39) when Daniel Munie headed home a ball served into the box on a corner kick from Victor Bezerra.

The advantage was short-lived as senior Diogo Pacheco (Lisbon, Portugal) leveled the contest at one connecting on his team-leading third goal of the season at the 76:40 mark off an assist from freshman Jason Shokalook (Erie, Pa.).

Both sides had scoring chances over the balance of regulation and overtime, but neither team was able to capitalize as the showdown fittingly ended in a draw.

The Hoosiers posted a 17-16 edge in overall shots on the evening, including a 7-4 margin in shots on goal.

Pacheco and Shokalook led Akron with a game-high four shots apiece, while Indiana was directed by a four-shot performance from Bezerra.

Meyer finished the evening with a game-high six saves, for Akron while Roman Celentano made three stops for the Hoosiers.

PACHECO'S GAME-WINNING GOAL GIVES ZIPS A 2-1 WIN OVER NO. 3 PITT
Diogo Pacheco scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 76th minute (75:29) to send an electric FirstEnergy Stadium crowd home happy as the 19th-rated Zips garnered a 2-1 men's soccer triumph over No. 3 Pitt on Sept. 6.

The victory marked the highest-rated team Akron has triumphed past at FirstEnergy Stadium since Adam Najem sent the Zips to the 2015 College Cup with a picturesque double-overtime goal off a free kick versus No. 3 Creighton in the Elite Eight of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

The game-winning tally came courtesy of a pair of strong passes for assists from sophomore Will Jackson (Hudson, Ohio) and sophomore Ryan Kingsford (Herne Bay, England). By virtue of the goal, Pacheco extended his streak of scoring at least one point to five consecutive games dating back to last season.

Fueled by a 10-3 advantage in second-half shots, the Panthers edged the Zips on the night in overall shots, 15-12, including registering a 7-5 margin in shots on goal.

Akron benefited from a team-best three strikes apiece from Pacheco and freshmen Dyson Clapier (Layton, Utah) and Jason Shokalook, while Pitt was directed by a game-high four shots from Valentin Noel.

Will Meyer was stellar in net for the Zips making a season-high six saves, including several of the acrobatic variety. Nico Campuzano collected three stops for the Panthers.

In a tightly contested opening half, Akron opened the scoring when Clapier headed home his second goal of the season at the 11:29 mark to give the Zips an early 1-0 lead. Sophomore Johnny Fitzgerald (Tallahassee, Fla.) played in a ball from beyond the 18-yard box to the corner to a streaking freshman Malik Henry (Hamilton, Ontario), who served a ball into the six-yard box where Clapier connected for the tally.

Fueled by a 9-5 margin in shots in the opening stanza, Akron entered the intermission holding onto a 1-0 advantage.

The Panthers continued to attack the Zips to begin the second half and Pitt was rewarded in the 59th minute (58:21) when Raphael Crivello headed home his first goal of the year.

Each side had scoring opportunities over the next nearly 20 minutes before Pacheco struck gold with the game-winner at the 75:29 mark.

The Zips then locked down defensively over the final 15 minutes to secure the victory.

MEYER NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK BY COLLEGE SOCCER NEWS
Will Meyer was honored by College Soccer News as its National Player of the Week, it was announced on Tuesday, Sept. 14.

Additionally, the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week was also tabbed by TopDrawerSoccer.Com to its Men's Soccer National Team of the Week.

Meyer was spectacular in goal for the sixth-rated Zips this past week helping the squad register a 2-1 triumph past No. 3 Pitt on Sept. 6, before garnering a 1-1 double-overtime draw with No. 3 Indiana on Friday, Sept. 10.

Meyer made six saves each against the Panthers and Hoosiers, with most of the diving variety that thwarted direct scoring chances for Akron's opponents. Three of his six saves versus Pitt came in the second half, including a pair after the Panthers had netted the equalizer. Against Indiana, four of his six stops came in the second half and overtime. He made diving saves in each of the overtime periods that helped the Zips earn a result against the Hoosiers.

On the week Meyer posted 12 saves en route to lowering his goals against average to 0.77 for the season.

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 Sept. 13) (.761), with an overall record of 218-57-34. The Zips are followed by Wake Forest, 197-62-37 (.728), Maryland, 204-64-42 (.726), North Carolina, 196-66-45 (.712) and Creighton, 191-75-29 (.697). 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 13 years. Since 1961, the Zips have advanced to the NCAA postseason 33 times, including 17 of the past 20 seasons.

ZIPS TIDBITS
• Eighteen of the 40 matches between Akron and Ohio State have resulted in a shutout. Since 2002, the Zips own a 6-2-0 mark in those contests, including a 2-2 ledger on the road.
• Akron owns an 11-5-3 all-time record versus Ohio State in Columbus, having outscored the Buckeyes by 48-27 margin.
• Akron is unbeaten in its last 12 games against Ohio State en route to a 8-0-4 mark in those tilts.
• Six of the last 10 showdowns between the Zips and Buckeyes have been decided by a goal or less.
• Akron has scored two or more goals in 27 all-time meetings with Ohio State.
• Diogo Pacheco has now scored a point in each of Akron's five games this season and extended his scoring streak to six straight contests dating back to last season with a goal against Indiana.
• The Zips set season-high marks in goals (7), assists (8), points (22) and shots on goal in a 7-1 win over Wright State on Aug. 26, while establishing top marks in shots (24) and corner kicks (18) in a 3-0 triumph past Robert Morris on Sept. 3.
• Ten different Zips have scored a goal this season.
• With tallies against Wright State and Michigan State freshman Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal (Carbondale, Ill.) became the first Zip to score goals in back-to-back games since Diogo Pacheco did so last season at Kentucky and versus Marshall.
• Diogo Pacheco's along with Dyson Clapier and Johnny Fitzgerald have registered multiple assists in a game for Akron this season.
• Led by a two-goal effort from Ryan Kingsford, three Akron newcomers scored goals in the Zips' 7-1 win over Wright State on Aug. 26. Joining Kingsford was Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal and junior Renato Kauzlaric (Zagreb, Croatia).
• Dyson Clapier and Johnny Fitzgerald each registered a pair of assists for Akron against Wright State.
• Garnering their first collegiate points in the Zips' 7-1 victory over Wright State on Aug. 26 was Renato Kauzlaric (one goal and two assists), Ryan Kingsford (two goals), redshirt sophomore Ivan Nikolic (Toronto, Ontario) (one goal) and Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal (one goal and one assist).
• Daniel Strachan is rated second among all players in men's Division I in games played having appeared in 80 games.
• Sixteen Zips have registered a shot this season, including seven newcomers.
• Akron leads the NCAA in assists (20) and assists per game (4.00), while rating second in goal differential (11), points per contest (10.00) and total points (50), fourth in scoring offense (3.00), fifth in total goals (15), ninth in corner kicks per contest (7.80), 11th in winning percentage (.900), 22nd in shots per game (16.00), 44th in shots on goal per tilt (6.20) and 45th in goals against average (.766).
• Diogo Pacheco is ranked second in the NCAA in assists (4), 12th in assists per game (0.80), 15th in total points (10), 22nd in points per tilt (2.00), 36th in total goals (3) and 46th in game-winning goals (1), while Johnny Fitzgerald is rated 15th in total assists (3), 44th in assists per game (0.60) and 46th in game-winners (1).
• Ryan Kingsford and Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal are ranked 46th in the NCAA in game-winning goals (1).
• The Zips are 1-0-1 versus ranked teams this season having best No. 3 Pitt, 2-1, on Sept. 6 and garnering a 1-1 double-overtime draw with No. 3 Indiana on Sept. 10.
• Since the start of the 2015 campaign, the Zips own a 28-17-5 mark against ranked opponents.
• The Zips own a 13-12-3 mark in their last 28 matches away from home on the strength of six and three goals, respectively, from Diogo Pacheco and junior Carlo Ritaccio (Westbury, N.Y.). The Zips have also posted a 181-133 margin in corner kicks and a 352-323 edge in total shots.
• Diogo Pacheco is Akron's active career leaders in goals (13), points (34), shots (82) and shots on goal (35). Will Jackson paces the team in game-winning goals (3), while Daniel Strachan has appeared in a team-high 80 games.
• The Zips own a 108-44-18 mark over the last nine seasons under head coach Jared Embick. Akron's 108 wins are ranked seventh in all of Division I.

UP NEXT
Akron travels to Huntington, W.Va., for a showdown with defending NCAA Champion Marshall on Tuesday, Sept. 21.

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Players Mentioned

Dyson Clapier

Johnny Fitzgerald

Malik Henry

Will Jackson

Renato Kauzlaric

Ryan Kingsford

Will Meyer

Ivan Nikolic

Diogo Pacheco

Carlo Ritaccio

Jason Shokalook

Daniel Strachan

Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal

The University of Akron Athletics