The University of Akron Athletics
Friday, October 4
Akron, Ohio
7:00 PM
University of Akron
vs
Xavier
Akron Set to Host Xavier
October 03 | Men's Soccer
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron men's soccer team welcomes Xavier to FirstEnergy Stadium for a BIG EAST Conference showdown on Friday (Oct. 4). The 7 p.m. match with the Musketeers will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network with Chad Welker on the call.
Tickets for the contest against the Musketeers are available for purchase at http://www.gozips.com/Tickets. Fans are asked to park in Lots 6 and 9 surrounding InfoCision Stadium and the Stile Athletics Field House. For complete parking information click here.
GAME INFO
Akron vs. Xavier | Oct. 4 | 7 PM | FirstEnergy Stadium | Live Stats | BIG EAST Digital Network ($)
HEAD COACHES
Xavier: John Higgins (UIndy, 2010), Overall Record: 172-64-46 (15th Season), Record at Xavier: 22-8-17 (Third Season)
Akron: Jared Embick (Indiana Wesleyan, 2000), Overall Record: 184-80-43 (15th Season), Record at Akron: 137-59-35 (12th Season)
SCOUTING AKRON
The Zips under the leadership of 12th-year head coach Jared Embick enters its tilt versus Xavier on Friday (Oct. 4) at 4-3-3 on the campaign, including 2-0-0 in the BIG EAST, following an 1-0 victory at Georgetown on Saturday (Sept. 28).
Redshirt seniors Emil Jaaskelainen (Bolton, England) leads the Zips in goals (8), assists (5), points (21), shots (44), shots on goal (21) and game-winners (2), while senior Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal (Carbondale, Ill.), redshirt seniors Dyson Clapier (Layton, Utah) and Victor Gaulmin (Guipavas, France) and redshirt freshman Nathan Ferguson (Glen Carbon, Ill.) have added three, three, two and two goals, respectively, to go along with Jaaskelainen and Gaulmin owning a team-best six and five assists, respectively, on the campaign. Redshirt junior GK Mitch Budler (Lincoln, Neb.) has collected 26 saves and owns a 1.30 goals against average.
Akron returns six starters in 2024, including 2023 All-BIG EAST Conference performers, seniors Jonas Buechte (Rantigen, Germany) and senior Malik Henry (Hamilton, Ontario).
The Zips will also be bolstered by the return of key 2023 contributors in Budler, Clapier, junior Stefan Dobrijevic (Uniontown Ohio), juniors Ashton Kamdem (West Chester, Ohio) and Daragh Reilly (Meath, Ireland) and Wan Kamal.
SCOUTING XAVIER
Xavier comes into play versus the Zips on Friday (Oct. 4) at 4-2-4 on the campaign, including 1-0-1 in the BIG EAST Conference, following a 0-0 victory draw at DePaul on Saturday (Sept. 28).
Junior Matthew Senanou leads the Musketeers in goals (3) and points (6) this season, while junior Cooper Forcellini paces the squad in shots (14), shots on goal (8) and game-winners (1). Junior goalkeeper Jonny Mennell has posted 29 saves en route to owning a 0.70 goals against average and six shutouts.
The Musketeers are ranked ninth in the NCAA in shutout percentage (.600), 14th in save percentage (.821) and 16th in goals against average (.700). Individually, Mennell is rated second in the NCAA in shutouts (6), fifth in goalie minutes played (900:00), 18th in goals against average (.700) and 22nd in save percentage (.806).
SERIES HISTORY
Akron is encountering Xavier for the 11th time in program history with the Zips owning a 7-2-1 series advantage. In the last meeting between the two schools, the Musketeers bested Akron, 1-0, in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Championship Nov. 4, 2023, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
IN OUR LAST MEETING (NOV. 4, 2023 – CINCINNATI, OHIO)
A goal in the 57th minute proved too much for seventh-seeded Akron to overcome in a physical and tightly contested tilt at second-seeded Xavier on Nov. 4, 2023, in the quarterfinal round of the BIG EAST Championship.
The two sides battled through a scoreless opening half with Zips outshooting the Musketeers in the opening stanza, 6-5.
Xavier scored the game-winning tally in the 57th minute on a goal from Grayson Elmquist.
Redshirt junior GK Mitch Budler (Lincoln, Neb.) led Akron with four saves. The Zips totaled 10 shots in the loss, six of them on goal. Akron faced 10 Xavier shots, five of them on goal.
AKRON NOTES
• Akron is playing Xavier at home for the first time since posting a 4-3 overtime triumph past the Musketeers on Sept. 20, 1998.
• Six of the 10 matches between Akron and Xavier have resulted in a shutout, with the Zips owning a 3-2-1 mark in those contests.
• The Zips have outscored Xavier, 13-5, in four home games against the Musketeers.
• Akron has scored two or more goals in six all-time meetings with Xavier.
• Emil Jaaskelainen recorded back-to-back multiple-goal performances following notching a hat trick in an 8-0 Akron victory over Saint Francis (Sept. 24). A game earlier, he posted his second multi-goal effort of the season with a pair of goals in a 4-3 win over Butler (Sept. 20). He played a hand in all four goals in the victory versus the Bulldogs as he collected a pair of assists to go along with his two scores.
• Mitch Budler collected his 100th career save against Butler (Sept. 20) and enters play versus Xavier with 110 career stops.
• Emil Jaaskelainen enters play versus Xavier with 51 career goals, a mark that is rated No. 1 among active career leaders in Division I and ninth overall across all divisions. Additionally, he is ranked sixth in career points (122) across all divisions.
• The Zips are rated second in the NCAA in total assists (31), third in total points (77), fourth in assists per tilt (3.10), fifth in shots per game (16.80), ninth in points per match (7.70), 12th in total goals (23), 13th in corner kicks (6.70) 17th in scoring offense (2.30), 21st in shots on goal per contest (6.70) and 26th in goal differential (10).
• Individually, GK Mitch Budler is rated fifth in the NCAA in goalie minutes played (900:00) and 35th in shutouts (3), Emil Jaaskelainen is ranked first in total points (21), fifth in points per outing (2.20), sixth in total goals (8) and in shots per game (4.40), eighth in total assists (6), ninth in shots on goal per contest (2.00), 12th in goals per match (0.80), 18th in assists per tilt (0.60) and 23rd in game-winning goals (2). Additionally, Malik Henry and Stefan Dobrijevic are 34th in total assists (4), while Victor Gaulmin is 17th in total assists (5) and 30th in assists per contest (0.50).
• Mitch Budler is rated 13th among active career leaders in D1 in solo shutouts (17), 22nd in goals against average (1.06) and 35th in goalie minutes played (4,007.62). Emil Jaaskelainen is first in D1 active leaders in points (122), goals (51), goals per tilt (0.70) and points per game (1.67), 10th in assists (20) and 39th in games played (73). Malik Henry is rated 27th in career assists (16).
• Ten different Zips have scored a goal this season, including four newcomers.
• Twenty-one Zips have registered a shot this season, including 11 newcomers.
• Eleven Akron newcomers have appeared in a match for the Zips this season.
• Stefan Dobrijevic enters play against Xavier needing one shot for 50 for his Akron career.
• Mitch Budler surpassed 4,000 career minutes in goal versus Georgetown (Sept. 28).
• Akron had its string of seven consecutive contests posting double-digit shots snapped versus Georgetown (Sept. 28).
• Akron has posted double-digit shots in seven tilts this season.
• The Zips are 1-0-2 versus ranked teams this season following a 1-1 draw at No. 2 Notre Dame (Aug. 22), a 1-1 tie at No. 5 Western Michigan (Aug. 30) and a 4-0 triumph past No. 13 VCU (Sept. 6). A year ago, Akron was 2-0-1 against ranked squads after a 0-0 draw with No. 15 Notre Dame (Sept. 19), a 2-0 victory over No. 11 Florida International (Sept. 11) and a 1-0 triumph past No. 7 Vermont (Aug. 28).
• Since 2021, the Zips own 26-4-8 record in regular season home games at FirstEnergy Stadium.
• Since 2010, the Zips are 31-5-5 at FirstEnergy Stadium in regular season conference games. Overall, during that span, including postseason, Akron boasts a 46-8-6 mark versus league foes at home.
• Since the start of the 2015 campaign, the Zips own a 34-22-10 mark against ranked opponents.
• Dyson Clapier is Akron's active career leaders in goals (17), points (48), shots (119), shots on goal (55) and game-winners (6), while ranking third in assists (14). Emil Jaaskelainen, Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal and Stefan Dobrijevic have scored eight, six and five goals, respectively.
• The Zips own a 137-59-35 mark over the last 12 seasons under head coach Jared Embick. Akron's 137 wins are ranked seventh in all of Division I.
• Under head coach Jared Embick, Akron's record following a loss is 28-14-7.
• The Zips have scored two or more goals in 105 of the squad's last 194 matches.
• Akron has held opponents scoreless in 43 of its last 89 home contests at FirstEnergy Stadium.
• Akron owns a 87-18-15 record in its last 120 home matches.
• Since 2007, Akron maintains a league record of 74-14-15 (.791) mark in league play. Furthermore, the Zips won 11 consecutive MAC regular season championships (2006-16) and 11 of the final 14 MAC Tournament titles.
• Since Oct. 1, 2015, Akron owns a 90-46-31 record.
UP NEXT
Akron hosts Wright State in a 7 p.m. match on Tuesday (Oct. 8) at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Tickets for the contest against the Musketeers are available for purchase at http://www.gozips.com/Tickets. Fans are asked to park in Lots 6 and 9 surrounding InfoCision Stadium and the Stile Athletics Field House. For complete parking information click here.
GAME INFO
Akron vs. Xavier | Oct. 4 | 7 PM | FirstEnergy Stadium | Live Stats | BIG EAST Digital Network ($)
HEAD COACHES
Xavier: John Higgins (UIndy, 2010), Overall Record: 172-64-46 (15th Season), Record at Xavier: 22-8-17 (Third Season)
Akron: Jared Embick (Indiana Wesleyan, 2000), Overall Record: 184-80-43 (15th Season), Record at Akron: 137-59-35 (12th Season)
SCOUTING AKRON
The Zips under the leadership of 12th-year head coach Jared Embick enters its tilt versus Xavier on Friday (Oct. 4) at 4-3-3 on the campaign, including 2-0-0 in the BIG EAST, following an 1-0 victory at Georgetown on Saturday (Sept. 28).
Redshirt seniors Emil Jaaskelainen (Bolton, England) leads the Zips in goals (8), assists (5), points (21), shots (44), shots on goal (21) and game-winners (2), while senior Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal (Carbondale, Ill.), redshirt seniors Dyson Clapier (Layton, Utah) and Victor Gaulmin (Guipavas, France) and redshirt freshman Nathan Ferguson (Glen Carbon, Ill.) have added three, three, two and two goals, respectively, to go along with Jaaskelainen and Gaulmin owning a team-best six and five assists, respectively, on the campaign. Redshirt junior GK Mitch Budler (Lincoln, Neb.) has collected 26 saves and owns a 1.30 goals against average.
Akron returns six starters in 2024, including 2023 All-BIG EAST Conference performers, seniors Jonas Buechte (Rantigen, Germany) and senior Malik Henry (Hamilton, Ontario).
The Zips will also be bolstered by the return of key 2023 contributors in Budler, Clapier, junior Stefan Dobrijevic (Uniontown Ohio), juniors Ashton Kamdem (West Chester, Ohio) and Daragh Reilly (Meath, Ireland) and Wan Kamal.
SCOUTING XAVIER
Xavier comes into play versus the Zips on Friday (Oct. 4) at 4-2-4 on the campaign, including 1-0-1 in the BIG EAST Conference, following a 0-0 victory draw at DePaul on Saturday (Sept. 28).
Junior Matthew Senanou leads the Musketeers in goals (3) and points (6) this season, while junior Cooper Forcellini paces the squad in shots (14), shots on goal (8) and game-winners (1). Junior goalkeeper Jonny Mennell has posted 29 saves en route to owning a 0.70 goals against average and six shutouts.
The Musketeers are ranked ninth in the NCAA in shutout percentage (.600), 14th in save percentage (.821) and 16th in goals against average (.700). Individually, Mennell is rated second in the NCAA in shutouts (6), fifth in goalie minutes played (900:00), 18th in goals against average (.700) and 22nd in save percentage (.806).
SERIES HISTORY
Akron is encountering Xavier for the 11th time in program history with the Zips owning a 7-2-1 series advantage. In the last meeting between the two schools, the Musketeers bested Akron, 1-0, in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Championship Nov. 4, 2023, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
IN OUR LAST MEETING (NOV. 4, 2023 – CINCINNATI, OHIO)
A goal in the 57th minute proved too much for seventh-seeded Akron to overcome in a physical and tightly contested tilt at second-seeded Xavier on Nov. 4, 2023, in the quarterfinal round of the BIG EAST Championship.
The two sides battled through a scoreless opening half with Zips outshooting the Musketeers in the opening stanza, 6-5.
Xavier scored the game-winning tally in the 57th minute on a goal from Grayson Elmquist.
Redshirt junior GK Mitch Budler (Lincoln, Neb.) led Akron with four saves. The Zips totaled 10 shots in the loss, six of them on goal. Akron faced 10 Xavier shots, five of them on goal.
AKRON NOTES
• Akron is playing Xavier at home for the first time since posting a 4-3 overtime triumph past the Musketeers on Sept. 20, 1998.
• Six of the 10 matches between Akron and Xavier have resulted in a shutout, with the Zips owning a 3-2-1 mark in those contests.
• The Zips have outscored Xavier, 13-5, in four home games against the Musketeers.
• Akron has scored two or more goals in six all-time meetings with Xavier.
• Emil Jaaskelainen recorded back-to-back multiple-goal performances following notching a hat trick in an 8-0 Akron victory over Saint Francis (Sept. 24). A game earlier, he posted his second multi-goal effort of the season with a pair of goals in a 4-3 win over Butler (Sept. 20). He played a hand in all four goals in the victory versus the Bulldogs as he collected a pair of assists to go along with his two scores.
• Mitch Budler collected his 100th career save against Butler (Sept. 20) and enters play versus Xavier with 110 career stops.
• Emil Jaaskelainen enters play versus Xavier with 51 career goals, a mark that is rated No. 1 among active career leaders in Division I and ninth overall across all divisions. Additionally, he is ranked sixth in career points (122) across all divisions.
• The Zips are rated second in the NCAA in total assists (31), third in total points (77), fourth in assists per tilt (3.10), fifth in shots per game (16.80), ninth in points per match (7.70), 12th in total goals (23), 13th in corner kicks (6.70) 17th in scoring offense (2.30), 21st in shots on goal per contest (6.70) and 26th in goal differential (10).
• Individually, GK Mitch Budler is rated fifth in the NCAA in goalie minutes played (900:00) and 35th in shutouts (3), Emil Jaaskelainen is ranked first in total points (21), fifth in points per outing (2.20), sixth in total goals (8) and in shots per game (4.40), eighth in total assists (6), ninth in shots on goal per contest (2.00), 12th in goals per match (0.80), 18th in assists per tilt (0.60) and 23rd in game-winning goals (2). Additionally, Malik Henry and Stefan Dobrijevic are 34th in total assists (4), while Victor Gaulmin is 17th in total assists (5) and 30th in assists per contest (0.50).
• Mitch Budler is rated 13th among active career leaders in D1 in solo shutouts (17), 22nd in goals against average (1.06) and 35th in goalie minutes played (4,007.62). Emil Jaaskelainen is first in D1 active leaders in points (122), goals (51), goals per tilt (0.70) and points per game (1.67), 10th in assists (20) and 39th in games played (73). Malik Henry is rated 27th in career assists (16).
• Ten different Zips have scored a goal this season, including four newcomers.
• Twenty-one Zips have registered a shot this season, including 11 newcomers.
• Eleven Akron newcomers have appeared in a match for the Zips this season.
• Stefan Dobrijevic enters play against Xavier needing one shot for 50 for his Akron career.
• Mitch Budler surpassed 4,000 career minutes in goal versus Georgetown (Sept. 28).
• Akron had its string of seven consecutive contests posting double-digit shots snapped versus Georgetown (Sept. 28).
• Akron has posted double-digit shots in seven tilts this season.
• The Zips are 1-0-2 versus ranked teams this season following a 1-1 draw at No. 2 Notre Dame (Aug. 22), a 1-1 tie at No. 5 Western Michigan (Aug. 30) and a 4-0 triumph past No. 13 VCU (Sept. 6). A year ago, Akron was 2-0-1 against ranked squads after a 0-0 draw with No. 15 Notre Dame (Sept. 19), a 2-0 victory over No. 11 Florida International (Sept. 11) and a 1-0 triumph past No. 7 Vermont (Aug. 28).
• Since 2021, the Zips own 26-4-8 record in regular season home games at FirstEnergy Stadium.
• Since 2010, the Zips are 31-5-5 at FirstEnergy Stadium in regular season conference games. Overall, during that span, including postseason, Akron boasts a 46-8-6 mark versus league foes at home.
• Since the start of the 2015 campaign, the Zips own a 34-22-10 mark against ranked opponents.
• Dyson Clapier is Akron's active career leaders in goals (17), points (48), shots (119), shots on goal (55) and game-winners (6), while ranking third in assists (14). Emil Jaaskelainen, Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal and Stefan Dobrijevic have scored eight, six and five goals, respectively.
• The Zips own a 137-59-35 mark over the last 12 seasons under head coach Jared Embick. Akron's 137 wins are ranked seventh in all of Division I.
• Under head coach Jared Embick, Akron's record following a loss is 28-14-7.
• The Zips have scored two or more goals in 105 of the squad's last 194 matches.
• Akron has held opponents scoreless in 43 of its last 89 home contests at FirstEnergy Stadium.
• Akron owns a 87-18-15 record in its last 120 home matches.
• Since 2007, Akron maintains a league record of 74-14-15 (.791) mark in league play. Furthermore, the Zips won 11 consecutive MAC regular season championships (2006-16) and 11 of the final 14 MAC Tournament titles.
• Since Oct. 1, 2015, Akron owns a 90-46-31 record.
UP NEXT
Akron hosts Wright State in a 7 p.m. match on Tuesday (Oct. 8) at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Players Mentioned
GK
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
MF/F
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
MF
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