Senior Day On Tap as Akron Hosts Saint Francis

Sunday, September 15

Akron, Ohio

2:00 PM

University of Akron

Saint Francis

Buy Tickets

September 14 | Women's Soccer

AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron women's soccer team battles Saint Francis in a 2 p.m. Senior Day showdown on Sunday (Sept. 15) at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Tickets for the contest against the Red Flash are available for purchase at http://www.gozips.com/Tickets. Fans are asked to park in Lots 6, 9 and 10 surrounding InfoCision Stadium and the Stile Athletics Field House. For complete parking information click here.

GAME INFO
Akron vs. Saint Francis | Sept. 15 | 2 PM | FirstEnergy Stadium | Live Stats | Live Video

HEAD COACHES
Saint Francis: Brian Diaz (Tusculum, 2002), Overall Record: 37-40-5 (Fifth Season), Record at Saint Francis: 2-3-2 (First Season)
Akron: Jen Simonetti (Dayton, 2005), Overall Record: 52-62-16 (Ninth Season), Record at Akron: 10-23-7 (Third Season)

EIGHT ZIPS TO BE HONORED ON SENIOR DAY
The Zips' contest versus Saint Francis on Sunday (Sept. 15) will mark Senior Day for eight Zips as seniors Lacey Bernick (Huntingdon, Pa.), Caitlin Bruni (Canal Fulton, Ohio), Maxima Carlitz (Stolberg, Germany), Quinn Casey (Powell, Ohio), Ella Hadley (Concord, Ohio), Clara Krohn (Akron, Ohio) and Morgan Shansky (Oakdale, Pa.) along with redshirt junior Penelope Cuirinier (Mionnay, France), who will be honored in pregame ceremonies.

Bernick has appeared in 35 contests, including eight starts, en route to registering an assist on 13 shots, with four shots falling on net.

Bruni has appeared in 53 contests, including 30 starts, en route to recording a goal and three assists on the strength of 31 shots, with 14 shots coming on goal.

Carlitz has appeared in five contests, including four starts, en route to collecting 19 saves and posting a 1.65 goals against average and a .733 save percentage.

Casey has appeared in 45 contests, including 21 starts, en route to registering an assist on the strength of 16 shots, with six shots falling on frame.

Cuirinier has started all 39 contests she has appeared in, en route to pulling in 175 saves and owning a 1.68 goals against average and .738 save percentage and has helped the Zips garner nine shutouts.

Hadley has appeared in 49 contests, including 42 starts, en route to netting 10 goals and six assists on the strength of 69 shots, including 33 on goal. She was honored as a Second-Team All-MAC selection in 2022.

Krohn has appeared in 13 contests en route to posting a pair of shots.

Shansky has appeared in 43 contests, including 26 starts, en route to registering 25 shots, including seven on goal.

SCOUTING AKRON
Off to their best start since the 2007 campaign, the Zips extended their unbeaten streak to six to open the season following a 1-0 victory past Cleveland State on Thursday (Sept. 12).

Akron registered its fourth consecutive shutout against the Vikings as GK Penelope Cuirinier and sophomore GK Sara Bower (Cincinnati, Ohio) combined to collected 10 saves en route to earning the clean sheet. Junior Emma King (Akron, Ohio) provided the offense netting her first goal of the season in the 48th minute off assists from sophomores Olivia Heskett (Lewis Center, Ohio) and Anna Simmons (Manassas, Va.).

Ella Hadley, junior Emma King (Akron, Ohio), redshirt senior Morgan Pentz (Broadview Heights, Ohio), Simmons and sophomore Rachel Wenzel (Akron, Ohio) have accounted for the Zips' goals this season having netted two, one, one, one and one, respectively. Seven Akron players have recorded an assist on the campaign led by a team-high two from Pentz. Hadley paces the squad in shots (15) and shots on goal (7), while Cuirinier and Bower own 13 and 10 saves, respectively, in net for Akron.

The Zips under the leadership of third-year head coach Jen Simonetti returned nine starters in 2024, including senior team captains Katie Stafford (Gahanna, Ohio) and Pentz.

The Zips boast 11 newcomers to the squad as donning the Akron uniform this fall will be junior Kaylen Goddard (Mechanicsville, Md.), sophomore Kellyn Fausel (New Philadelphia, Ohio), sophomore Shani Sirota (Raanana, Israel), redshirt freshman Nadia Zaborowski (Noblesville, Ind.) and freshmen Kailyn Biecker (Wadsworth, Ohio), Addison Lambert (Galena, Ohio), Allie McMillen (Shreve, Ohio), Kaitlyn Rogowski (Hilliard, Ohio), Elisabeth Rupp (Eden Prairie, Minn.), Eesha Sutharshan (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Ariana Vakos (Avon, Ohio).

AKRON NOTES
• The Zips are off to their best start to a campaign at 4-0-2 since the 2007 season, while recording the squad's initial six-game unbeaten streak since 2009.
• Only one of the six matches between Akron and Saint Francis have resulted in a shutout, with the two teams battling to a 0-0 draw on Aug. 28, 2005, in Akron.
• The Zips have outscored Saint Francis, 10-8 all-time, including 6-2 in three home matches.
• Akron has scored two or more goals in three all-time meetings with Saint Francis.
• The Zips have posted shutouts in four consecutive contests and have not surrendered a goal in nearly 440 minutes (339:10).
• The four shutouts by the Zips are the most for Akron in a season since the 2019 season.
• Akron has posted the second most shutouts in a non-conference campaign in program history, trailing only the 2006 squad that registered six straight to open the 2006 season.
• Akron has posted four consecutive shutouts for the first time since the 2011 campaign.
• Akron is ranked eighth in the NCAA in save percentage (.923), 16th in goals against average (0.33), 22nd in winning percentage (.833) and 26th in shutout percentage (.667).
• Penelope Cuirinier collected her 175th career save against Cleveland State (Sept. 12).
• Akron's victory over Oakland (Aug. 22) marked the 50th career coaching victory for head coach Jen Simonetti.
• Ella Hadley enters play versus Saint Francis ranked ninth in career scoring at Akron with 26 points, while Emma King is nearing the top-10 in career scoring with 23 points.
• King needs one goal to enter the top-10 in program history in career goals having amassed 10 in her four seasons.
• Cuirinier is ranked third, fourth, sixth and sixth, respectively, in the Akron women's soccer record book in career saves, shutouts, wins and goals against average.
• Morgan Pentz led the Zips with a pair of multi-goal games a season ago tallying a pair of tallies at Cleveland State and Eastern Michigan.

SCOUTING SAINT FRANCIS
Saint Francis enters action against Akron at 2-3-2 on the campaign following a 2-0 setback against Duquesne on Thursday (Sept. 12).

The Red Flash are led by senior Lauren Pyle, who paces the team in goals (2), points (4) and game-winners (1), while ranking second on the team in shots (11) and shots on goal (5). Senior GK Emma Sawich has pulled in 34 saves on the campaign and owns a 1.08 goals against average with a pair of shutouts.

SERIES HISTORY
Akron and Saint Francis are meeting for seventh time in program history with the series all square at 2-2-2. The Red Flash earned a 3-2 decision versus the Zips on Aug. 26, 2021, in Loretto, Pa.

UP NEXT
Akron opens Mid-American Conference play hosting Buffalo on Thursday (Sept. 19) at 7 p.m.

AKRON ATHLETICS NOW CASHLESS
The University of Akron Athletics Department announced its transition to cashless payments for all ticketing, concessions, and merchandise purchases at all Akron athletic venues, concession stands, and gear shops, beginning with the start of the 2024-25 sports seasons. For more information click here.