Akron Travels to Butler for BIG EAST Showdown

Saturday, September 27

Indianapolis, Ind.

7:00 PM

University of Akron

Butler

September 26 | Men's Soccer

AKRON, Ohio – The 12th-ranked University of Akron men's soccer team returns to BIG EAST Conference play traveling to Indianapolis, Ind., to battle Butler on Saturday (Sept. 27). The 7 p.m. match with the Bulldogs will be broadcast on ESPN+.

GAME INFO
Akron at Butler | Sept. 27 | 7 PM | Indianapolis, Ind. | Live Stats | ESPN+

HEAD COACHES
Butler: Paul Snape (Oakland, 2000), Overall Record: 110-109-43 (15th Season), Record at Butler: 110-109-43 (15th Season)
Akron: Jared Embick (Indiana Wesleyan, 2000), Overall Record: 198-84-45 (16th Season), Record at Akron: 151-63-37 (13th Season)

SCOUTING BUTLER
Butler enters action on Saturday (Sept. 27) at 2-7-0 on the campaign, including 0-1-0 in the BIG EAST Conference, following a 2-1 setback at Evansville on Tuesday (Sept. 23).

The Bulldogs are led by freshman Aiden Benitez, who owns team-high marks in goals (2), points (5), shots (17), shots on goal (7) and game-winners (2). Redshirt senior GK Aurie Briscoe has recorded 24 saves and maintains a 2.22 goals against average on the strength of one shutout.

Individually, Benitez is ranked 16th in the NCAA in game-winners (2), while Briscoe is rated fifth in goalie minutes played (810:00).

SERIES HISTORY
Akron is meeting Butler for the fifth time in program history. The series is all square at 1-1-2. In the last meeting between the two schools, the Zips earned a 4-3 triumph over Butler on Sept. 20, 2024, at FirstEnergy Stadium.

IN OUR LAST MEETING (SEPT. 20, 2024 – AKRON, OHIO)
Akron fought back from an early 1-0 deficit to take down Butler, 4-3, in the BIG EAST Conference opener for both schools on Sept. 20, 2024, at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The Bulldogs struck first in the match after Ryan Hannosh found the back of the net 17 seconds into the affair off assists from Lou-Kent Bosc and Palmer Ault.

The Zips netted the equalizer in the seventh minute (6:06) when Victor Gaulmin blasted a strike from outside the box into the net off an assist from Malik Henry. A mere 37 seconds later Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal redirected a deflection off a saved shot by Emil Jaaskelainen top shelf to give the Zips a 2-1 lead. Jaaskelainen pushed the margin to 3-1 converting a successful penalty kick at the 10:06 mark.

Butler cut the lead to 3-2 with a successful penalty kick from Josemir Gomez in the 15th minute (14:16).

The Zips played a man down after receiving a red card in the 28th minute (27:47) and the Bulldogs capitalized with a goal from Henri Kumwenda at the 41:53 mark.

The Bulldogs were whistled for a red card of their own at the 55:14 mark and the Zips immediately capitalized as Beto Ydrach sent the restart into the box where Jaaskelainen bested the Butler keeper for what proved to be the game-winning goal. Jaaskelainen finished the evening recording his second brace of the season for the Zips.

HONORING LEGENDARY COACH STU PARRY
Akron men's soccer honored legendary men's soccer coach Stu Parry, who passed away peacefully on Aug. 15, prior to the squad's match versus Cleveland State (Sept. 1).

The first head coach in Akron men's program history, Parry began a decorated career guiding the Zips in 1955 and led the squad for 15 seasons en route to posting an enviable 118-43-4 record.

In those 15 years, Parry directed the Zips to nine Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association Championships and developed 10 All-America soccer players, including Ed Bender, Fritz Kungl, Pete Milch, Joe Queiroga, Ford Brummer, Jim Malcolm and Eugene Alfred, and numerous All-Ohio and All-Midwest players.

In 1961, the Zips were invited to participate in their first NCAA post-season game. On five more occasions, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, and 1968, Akron earned NCAA invitations. In 1966 and 1968, Parry's fellow coaches honored him for his many years of devotion to and promotion of soccer by voting him the Ohio Soccer Coach of the Year.

AKRON IN CONFERENCE OPENERS (SINCE 1993)
The Zips' contest versus UConn marked Akron's 2025 BIG EAST debut. Since 1993, the Zips own a 26-3-4 mark in league openers.

AKRON UPSETS NO. 8 SAINT LOUIS, 3-0
No. 12 Akron men's soccer held No. 8 Saint Louis scoreless and ran away with a 3-0 shutout win on Tuesday (Sept. 23) at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Akron grabbed a 1-0 lead when redshirt sophomore Caleb Borneo (Morgantown, W.Va.) scored his third goal of the season in the 34th minute (33:11) on a successful penalty kick.

The Zips increased their lead to 2-0 on a goal from sophomore Remi Agunbiade (Toronto, Ontario) at the 61:01 mark, assisted by senior Stefan Dobrijevic (Uniontown, Ohio) and junior Jack Sullivan (Potomac, Md.).

Akron expanded its lead to 3-0 on sophomore Jack Roman's (Canfield, Ohio) 67th-minute goal (66:01), his team-leading fourth on the campaign. Dobrijevic and Agunbiade assisted the goal.

ZIPS DROP 3-1 DECISION TO UCONN
Three unanswered second-half goals proved too much for eighth-rated Akron to overcome as UConn registered a come-from-behind 3-1 triumph on Sept. 19 at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Akron opened the scoring when Stefan Dobrijevic scored in the 21st minute (20:13), assisted by senior Ashton Kamdem (West Chester, Ohio) and Jack Roman.

The Huskies responded to make it a 1-1 game on a goal from Sabri Hanni at the 56:59 mark, assisted by Balthazar Saunders and Nicolas Tomerius, before UConn went on top 2-1 on Saunders' 69th-minute goal (68:48).

The Huskies took a 3-1 lead with a goal from Preston Alessio at the 78:22 mark, assisted by Austin Brummett and Saunders. The goal capped the scoring in the match.

A LEGACY OF SUCCESS
Since 2007, the Akron men's soccer program has posted the highest winning percentage in the nation (.737), with an overall record of 261-76-53. The Zips are followed by Wake Forest, 250-82-53 (.718), Maryland, 240-85-59 (.702), North Carolina, 234-86-66 (.692), Indiana, 258-98-71 (.687) and Georgetown, 234-90-51 (.692). 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 their last 13 NCAA Tournament appearances. Since 1961, the Zips have advanced to the NCAA postseason 36 times, including 20 of the past 24 seasons.

SEPTEMBER DOMINANCE
For the month, the Zips have been led by four goals and one assist from Jack Roman, while Caleb Borneo and Stefan Dobrijevic have added three and two tallies, respectively. Akron has outshot the opposition, 86-35, including 28-18 on frame. Redshirt senior GK Mitch Budler (Lincoln, Neb.) has been stellar in goal for the Zips owning a 0.67 goal against average on the strength of 14 saves and four shutouts.

Over the last 23 seasons (2003-present), Akron boasts a 103-33-21 (.723) ledger in the month of September, including a 4-2 mark this fall.

ZIP TIDBITS
• The Zips are meeting Butler for the fifth time in program history.
• Akron and Butler have each netted six goals in the previous four encounters between the two programs, while the Zips are in search of their first ever road goal against the Bulldogs.
• Two of the last three meetings between Butler and Akron have resulted in a shutout.
• The Zips have posted two or more goals in two of the four meetings between the two schools.
• Akron was rated No. 16 in the initial NCAA men's soccer RPI report on Sept. 23.
• The Zips' showdown with UConn marked the 250th game for head coach Jared Embick at Akron.
• Freshman Aljaz Dodig (Ljubljana, Slovenia) made his collegiate debut against Saint Louis (Sept. 23).
• The Zips are 2-1-1 versus ranked teams this season following a 0-0 draw versus No. 8 West Virginia (Aug. 29), a 2-0 win at No. 16 Ohio State (Sept. 5), a 1-0 setback at No. Vermont (Sept. 13) and a 3-0 triumph past No. 8 Saint Louis (Sept. 23).
• The Zips recorded a season-best 20 shots at VCU (Aug. 24).
• Akron have posted double-digit shots in eight of nine tilts in 2025.
• The Zips have not allowed a first-half goal this season.
• Four different Akron reserves have accounted for goals this season for the Zips in Remi Agunbiade, Dobrijevic, Ngongang and redshirt sophomore Tyler Morck (Bethpage, N.Y.).
• Six different Zips have scored a goal this season, including a pair of newcomers.
• Nineteen Zips have registered a shot this season, including 10 newcomers.
• The Zips are rated sixth in the NCAA in shutout percentage (.778), ninth in goals against average (0.44), 13th in corner kicks (6.67), 16th in goal differential (11) and in total assists (20), 27th in assists per game (2.22), 29th in total points (50), 34th in save percentage (.810), 37th in winning percentage (.722), 41st in total goals (15) and in shots per tilt (14.33) and 49th in points per match (5.56).
• Individually, Budler is rated first in the NCAA in shutouts (7), fifth in goalie minutes played (810.00) 14th in goals against average (0.44) and 36th in save percentage (.810). Additionally, Roman and Borneo are 16th in game-winning goals (2) and Dobrijevic is 12th in total assists (5), 35th in assists per game (0.56) and 36th in total points (11).
• Budler is rated first among NCAA D1 active leaders in career shutouts (30), third in goalie minutes played (5,763.85), 10th in goals against average (.890), 27th in saves (152), 33rd in games played (65) and in save percentage (.727). Additionally, Kamdem is 33rd in games played (65) and Dobrijevic is 39th in games played (64).
• Through 65 career games, Budler has been dominant in net for Akron having recorded 152 saves en route to owning a 0.90 goals against average on the strength of 30 shutouts.
• Budler surpassed 5,000 career minutes in goal at VCU (Aug. 21) having been in net for 5,853:51.
• Since 2021, the Zips own 34-5-9 record in regular season home games at FirstEnergy Stadium.
• Since 2010, the Zips are 34-6-5 at FirstEnergy Stadium in regular season conference games. Overall, during that span, including postseason, Akron boasts a 50-9-6 mark versus league foes at home.
• Since the start of the 2015 campaign, the Zips own a 37-25-11 mark against ranked opponents.
• Dobrijevic is Akron's active career leaders in goals (10), assists (15), points (35), shots (74), shots on goal (30) and game-winners (3). Dobrijevic, Borneo, Roman, Kamdem, Agunbiade and redshirt sophomore Nathan Ferguson (Glen Carbon, Ill.) have scored 10, four, four, three, three and two goals, respectively.
• The Zips own a 151-63-37 mark over the last 13 seasons under Embick. Akron's 151 wins are ranked eighth in all of Division I.
• Under Embick, Akron's record following a loss is 31-15-7.
• The Zips have scored two or more goals in 115 of the squad's last 214 matches.
• Akron has held opponents scoreless in 51 of its last 101 home contests at FirstEnergy Stadium.
• Akron owns a 97-19-16 record in its last 130 home matches.

BIG EAST PRESEASON POLL
The University of Akron men's soccer program opens its 71st season of intercollegiate soccer tabbed to finish as the top team in the Midwest Division of the BIG EAST Conference, including earning 10 first-place votes in the division.

ZIPS IN THE CLASSROOM
Academic success has been a staple for the Zips under head coach Jared Embick. Akron has posted a cumulative team GPA's of 3.0 or better in 23 of 25 semesters overall under Embick, including registering cumulative marks of 3.11, 3.39, 3.01, 3.05, 3.40, 3.316, 3.21, 3.02, 3.09, 3.20 and 3.37 during the 2024-25, 2023-24, 2022-23, 2021-22, 2020-21, 2019-20, 2018-19, 2017-18, 2016-17, 2015-16, 2014-15 campaigns, respectively.

AKRON UNVEILS TALENTED 15-MEMBER RECRUITING CLASS
Akron under the leadership of 13th-year head coach Jared Embick, boast a talented 15-member signing class for 2025.

Donning the Akron uniform this fall will be Ignacio Alem (Potomac, Md.), Abdi Bahur (Toronto, Ontario), Gavin Crane (Hinckley, Ohio), Braxton Hayes, (Bowie, Md.), Logan LaMaina (Sellersville, Pa.), Farrel Ngongang, Matthew Paiva, Malte Schmaus (Hammersbach, Germany) and Dylan Wilkinson.

The nine players are part of Akron's 2025 signing class joining six members in Aljaz Dodig, Freddy Kossehasse, Tyler Morck, Jose Pedro, Jamai Royer (Markham, Ontario) and Jack Sullivan, that signed with the Zips prior to the spring semester.

DID YOU KNOW
• Zippy is just one of eight female-gendered college mascots in Division I athletics. Do you know the other seven? (YoUDee, the Delaware Blue Hen; Mrs. Wuf of N.C. State; Lucy Lobo of New Mexico; Sue E. Pig of Arkansas; Miss Pawla of South Alabama, Kate the Lion of Hofstra; and Wilma Wildcat of Arizona).
• One of the unique nicknames in collegiate athletics belongs to The University of Akron.
• Originally Zippers, athletic director Kenneth "Red" Cochrane officially shortened the nickname to the Zips in 1950. Twenty-five years earlier a campus-wide contest had been conducted to choose a nickname for the University's athletics teams.
• Suggestions submitted by students, faculty, and alumni included Golden Blue Devils, Tip Toppers, Rubbernecks, Hillbillies, Kangaroos, and Cheveliers.
• The winner, freshman Margaret Hamlin, received a prize of $10 for Zippers, a $6 pair of rubber overshoes and a brand name of the BF Goodrich Company.
• The evolution of Zippy, UA's mascot, began 40 years ago when the student council decided the University needed a mascot.
• "Zippy" the kangaroo was officially declared the school's mascot on May 1, 1953. The first known printed reference to the mascot as "Zippy" was a 1965 Zip football press brochure. The Buchtelite's first use of the name "Zippy" came Sept. 24, 1965, in an identification of a photo of the cheerleaders listing "Mascot - 'Zippy' - Charles Huettner."
• In 2007, Zippy was named the Capital One National Mascot of the Year.

UP NEXT
Akron welcomes St. John's to FirstEnergy Stadium for a 7 p.m. tilt on Friday (Oct. 3).