Zips Come From Behind Twice to Best Cornell in Ranked Matchup on Tom “Doc” Nash Night

Tuesday, September 8

Akron, Ohio

7:00 PM

University of Akron

3-0-1, 0-0-0

Cornell

2-1-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Cornell	1	1	2
Akron	0	3	3

Thomas O'Rourke registered the game-winning assist as well as a goal against No. 18 Cornell.

Zips Come From Behind Twice to Best Cornell in Ranked Matchup on Tom “Doc” Nash Night

September 08 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

AKRON, Ohio — In an early season top 20 test, the Akron men's soccer team found a way to ace it.

Ranked No. 14 in the country facing No. 18 Cornell, the Zips battled from behind twice and ultimately captured a 3-2 victory over the Big Red at FirstEnergy Stadium on a night in which legendary former assistant coach Tom "Doc" Nash was honored at halftime.

"I think Cornell is a very good team," head coach Jared Embick said. "They put us under pressure at times and got the lead on us twice. We had to really fight and claw and show a lot of character. I couldn't be prouder of the grit, fight and determination we showed tonight."

With just 59 seconds left and the score knotted up, Jack Roman dribbled up the left side and fed the ball inside the box to Thomas O'Rourke who immediately flicked the ball backwards to Leo Morana who struck the ball in the lower left corner for the game-winner.

It was the freshman's first collegiate goal.

"My main focus was trying to help the team as much as I could and leave everything on the field for [the 15 minutes I played] working the hardest I could to help the team and get into a position to score," Morana said. "Today, I was lucky enough to get into that position and capitalize on it."

The Big Red cashed in early six minutes into the match on a goal buried in the lower left corner off a double assist. It proved to be their only shot of the first half.

Despite six shot attempts and six corners in the opening stanza, the Zips could not get their offense going as they found themselves down 1-0 at the intermission.

"We probably came out too energetic and were overplaying some things while lacking some composure on the ball," head coach Jared Embick said. "I was like, 'if we could just have some composure and move the ball, I think we can create chances.' We had to find that balance between intensity and composure, and at the start of the second half I felt like we found that a lot better."

Less than three minutes into the second, a Cornell handball was called inside the Akron box off a shot attempt after an official review that set the Zips up for a penalty kick. Jack Sullivan took the kick and found the upper left corner to knot it up.

The action picked up a few minutes later, as Cornell got one back to take the lead. However, four minutes later, O'Rourke took a pass from midfield and beat two defenders on his way to the top of the box. His shot deflected off a Big Red defender and trickled into the back of the goal for the equalizer.

In the 68th minute, Brett Kaminski made a huge diving save attempt — his lone save of the night — after a Cornell header to keep the score level. He would face just two more shots for the rest of the match before Morana's game winner.

In their fourth all-time meeting, Akron got their first victory over Cornell. The Zips suffered overtime losses in 1980 and 2019 and drew 0-0 with the Big Red last season.

"You hope as a coach you find a way to work through a game like that tonight when you get the opportunity," Embick said. "We were focused on getting back to some of the things that make us a really good and tough team. I told them, 'Let's not worry about them being perfect tactically or how pretty it looks. Let's do some of the basics that we can do like being tougher and running harder. I think if we did anything well tonight, it was just competing for 90 minutes and being resilient.

"You can't put a price on guys who don't give up and fight, and those things are foundational pieces for championship teams."

Up Next
Akron (3-0-1) will head to St. Louis to take on the Billikens of St. Louis University on Saturday, September 12 at 8 p.m. eastern time.