2017 Akron Men's Soccer Game Notes • Match 7 Vs. Michigan
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2017 AKRON MEN’S SOCCER GAME NOTES • MATCH 7 VS. MICHIGAN STATE 63rd Season • 2010 National Champions • 4 College Cup Appearances • 31 NCAA Tournament Appearances • 13 MAC Championships No. 24 Akron (3-2-1) 2017 Schedule and Results vs. No. 1 Michigan State (7-0-1) 3-2-1/0-0-0 MAC Wednesday, Sept. 27 DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULT FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field (5,000) Aug. 25 at No. 16 Utah Valley L, 0-1 Aug. 28 at No. 3 Denver L, 0-1 Akron, Ohio • 7 p.m. Sept. 1 No. 10 WASHINGTON W, 2-0 Sept. 9 at Santa Barbara W, 3-1 Series History: Akron leads 26-13-2 Sept. 16 at Saint Louis T, 0-0 (2OT) Live Stats: www.gozips.com Sept. 24 No. 21 UMASS LOWELL W, 5-0 Sept. 27 No. 1 MICHIGAN STATE ! 7 p.m. Live Stream: www.gozips.com Sept. 30 SAINT MARY’S (CALIF.) 7 p.m. Television: ESPN3/Watch ESPN (Dave Bacon - pxp and Otto Orf - analyst) Oct. 3 at Syracuse 7 p.m. Radio: WARF 1350 AM (Steve French - pxp and Oliver Slawson - analyst) Oct. 7 at Western Michigan * 1 p.m. Oct. 10 CLEVELAND STATE ! 7 p.m. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SEPT. 26, 2017 Oct. 13 SIU EDWARDSVILLE * 7 p.m. Oct. 17 NOTRE DAME ! 7 p.m. Oct. 21 BOWLING GREEN * 7 p.m. WHAT’S AHEAD Oct. 24 at Pittsburgh 7:30 p.m. Fresh off the heels of a dominating 5-0 victory over No. 21 UMass Lowell on Sunday, Sept. 24, the Oct. 27 at West Virginia * 7 p.m. University of Akron men’s soccer team faces its stiffest challenge of the campaign welcoming top-rated Nov. 1 MARSHALL ! 7 p.m Michigan State to FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field on Wednesday, Sept. 27. The 7 p.m. match Nov. 4 NORTHERN ILLINOIS * 7 p.m. will be broadcast on ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN app with David Bacon and Otto Orf calling the action. Nov. 10 MAC Tournament Semifinals Additionally, WARF 1350 AM radio will have the broadcast with Steve French and former Zips’ assistant Nov. 12 MAC Tournament Championship Dec. 8 NCAA College Cup Semifinals coach and current Ashland men’s soccer head coach Oliver Slawson on the call. Dec. 10 NCAA College Cup Championship AKRON VERSUS THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE Home games in BOLD CAPS • The Zips are meeting a team from the Big Ten Conference for the first time this season and 183rd time * denotes Mid-American Conference overall. match • Akron owns a 99-66-17 (.591) all-time record versus the current 14 members of the Big Ten Conference. # denotes exhibition match • The Zips have gone 17-3-4 against the league since 2012. ! radio broadcast on WARF 1350AM • A year ago, Akron dropped a 2-1decision at Michigan State, Oct. 11, and a 1-0 setback in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Indiana, Nov. 20, while earning a 2-2 double-overtime tie at Penn State, Oct. 18, and a 2-0 victory at Ohio State, Oct. 26. • In all, Akron is 34-8-7 (.765) versus teams from the Big Ten since 2007. During that time, the Zips have out-scored the competition, 93-39. 2017 TEAM LEADERS SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE Michigan State (7-0-1) enters action on Wednesday, Sept. 27, unbeaten in its first eight matches of AKRON the season after battling top-rated Maryland to a 0-0 double-overtime draw on Sept. 22. The Spartans Goals ..................................Sam Gainford (4) have capitalized on a stout defense that has surrendered only one goal on the campaign, en route to Assists .............................. Joao Moutinho (2) posting six shutouts. Junior DeJuan Jones directs Michigan State’s offensive exploits this season leading the team in goals (4), points (10), shots on goal (10) and game-winners (3). Senior goalkeeper Jimmy Points .................................Sam Gainford (9) Hague has registered 26 saves this season and owns a 0.12 goals against average with seven shutouts. Shots ................................... Two Players (14) As a team, the Spartans are leading the NCAA in save (.963) and shutout percentage (.880), while SOG ....................................Sam Gainford (7) ranking second in goals against average (0.12) and winning percentage (.938) and 31st in corners per Saves ..................................... Ben Lundt (16) game (6.13). Individually, Hague paces the country in shutouts (7) and save percentage (.963), while Jones is ranked fourth in game-winners (3). MICHIGAN STATE MSU AKRON Goals ................................. DeJuan Jones (4) Overall Record 7-0-1 3-2-0 Assists .................................... Two Players (3) Conference Record 2-0-1 0-0-0 Points ................................ DeJuan Jones (9) Goals 9 10 Shots ..........................Ryan Sierakowski (14) Goals-Shot Attempts 9-73 10-69 SOG .................................DeJuan Jones (10) Goals Per Game 1.12 1.67 Assists 10 6 Saves ...............................Jimmy Hague (26) Shots 73 69 Shots On Goal 37 23 Shot Percentage .123 .145 Shots On Goal Percentage .507 .333 Akron Athletic Communications Shots Per Game 9.1 11.5 Sean Palchick, Associate AC Dir. Corner Kicks 49 28 (MSOC Contact) Opponent Corner Kicks 38 22 E-mail: [email protected] Penalty Kicks 1-1 1-1 Office Phone: (330) 972-2677 Opponent Penalty Kicks 1-1 1-2 1 #ZipsGameday 2017 MEN’S SOCCER GAME NOTES1 2017 AKRON MEN’S SOCCER GAME NOTES • MATCH 7 VS. MICHIGAN STATE 63rd Season • 2010 National Champions • 4 College Cup Appearances • 31 NCAA Tournament Appearances • 13 MAC Championships SERIES HISTORY Akron Quick Facts Akron and Michigan State are squaring off on Wednesday, Sept. 27, for the 42nd time in program history with the Zips owning a 26-13-2 series advantage, including a 14-6-1 mark at home. A year ago, Location: ................................. Akron, Ohio 44325 the 14th-rated Spartans registered a 2-1 victory past Akron on Oct. 11, 2016, in East Lansing, Mich. Population: ..............................................200,000 ............................................... (5th largest in Ohio) THE COACHES Michigan State: Founded: ....................... 1870 as Buchtel College Damon Rensing is in his ninth season as head coach of the Michigan State program, Enrollment: ...............................................23,152 owning a 97-58-32 (.604) record. Akron: In his fifth year on the Akron sidelines as head coach, and 11th season overall, is Jared Embick, Nickname: ......................................................Zips who owns a 64-21-10 mark (.726), including 111-42-18 (.702) overall, in his seventh year as a head coach. Colors: .............................Blue (282) & Gold (871) Conference: ....................................Mid-American AKRON HEAD COACH JARED EMBICK .........................................................(East Division) Jared Embick, who had previously served as the Zips’ associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, President: ................................Matthew J. Wilson officially became the seventh head coach in the history of The University of Akron men’s soccer program Director of Athletics: ......................Larry Williams in December of 2012. Faculty Athletics Rep: ........... Dr. Deborah Owens The 2017 campaign marks his fifth year leading the Zips having registered a 64-21-10 (.726) ledger Athletics Dept. Phone: ...............(330) 972-7080 after posting an 13-6-3 record a season ago. Ticket Office Phone: ...1-888-99-AKRON (-25766) During Embick’s time at Akron, the Zips have posted the highest winning percentage in the nation with an overall record of 174-34-26 (.799), including a 51-3-3 (.921) mark in Mid-American Conference play, Season of Soccer: ..............................63rd (1955) while securing nine conference tournament titles, 10 trips to the NCAA Tournament and two appearances All-Time Record: ................................698-258-91 in an NCAA final. ........................... 117-13-8 The Zips came into the 2016 campaign on the heels of the program’s fourth appearance in the College All-Time MAC Record: Cup in 2015 and boasted seven returning starters and the second-rated recruiting class in the country MAC Tournament Titles: .................................. 13 as heralded by TopDrawerSoccer.com. .......[1998, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, The Zips began the season as the preseason No. 1 according to Soccer America before ascending to ..................2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016] the consensus No. 1 team after the opening weekend of play. Akron went on to post its 16th consecutive MAC Regular-Season Titles: ............................ 19 double-digit victory campaign and concluded the year with a 13-6-3 ledger, including a 3-1-1 mark NCAA Tournament Appearances: .............................31 in the MAC. The Zips earned the MAC regular season and tournament titles en route to collecting the NCAA College Cup Appearances: .... 4 [1986, 2009, 2010, program’s 31st NCAA Tournament. 2015] The Zips became one of just five Division I programs to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in each of the NCAA Championshop Appearances: .. 2 [2009, 2010] past 10 seasons with their 31st overall selection. Akron was led by the play of Adam Najem, who garnered third-team National Soccer Coaches Association Stadium: ........FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field of America (NSCAA) All-America accolades, respectively, en route to directing the Zips to rank third in the Capacity:..........................................................5,000 NCAA in goals (45), points (135) and shots per game (16.95), fourth in points per contest (6.14), fifth Field Dimensions: .....................................120 x 77 in assists (45), sixth in assists per game (2.05) and scoring offense (2.05) and eighth in shots on goal per tilt (6.91). Surface: ...............................................Natural Grass The Zips also found success in the classroom as Akron boasted a team 3.09 grade-point average, while Najem was tabbed a first-team NSCAA Academic All-American for the second straight season. AKRON IN THE NATIONAL POLLS Led by Pau Belana, Najem and Brad Ruhaak, who were selected as first-team All-MAC men’s soccer selections, eight Akron student-athletes garnered All-MAC accolades a year ago. Additionally, Sam Gainford, NCAA RPI ..USC .......TDS .CSN ..SA Nick Hinds, Stuart Holthusen, Jonathan Lewis and Ben Lundt were recognized as second-team selections.