The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

Men's soccer wins third straight MAC Title

“The University of Akron’s men’s soccer team became MAC tournament champions for the third year in a row Sunday. Akron defeated NIU on Friday in double overtime and Hartwick Sunday on their way to gaining the MAC championship trophy once again. Friday, Akron played NIU, which was a rematch of last year’s MAC tournament final.”

The University of Akron’s men’s soccer team became MAC tournament champions for the third year in a row Sunday.

Akron defeated NIU on Friday in double overtime and Hartwick Sunday on their way to gaining the MAC championship trophy once again.

Friday, Akron played NIU, which was a rematch of last year’s MAC tournament final.

Story continues below advertisement

Shots were hard to come by and the possibility of a goal was almost nonexistent.

Akron took the game to double overtime where forward Darlington Nagbe found the net to win the game for the Zips.

Midfielder Michael Nanchoff redirected a pass from Bunbury to Nagbe, who chipped the ball over the goalkeeper’s head.

It was a fantastic run and finish by, in my opinion, one of the best players in college soccer, Darlington Nagbe, head coach Caleb Porter said. He doesn’t always get as much credit because he’s such an unselfish player, but if you know soccer and you watch our team and see the things he does in possession; it’s magic at times.

I thought it was fitting that he was the one who scored the goal at the end because he’s so important to our team in the attack.

With the win, the Zips were set to play Hartwick in the MAC championship game, who defeated Western Michigan 3-2.

Akron had already played Hartwick in the last week, defeating them 3-2.

Coming into the game, the Zips knew that Hartwick was going to do two things – play physical, and stack the box.

Hartwick jumped out on top early in the 10th minute when forward Dan Summers slipped a goal in on a one vs. one with goalkeeper David Meves.

It was unfortunate to give up the early goal but I thought we responded well, Porter said. This is three games in a row now where we’ve had some adversity but we continue to respond. We’ll draw on that and take it with us as we make a run in the NCAA Tournament.

Akron responded nearly 10 minutes later off of a free kick from Nanchoff.

Nanchoff sent the ball into the box and Bunbury headed in the equalizer.

With eight minutes left in the first half, Akron seemed to have scored a goal to take the lead.

Defender Kofi Sarkodi knocked the ball into the net off of a cross from Nanchoff, but the referee called Sarkodi offsides.

The Zips entered halftime with an advantage on shots at 11-3 and corner kicks at 4-1.

In the 77th minute of the game, Akron took the lead when midfielder Anthony Ampaipitakwong assisted Darlington Nagbe who netted the winning goal of the night.

The physical play of Hartwick drew four yellow cards and two straight red cards during the game.

We knew this was going to be a physical and direct game with balls being thrown and kicked in the box for 90 minutes, Porter said. Hartwick defended well and their goalkeeper was incredible so my hats off to them for putting up a good fight.

I am so proud of our guys for not backing down and playing like men. I have asked this team to deal with this type of thing all year long even though it’s not enjoyable. But they do it because they want to win and that’s why they are champions.

What is most pleasing though is not only do they battle with the best of them, but they continue to play attractive soccer and I think they have been rewarded because of that.

With the win, the team improves to (20-0-0) and will now move on to the NCAA tournament.

Akron is likely to get the number one overall seed and have a first round bye in the tournament.

We are looking forward to starting the NCAA Tournament next weekend, Porter said. We have prepared for this moment and we will be ready to take it one game at a time toward the accomplishment of our ultimate vision, to be the last team standing on Dec. 13.

The Zips will begin the NCAA Tournament Nov. 22 when they face the winner of the Stetson-South Florida game.

Game time is set for 4 p.m. at Lee Jackson Field

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Buchtelite
$250
$500
Contributed
Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of The University of Akron. Your contribution will allow us to keep printing our magazine edition, purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Buchtelite
$250
$500
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

All comments that are well-informed, civil and relevant to the story are welcome. To leave a comment, please provide your name and email address. The Editorial Board reserves to right to remove any comment that is submitted under false pretenses or includes personal attacks, libel, hate speech, profanity, spam or inaccurate/misleading information. All comments are screened and are generally approved unless they are found to be found in violation of these standards. Readers who notice comments that appear to violate these standards are encouraged to contact the Online Editor at [email protected].
All The Buchtelite Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *