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

Zips men's soccer defeats Western Michigan 4-0, wins MAC Championship

For the fourth consecutive year, the No. 2 ranked University of Akron men’s soccer team is the Mid-

American Conference tournament champion, after defeating Western Michigan 4-0 on Sunday at Lee

That was a whole other level today, said Head Coach Caleb Porter. I have been waiting for us to

turn it up a notch, and that was complete domination. This is really the first time where we have won

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Western Michigan (10-8-2) was able to record the first two scoring chances early in the game, but

could not capitalize on the opportunities, as sophomore goalkeeper David Meves was able to stop the

shots, making it the only time the Zips defense allowed the Broncos a chance to score.

The Zips (18-1-1) were similar to WMU, as they had a number of scoring opportunities in the first half

of the game but were unable to make anything out of it as the score leading into halftime was 0-0.

In the 48th minute junior midfielder Darlington Nagbe was able to put the Zips on the board when

he received a deep pass from junior defender Kofi Sarkodie, sending the ball to the upper right hand

UA was able to score again in the 54th minute when sophomore midfielder Scott Caldwell connected

on a combo play from 12 yards out, placing the ball inside the near right post and putting Akron up 2-0.

With us playing so well, it just seems like we’re starting to get everything going, said Caldwell.

Freshman forward Darren Mattocks was able to add to his goal count in the 56th minute, giving him

his 14th goal of the season, when a combination of passes from Anthony Ampaipitakwong and Nagbe

ensued just inside the box, quickly creating space for the goal to land in the net, giving the Zips a 3-0

The team is peaking at the right time and Coach Porter has us staying sharp, and we’re just staying

Mattocks was able to elevate Akron to a 4-0 lead in the 70th minute, making it his 15th goal of the

season and third multiple-goal performance, as freshman Eric Stevenson was credited with the assist on

In all, Akron out-shot Western Michigan 18-6, due to a dominating defense that only allowed three

If we play like we played today, we’re going to be hard to stop, and it couldn’t have come at a better

time, said Porter. We’re just going to have to take each game at a time, but we’re definitely looking

improved their record to 5-1-1. Also, UA extended their home unbeaten streak to 36 games (35-0-1),

UA leads all conference members with eight tournament titles since entering the league in 1993.

The Zips will wait to see who they will face in the NCAA tournament with the selection show

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