No. 21 Zips Open Home Campaign Hosting Northern Kentucky

Sunday, August 24

Akron, Ohio

7:00 PM

University of Akron

Northern Kentucky

Tickets

No. 21 Zips Open Home Campaign Hosting Northern Kentucky

August 23 | Men's Soccer

AKRON, Ohio – The 21st-rated University of Akron men's soccer team welcomes Northern Kentucky to FirstEnergy Stadium for its home opener on Sunday (Aug. 24). The 7 p.m. match with the Norse will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Logan Congrove calling the action.

Tickets for the contest against the Norse are available for purchase at http://www.gozips.com/Tickets. Fans are asked to park in Lots 6, 9 and 10 surrounding InfoCision Stadium and the Stile Athletics Field House. For complete parking information click here.

GAME INFO
Akron vs. Northern Kentucky | Aug. 24 | 7 PM | FirstEnergy Stadium | Live Stats | ESPN+

HEAD COACHES
Northern Kentucky: Tom Poitras (Southern Connecticut State, 1992), Overall Record: 281-213-86 (32nd Season), Record at NKU: 12-27-12 (Fourth Season)
Akron: Jared Embick (Indiana Wesleyan, 2000), Overall Record: 193-82-44 (16th Season), Record at Akron: 146-61-36 (13th Season)

SCOUTING NORTHERN KENTUCKY
Northern Kentucky enters action on Sunday (Aug. 24) at 1-0-0 on the campaign following a 2-1 win over Union (Ky.) on Thursday (Aug. 21).

The Norse are led by redshirt junior Maddox Behnfeldt and junior Ali Taleb, who each netted goals in Northern Kentucky's season-opening triumph. Redshirt sophomore GK Alex Kron pulled in pair saves in the match and owns a 1.00 goals against average in 2025.

The Norse are rated first in the NCAA in winning percentage (1.000), ninth in shots per tilt (22.00), 10th in shots on goal per outing (9.00), 12th in corner kicks (8.00), 30th in scoring offense (2.00) and total goals (2), 34th in total assists (2) and assists per game (2.00), 36th in goal differential (1) and 40th in total points (6.00) and points per match (6.00).

Individually, Kron is ranked first in the NCAA in goalie minutes played (90:00), while Behnfeldt is tops in game-winning goals (1) and 24th in total goals (1) and goals per contest (1.00), Ibrahim Piracha and Jason Purks are 20th in total assists (1) and assists per game (1.00), Taleb is 24th in total goals (1) and goals per match (1.00) and James Maxwell and Carlos Merce are 33rd in shots on goal (2.00).

SERIES HISTORY
Akron and Northern Kentucky are meeting for the third time in program history with the Zips leading the all-time series 2-0-0. In the previous encounters between the two schools, Akron earned a 5-1 decision over the Norse on Sept. 12, 1987, and 2-0 triumph on Oct. 3, 2023, at FirstEnergy Stadium.

IN OUR LAST MEETING (OCT. 3, 2023 – AKRON, OHIO)
Fourth-ranked Akron got a pair of second-half goals from Jason Shokalook in a 2-0 shutout win against Northern Kentucky on Oct. 3, 2023, at FirstEnergy Stadium.

After the two sides battled through a scoreless opening half in which the Zips outshot the Norse, 10-1, Shokalook netted what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 55th minute off assists from Johnny Fitzgerald and Malik Henry.

The Zips went up 2-0 in the 63rd minute on the second tally of the evening from Shokalook. He was assisted on the goal by Fitzgerald and Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal.

Redshirt senior GK Mitch Budler (Lincoln, Neb.) pulled in a pair of saves for the Zips.

AKRON VERSUS THE HORIZON LEAGUE
• The Zips are meeting a team from the Horizon League for the first time this season and 137th time overall.
• Akron owns a 99-29-8 (.765) all-time record versus the current 10 members of the Horizon League.
• A year ago, the Zips bested Wright State, 6-1, on Oct. 8 after battling Cleveland State to a 3-3 draw on Sept. 2 and dropping a 2-1 decision to IU Indianapolis on Sept. 14.

AKRON EARNS 3-0 WIN AT VCU
No. 21 Akron men's soccer team held VCU scoreless and cruised to a 3-0 shutout victory Thursday (Aug. 21) in the season opener for both squads.

Akron assumed a 1-0 when senior Stefan Dobrijevic (Uniontown, Ohio) successfully converted a penalty kick in the 40th minute (39:42).

The Zips scored again on a goal from redshirt sophomore Tyler Morck (Bethpage, N.Y.), his first goal of the season at the 62:27 mark, assisted by sophomore Jack Roman (Canfield, Ohio) and freshman Farrel Ngongang (Montreal, Quebec).

Akron built its lead to 3-0 on Ngongang's 66th-minute (65:47) goal, his first of the season. Earning assists on the play was Dobrijevic and redshirt sophomore Caleb Borneo (Morgantown, W.Va.).

Mitch Budler recorded one save for the Zips out of five total Rams shots, while Akron outshot VCU, 20-5, including 4-1 on goal.

A LEGACY OF SUCCESS
Since 2007, the Akron men's soccer program has posted the highest winning percentage in the nation (.738), with an overall record of 255-74-52. The Zips are followed by Wake Forest, 244-81-50 (.717), Maryland, 235-84-57 (.701), North Carolina, 230-85-60 (.693) and Georgetown, 228-89-49 (.690). 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.

ZIPS IN SEASON OPENERS
Now in its 71st season of intercollegiate soccer in 2024, the Akron men's soccer team have posted a record of 43-19-8 overall in season openers since the Zips first took the field against Ohio Wesleyan on Oct. 8, 1955. Over the last 10 campaigns, Akron owns a 6-2-2 mark in season openers.

BUDLER NAMED TO TDS PRESEASON BEST XI SQUAD
Mitch Budler was named by TopDrawerSoccer.com to its Preseason Best XI Third-Team squad.

BUDLER CHOSEN AS PRESEASON BIG EAST GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR
Mitch Budler was chosen as the preseason BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year. Budler posted 51 saves on the campaign en route to recording a 0.93 goals against average on the strength of nine shutouts. In league play, Budler collected 23 saves and a 0.63 goals against average and notched six clean sheets in eight games.

SEVEN ZIPS EARN ALL-BIG EAST ACCOLADES
Seven Akron men's soccer standouts garnered All-BIG EAST accolades when the league unveiled in 2024 award winners in a vote of the league coaches released on Nov. 12, 2024.

Emil Jaaskelainen headlined the Zips' award winners as he selected as the BIG EAST Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Year and was a unanimous First-Team honoree.

Beto Ydrach was tabbed as the BIG EAST Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Year and pulled in First-Team All-League honors.

Mitch Budler garnered BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year accolades and was a First-Team All-Conference selection.

Akron head coach Jared Embick and his staff of Ger Coppinger, Michael Nanchoff and Attila Schmidt were recognized as the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year.

Dyson Clapier rounded out the First-Team All-BIG EAST selections for the Zips. Pulling in Second-Team All-BIG EAST laurels were Malik Henry and Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal, while Jonas Buechte earned Third-Team honors.

AKRON CAPTURES 2024 BIG EAST REGULAR SEASON TITLE
Akron captured its first-ever BIG EAST regular season title with a 3-0 triumph at Marquette (Oct. 26), a game after claiming the BIG EAST Midwest Division crown on the strength of a 3-0 victory past Creighton (Oct. 23).

ZIP TIDBITS
• The Zips own a 2-0-0 ledger in games versus Northern Kentucky at FirstEnergy Stadium.
• Akron has outscored Northern Kentucky by a 7-1 margin in series history.
• Akron earned a 2-0 shutout in the last meeting between the two schools.
• Akron has scored two or more goals in a pair of all-time meetings with Northern Kentucky.
• Tyler Morck and Farrel Ngongang each recorded their first career goals as a Zip at VCU.
• Akron garnered assists from Caleb Borneo, Stefan Dobrijevic, Ngongang and Jack Roman in a 3-0 victory by the Zips over VCU.
• Three different Zips have scored a goal this season, including a pair of newcomers.
• Twelve Zips have registered a shot this season, including six newcomers.
• Earning starts in their Akron debut at VCU were juniors Freddy Kossehasse (McKinney, Texas) and Matthew Paiva (Toronto, Ontario), freshman Jose Pedro (Porto, Portugal) and junior Jack Sullivan (Potomac, Md.).
• Mitch Budler collected his 100th career save against Butler (Sept. 20, 2024) and enters play versus Northern Kentucky with 136 career stops.
• The Zips are rated first in the NCAA in goals against average (0.00), save percentage (1.000), shutout percentage (1.000) and winning percentage (1.000), eighth in goal differential (3), 10th in total assists (4) and assists per game (4.00), 11th in total goals (3) and scoring offense (3.00) and 12th in corner kicks (8.00), total points (10), points per contest (10.00) and shots per tilt (20.00).
• Individually, Budler is rated first in the NCAA in shutouts (1), goalie minutes played (90.00), goals against average (0.00) and save percentage (1.000). Dobrijevic is first in game-winning goals (1), 20th in total assists (1) and assists per match (1.00), 24th in total goals (24) and goals per game (1.00), 26th in total points (3) and points per outing (3.00) and 33rd in shots on goal (2.00), while Morck is 24th in total goals (24) and goals per game (1.00), Ngongang is 24th in total goals (24) and goals per game (1.00), 26th in total points (3) and points per game (3.00) and 34th in shot per contest (4.00), Borneo and Roman are 20th in total assists (1) and assists per night (1.00).
• Through 56 career games, Budler has been dominant in net for Akron having recorded 135 saves en route to owning a 0.95 goals against average on the strength of 24 shutouts.
• Budler surpassed 5,000 career minutes in goal at VCU (Aug. 21) having been in net for 5,043:51.
• Since 2021, the Zips own 30-4-8 record in regular season home games at FirstEnergy Stadium.
• Since 2010, the Zips are 34-5-5 at FirstEnergy Stadium in regular season conference games. Overall, during that span, including postseason, Akron boasts a 50-8-6 mark versus league foes at home.
• Since the start of the 2015 campaign, the Zips own a 35-24-10 mark against ranked opponents.
• Dobrijevic is Akron's active career leaders in goals (8), assists (11), points (27), shots (57), shots on goal (25) and game-winners (3). Dobrijevic, senior Ashton Kamdem (West Chester, Ohio) and redshirt sophomore Nathan Ferguson (Glen Carbon, Ill.) have scored eight, three and two goals, respectively.
• The Zips own a 146-61-36 mark over the last 13 seasons under head coach Jared Embick. Akron's 1456 wins are ranked eighth in all of Division I.
• Under head coach Jared Embick, Akron's record following a loss is 30-14-7.
• The Zips have scored two or more goals in 112 of the squad's last 206 matches.
• Akron has held opponents scoreless in 46 of its last 95 home contests at FirstEnergy Stadium.
• Akron owns a 93-18-15 record in its last 126 home matches.
• Since 2007, Akron maintains a league record of 79-14-16 (.798) mark in league play. Furthermore, the Zips won 11 consecutive MAC regular season championships (2006-16) and 11 of the final 14 MAC Tournament titles.
• Since Oct. 1, 2015, Akron owns a 99-48-32 record.
• In all, the Zips have produced 25 Academic All-American honors in its history, dating back to the 1998 season.
• Akron has long been associated with academic excellence. Over the last 10 seasons, the Zips have posted team GPA's of 3.11 (2024), 3.39 (2023), 3.01 (2022), 3.05 (2021), 3.40 (2020), 3.316 (2019), 3.21 (2018), 3.02 (2017), 3.09 (2016) and 3.20 (2015). Akron finished second in Division I in 2011-12 with a cumulative mark of 3.44. The remarkable feat follows years that saw the Zips post GPAs of 3.43 in 2010-11 and 3.33 in 2009-10.

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 (Bradford, England).

The nine players are part of Akron's 2025 signing class joining six members in Aljaz Dodig (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Freddy Kossehasse, Tyler Morck (Bethpage, N.Y.), 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 No. 16 West Virginia to FirstEnergy Stadium on Friday (Aug. 29) at 7 p.m.

AKRON ATHLETICS NOW CASHLESS
The University of Akron Athletics Department announced its transition to cashless payments for all ticketing, concessions, and merchandise purchases at all Akron athletic venues, concession stands, and gear shops, beginning with the start of the 2024-25 sports seasons. For more information click here.