Akron Renews Rivalry With Cleveland State

Monday, September 1

Akron, Ohio

7:00 PM

University of Akron

Cleveland State

Tickets

August 31 | Men's Soccer

AKRON, Ohio – The 16th-rated University of Akron men's soccer team is set to conclude a three-game homestand welcoming Cleveland State to FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday (Sept. 1). The 7 p.m. match with the Vikings will be broadcast on ESPN+ with John Higgins calling the action.

Tickets for the contest against the Vikings 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. Cleveland State | Sept. 1 | 7 PM | FirstEnergy Stadium | Live Stats | ESPN+

HEAD COACHES
Cleveland State: Sinisa Ubiparipovic (Akron, 2006), Overall Record: 42-14-15 (Seventh Season), Record at CSU: 42-41-15 (Seventh Season)
Akron: Jared Embick (Indiana Wesleyan, 2000), Overall Record: 194-82-45 (16th Season), Record at Akron: 147-61-37 (13th Season)

SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE
Cleveland State enters action on Monday (Sept. 1) at 0-1-1 on the campaign following a 3-1 loss at Grand Canyon on Aug. 25.

The Vikings are led by sophomore Matteo Correia and senior Paulo Roditti, who each own a team-high one goal this season. Redshirt senior GK Ryan Poling has recorded seven saves and maintains a 2.00 goals against average in 2025.

The contest will be a reunion of sorts for Cleveland State head coach Sinisa Ubiparipovic, who was a two-time All-America honoree and 2006 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year for Akron. Ubiparipovic starred for the Zips for three seasons (2004-06) and was named a first-team All-MAC selection as a junior and senior.

SERIES HISTORY
Akron and Cleveland State are meeting for the 58th time in program history with the Zips owning a 42-11-4 series advantage, including winning 21 of the last 24 overall. In the previous encounter between the two schools, the Zips battled the Vikings to a 3-3 draw on Sept. 2, 2024, at FirstEnergy Stadium.

IN OUR LAST MEETING (SEPT. 2, 2024 – AKRON, OHIO)
Akron garnered a brace from Emil Jaaskelainen but were unable to capitalize with a victory as the Zips battled Cleveland State to a 3-3 draw on Sept. 2, 2024, at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Cleveland State assumed a 1-0 lead in the match after an own goal at the 2:34 mark. The Zips responded to tie the game when Jaaskelainen netted his first goal as a Zip in the eighth minute (7:03) off an assist from senior Stefan Dobrijevic (Uniontown, Ohio).

Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal gave Akron at 2-1 lead at the 13:59 mark.

The Zips held a 2-1 lead at the intermission, outshooting the Vikings in the initial stanza, 8-4.

Cleveland State knotted the match at 2-2 with a 50th minute (49:48) goal from Oskar Von Esebek.

Akron regained the advantage at the 75:16 mark when Jaaskelainen headed home his second goal of the evening. Maximus Barboto earned the assist on the tally. The lead lasted only 1:21 before Matteo Correia netted the equalizer for Cleveland State on an assist by Bojan Kolevski.

AKRON VERSUS THE HORIZON LEAGUE
• The Zips are meeting a team from the Horizon League for the second time this season and 138th time overall.
• Akron owns a 100-29-8 (.759) all-time record versus the current 10 members of the Horizon League.
• Earlier this season, the Zips posted a 1-0 win over Northern Kentucky (Aug. 24).

AKRON BATTLES NO. 8 WEST VIRGINIA TO 0-0 DRAW
The 16th-rated Akron men's soccer team played No. 8 West Virginia to a 0-0 draw on Friday (Aug. 29) at FirstEnergy Stadium.

In a battle of Top 20 teams, Akron and West Virginia waged a match fitting of the program's rankings as neither side was able to find the back of the net on the evening.

Akron totaled nine shots in the draw, three of them on goal. The Zips faced six West Virginia shots, one of them on goal. Redshirt senior GK Mitch Budler (Lincoln, Neb.) led Akron with a key second-half save.

ZIPS GARNER 1-0 TRIUMPH PAST NORTHERN KENTUCKY
Akron garnered a 1-0 shutout victory past Northern Kentucky on Aug. 24 at home at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Akron broke the 0-0 tie when sophomore Remi Agunbiade (Toronto, Ontario) scored his first goal of the season in the 56th minute (55:11), assisted by redshirt sophomore Tyler Morck (Bethpage, N.Y.) and junior Jack Sullivan (Potomac, Md.). The goal held as the only score in the game.

Mitch Budler collected one save for the Zips out of four total Norse shots to earn his second consecutive shutout. Redshirt sophomore Nathan Ferguson (Glen Carbon, Ill.) and sophomore Jack Roman (Canfield, Ohio) recorded a game-high three shots apiece for the Zips.

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 256-74-53. The Zips are followed by Wake Forest, 246-81-51 (.718), Maryland, 236-84-58 (.701), North Carolina, 232-85-60 (.695) and Georgetown, 229-90-49 (.689). 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.

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.

ZIP TIDBITS
• Six of the 11 matches between Akron and Cleveland State with head coach Jared Embick on the Zips' sideline have resulted in a shutout, including six of the last nine, with the Zips owning a 8-2-1 mark in those contests.
• The Zips have outscored Cleveland State, 94-32 all-time in 32 home games against the Vikings.
• Akron has scored two or more goals in 39 all-time meetings with Cleveland State.
• Twenty-seven of the matches between the Zips and Vikings have resulted in a shutout with Akron owning a 22-3-2 mark in those contests.
• The Zips are 0-0-1 versus ranked teams this season following a 0-0 draw versus No. 8 West Virginia (Aug. 29).
• The Zips recorded a season-best 20 shots at VCU (Aug. 24).
• Akron have posted double-digit shots in two tilts in 2025.
• Four different Akron reserves have accounted for the Zips' four tallies this season in Remi Agunbiade, Stefan Dobrijevic, Farrel Ngongang and Tyler Morck.
• Morck and Ngongang each recorded their first career goals as a Zip at VCU.
• Akron garnered assists from redshirt sophomore Caleb Borneo (Morgantown, W.Va.), Stefan Dobrijevic, Ngongang and Jack Roman in a 3-0 victory by the Zips over VCU.
• Four different Zips have scored a goal this season, including a pair of newcomers.
• Fifteen Zips have registered a shot this season, including seven 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 Jack Sullivan.
• Budler collected his 100th career save against Butler (Sept. 20, 2024) and enters play versus Cleveland State with 138 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 (.833), 17th in goal differential (4), 18th in total assists (6), 20th in assists per game (2.00), 21st in shots per tilt (14.3), 29th in total points (14), 33rd in points per contest (4.67) 35th in total goals (4) and in corner kicks (5.00) and 39th in scoring offense (4.67).
• Individually, Budler is rated first in the NCAA in shutouts (3), goals against average (0.00) and save percentage (1.000) and second in goalie minutes played (270.00). Dobrijevic and Agunbiade are eighth in game-winning goals (1).
• Budler is rated third among NCAA D1 active leaders in career shutouts (26) and goalie minutes played (5,223.85), 11th in goals against average (.920), 28th in saves (138), 33rd in save percentage (.723) and 37th in games played (59). Additionally, Kamdem is 37th in games played (58) and Dobrijevic is 48th in games played (57).
• Through 59 career games, Budler has been dominant in net for Akron having recorded 138 saves en route to owning a 0.92 goals against average on the strength of 26 shutouts.
• Budler surpassed 5,000 career minutes in goal at VCU (Aug. 21) having been in net for 5,223:51.
• Since 2021, the Zips own 31-4-9 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 35-24-11 mark against ranked opponents.
• Dobrijevic is Akron's active career leaders in goals (8), assists (11), points (27), shots (58), shots on goal (25) and game-winners (3). Dobrijevic, Kamdem and Ferguson have scored eight, three and two goals, respectively.
• The Zips own a 147-61-37 mark over the last 13 seasons under Embick. Akron's 147 wins are ranked eighth in all of Division I.
• Under 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 208 matches.
• Akron has held opponents scoreless in 48 of its last 97 home contests at FirstEnergy Stadium.
• Akron owns a 94-18-16 record in its last 128 home matches.
• Since Oct. 1, 2015, Akron owns a 100-48-33 record.

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, 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 visits Ohio State for a 7 p.m. showdown on Friday (Sept. 5).