Akron Entertains Miami in MAC Clash

Sunday, September 28

Akron, Ohio

1:00 PM

University of Akron

Miami

September 27 | Women's Soccer

AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron women's soccer team welcomes Miami to FirstEnergy Stadium for a 1 p.m. Mid-American Conference clash on Sunday (Sept. 28).

GAME INFO
Akron vs. Miami | Sept. 28 | 1 PM | FirstEnergy Stadium | Live Stats | Live Video

PARKING UPDATE
Akron fans are asked to please park in Lots 6 (Along S. Union Street between InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field and Lee R. Jackson Track and Field Complex) and Lot 10 (Corner of Vine and Spicer Streets behind the Stile Athletics Field House). Overflow parking will be available in Lot 9. All other parking lots will require a university permit. If parking at metered spaces outside of these designated lots, meters must be paid in full and current.

HEAD COACHES
Miami: Courtney Sirmans (Dayton, 2008), Overall Record: 49-64-18 (Eighth Season), Record at Miami: 49-64-18 (Eighth Season)
Akron: Maggie Kuhn (Bethany, 2004), Overall Record: 81-86-16 (10th Season), Record at Akron: 3-3-3 (First Season)

SCOUTING AKRON
The Zips garnered a 0-0 draw at Northern Illinois on Thursday (Sept. 25) to move to 3-3-3 on the campaign, including 0-1-2 in the Mid-American Conference.

Freshman Addison Hall (Manchester, Conn.) registered her team-leading third goal of the season at Ohio (Sept. 21), while seniors Emma King (Akron, Ohio) and Kylie Schiemann (Geneva, Ohio) along with freshmen Fineen Cregan (Rochester, N.Y.), Luisa Fragnoli (Medina, Ohio) and Olivia Pilato (Rochester, N.Y.) have each tallied two, one, one, one and one goal, respectively. King directs the squad in shots (20) and shots on goal (11). Cregan and junior Jordanne Oberhaus (Wadsworth, Ohio) own a team-best three assists apiece for Akron. Junior goalkeeper Sara Bower (Cincinnati, Ohio) and redshirt freshman GK Ariana Vakos (Avon, Ohio) own 28 and 13 saves, respectively, on the campaign en route to posting four shutouts and recording a 1.22 goals against average.

The Zips under the leadership of first-year head coach Maggie Kuhn return six starters in 2025, including sophomores Kailyn Biecker (Wadsworth, Ohio) and Olivia Heskett (Lewis Center, Ohio), King, Oberhaus, sophomore Kaitlyn Rogowski (Hilliard, Ohio) and redshirt sophomore Rachel Wenzel (Akron, Ohio).

Akron is led by team captains Bower and seniors Kaylen Goddard (Mechanicsville, Md.) and King as well as fellow returning players Schiemann, junior Emalee Szablewski (Lancaster, N.Y.) and sophomores Addison Lambert (Galena, Ohio), Allie McMillen (Shreve, Ohio), Eesha Sutharshan (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Vakos.

The Zips are bolstered by a talented 11-member 2025 signing class, which includes eight freshmen and three transfers.

The Zips boast 11 newcomers to the squad as donning the Akron uniform this fall will be senior Rielly Chesna (Chicago, Ill.), junior Lilly Touhey (Fishers, Ind.), sophomore Taylor Allen (Blacksburg, Va.) and freshmen Freya Blatz (Bethel Park, Pa.), Fiona Buczak (Brunswick, Ohio), Cregan, Fragnoli, Hall, Bailey Kerins (Dublin, Ohio), Pilato and Devyn Raymond (Shelby Township, Mich.).

AKRON NOTES
• Akron is meeting Miami for the 29th time in program history with the RedHawks leading the series 15-9-4.
• Twenty one of the 28 matches between Akron and Miami have resulted in a shutout, with the Zips posting five wins and four draws in those matches.
• Akron has scored two or more goals in five all-time meetings with Miami.
• Seven of the last 10 meetings between the two schools have resulted in a shutout.
• For the first time in program history Akron has earned a result in its first two road Mid-American Conference games after registering a 1-1 draw at Ohio (Sept. 21) and a 0-0 tie at Northern Illinois (Sept. 25).
• Ariana Vakos made her collegiate debut in the second half at West Virginia (Aug. 21) recording a pair of saves and posted her first career shutout at Northern Illinois (Sept. 25).
• Emma King ranks fourth in program history in goals per tilt (.24) and points per game (.59), seventh in game-winning goals (4), eighth in career goals (12) and points (29), 10th in assists per match (.102) and 11th in career assists (5).
• Sara Bower ranks sixth in shutouts (5) and eighth in goals against average (1.70), career saves (134) and goalie victories (7).
• Addison Hall's two-goal effort versus Southern Indiana represented the first brace for an Akron freshman King netted a pair of tallies in a 5-0 win past Toledo on Oct. 23, 2022, at FirstEnergy Stadium.
• Akron leads in the conference in attendance, while ranking 74th nationally averaging 601 fans per contest.
• King leads Akron's active leaders in career goals (12), assists (5), points (29), shots (82), shots on goal (45) and game-winners (4), while Bower paces active Zips in career saves (134), goals against average (1.70) and save percentage (.740).
• The Zips rank first in the Mid-American Conference in shutouts (4) and fifth in assists per tilt (1.11) and in save percentage (.788).
• King is rated first in the MAC in game-winners (2), sixth in shots on goal (1.22) and seventh in shots (2.22) per game, while Bower is third in shutouts (3), fourth in saves per game (4.00) and 10th in save percentage (.757). Additionally, Fineen Cregan is ranked third in assists (3) and fourth in assists per match (0.33), Hall is sixth in total goals (3), seventh in goals per contest (.33) and 10th in points (7) and Jordanne Oberhaus is ranked third in assists (3) and fourth in assists per match (0.33).
• Bower's nine-save performance at Dayton (Sept. 12) stands as a conference-best single-game effort this season.
• Hall's five-point effort (2 goal | 1 assist) and two-goal match versus Southern Indiana (Aug. 24) represent single-game league-high performance in 2025.
• Cregan posted a league-high two assists in Akron's 5-3 win over Southern Indiana (Aug. 24).
• Akron registered single-game MAC-leading marks in points (15), goals (5) and assists (5) versus Southern Indiana (Aug. 24), while tallying a conference-best nine saves at Dayton (Sept. 12).
• Six different Zips have scored a goal this season, including four newcomers.
• Fifteen Zips have registered a shot this season, including seven newcomers.
• Nine newcomers have appeared for the Zips this season.
• The Zips saw their shutout streak snapped after seven consecutive non-conference regular season contests with a 3-0 setback at West Virginia (Aug. 21). Akron went 5-0-2 mark in those contests and outshot the opposition, 84-70. Bower posted 19 saves in those games, while King added a team-best 15 shots with nine falling on frame.
• The Zips posted shutouts in seven consecutive non-conference contests and didn't surrender a goal in those games in more than 800 minutes (802:16).
• The Zips recorded the squad's initial seven-game unbeaten streak since 2007 in 2024. The unbeaten streak matched the longest in program history set during both the 2006 and 2007 campaigns.
• Akron matched its 2006 squad as the only Zips' teams to post an unbeaten record in non-conference play.
• Akron posted the second most shutouts in a non-conference campaign in school history, trailing only the 2006 squad that registered six straight to open the 2006 season.
• Akron posted five consecutive shutouts for the first time since the 2009 campaign.
• The four 1-0 clean sheet victories last season represented the second-highest total in program history matching identical marks in 2007, 2009 and 2011. The 2006 Akron team holds the top mark with six 1-0 wins.
• The six shutouts by the Zips were the most for Akron in a season since posting seven in the 2011 campaign.

FOUR ZIPS HONORED ON SENIOR DAY
The Zips' contest versus Green Bay on Aug. 31 marked Senior Day for four Zips as seniors Rielly Chesna, Kaylen Goddard, Emma King and Kylie Schiemann were honored in pregame ceremonies.

In her first season at Akron, Chesna has appeared in seven games, including six starts, for the Zips, en route to registering an assist, while sparking the squad to a trio of shutouts.

Goddard has appeared in 52 contests, including 40 starts, en route to recording 11 shots, with three shots coming on goal, and leading Akron to 13 shutouts over her career.

King has appeared in 49 contests, including 42 starts, en route to collecting a team-best 12 goals, five assists, 29 points and four game-winners fueled by 82 shots, including 45 on goal.

Schiemann has appeared in 41 contests, including 17 starts, en route to registering a goal and an assist on the strength of 16 shots, with nine shots falling on frame.

SCOUTING MIAMI
Miami enters play against Akron at 5-5-0 on the campaign, including 2-2-0 in the Mid-American Conference following a 1-0 victory over Eastern Michigan on Thursday (Sept. 25).

The RedHawks are led by sophomore Millie Cook, who owns team-high marks in goals (3), while junior Katie O'Malley paces the squad in assists (4), points (8), shots (17), shots on goal (8) and game-winners (1). Junior GK Dominique Popa has posted 24 saves en route to collecting a 1.30 goals against average with four shutouts.

SERIES HISTORY
Akron and Miami are meeting for the 29th time in program history with Miami leading the series, 15-9-4.

IN OUR LAST MEETING (OCT. 10, 2024 – OXFORD, OHIO)
Akron garnered a road Mid-American Conference result battling Miami to a 0-0 draw on Oct. 10, 2024, in Oxford, Ohio.

Akron recorded seven shots in the scoreless draw with three of them falling on goal. The Zips faced 11 Miami shots, two of them on goal. Sara Bower led Akron with two saves for the Zips out of 11 total RedHawks shots and combined with Penelope Cuirinier to earn Akron's sixth shutout of the season.

UP NEXT
Akron visits Buffalo for a 6 p.m. tilt on Thursday (Oct. 2).