The University of Akron Athletics
Sunday, October 11
Akron, Ohio
6:00 PM
University of Akron
7-1-3, 1-1-2
1
vs
1
No. 6 Creighton
10-0-4, 2-0-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creighton | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Akron | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Matthew Paiva celebrates his game-tying goal off a penalty kick to lead a gutsy effort in a 1-1 draw against No. 6 Creighton.
Photo by: Jeff Harwell
Men's Soccer Salvages Gutsy Tie with No. 6 Creighton on Senior Night
October 11 | Men's Soccer
AKRON, Ohio — It was all about belief for the Akron men's soccer team.
Belief that they could overcome moments of adversity to force a late 1-1 draw with No. 6-ranked Creighton, salvaging a point in the BIG EAST standings on Senior Night at FirstEnergy Stadium.
The Zips gave up a goal just three minutes into the match and later lost Remi Agunbiade to a red card, being forced to play with 10 men the rest of the match.
None of it proved to be setbacks, as Akron forced a late penalty kick that was buried by senior Matthew Paiva to knot the score. The Zips continued to create offensive chances down to the literal final second, as Jack Roman struck a ball from the top of the box that was saved with one tick left in the match.
"At the end of the day, it's a great result for us," head coach Jared Embick said. "We didn't play the first half the way we wanted to but we got the red card in the second half, and it was all about guts and being brave. I thought we were awesome to come out with a draw and still trying to play to win. It was inspirational from us."
Agunbiade's red card occurred in the 53rd minute on a call that was initially ruled a yellow. After video review, it was determined the reigning BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week's actions warranted a red card and he was sent off.
"You have to move on in the moment," Embick said. "You can get emotional and not believe and think it's insurmountable, but I think after that, guys just poured guts and hearts out there all over the field."
Besides giving up the early goal, Brett Kaminski played a stellar match in net as he logged a season-high six saves against a Bluejays team that was Division I's No. 1 scoring offense. Akron outshot Creighton, 16-14, on the offensive end as they racked up their fifth game-winning or tying goal scored past the 80th minute this season.
Freshman Sam Bunch was also a catalyst on the back line that made multiple sliding tackles and won contested balls that gave Akron more scoring opportunities in the second half. He did not play in the first half despite starting in each match the entire season.
"He's a very skillful fullback," Embick said. "I thought his response was excellent to not starting. We talked at halftime about getting him on and moving the game better. When we went down a man, we needed him to go harder, and he really stepped up. Today, he showed a lot of fight."
Embick and the Zips fully understand what a draw against a high-caliber Creighton team means as the regular season winds down with only four conference matches left to play. He is also aware of what the four seniors who were honored before the match — Paiva, Freddy Kossehasse, Francisco Tolaba and captain Matt Dreas — have meant to the program this season and beyond.
"Those guys gave everything they had and led by example," Embick said of the seniors in the match. "They have a lot of passion and heart. Tonight, everyone got to see why we like them so much and why they mean a lot to the team.
"You don't get crowds to give you that type of applause for draws, especially here at Akron where the expectation is to win. You inspire people with your effort and fight and we just made everybody proud."
Up Next
The Zips will travel to Providence for a 7 p.m. matchup with the Friars on Friday, October 16.
Belief that they could overcome moments of adversity to force a late 1-1 draw with No. 6-ranked Creighton, salvaging a point in the BIG EAST standings on Senior Night at FirstEnergy Stadium.
The Zips gave up a goal just three minutes into the match and later lost Remi Agunbiade to a red card, being forced to play with 10 men the rest of the match.
None of it proved to be setbacks, as Akron forced a late penalty kick that was buried by senior Matthew Paiva to knot the score. The Zips continued to create offensive chances down to the literal final second, as Jack Roman struck a ball from the top of the box that was saved with one tick left in the match.
"At the end of the day, it's a great result for us," head coach Jared Embick said. "We didn't play the first half the way we wanted to but we got the red card in the second half, and it was all about guts and being brave. I thought we were awesome to come out with a draw and still trying to play to win. It was inspirational from us."
Agunbiade's red card occurred in the 53rd minute on a call that was initially ruled a yellow. After video review, it was determined the reigning BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week's actions warranted a red card and he was sent off.
"You have to move on in the moment," Embick said. "You can get emotional and not believe and think it's insurmountable, but I think after that, guys just poured guts and hearts out there all over the field."
Besides giving up the early goal, Brett Kaminski played a stellar match in net as he logged a season-high six saves against a Bluejays team that was Division I's No. 1 scoring offense. Akron outshot Creighton, 16-14, on the offensive end as they racked up their fifth game-winning or tying goal scored past the 80th minute this season.
Freshman Sam Bunch was also a catalyst on the back line that made multiple sliding tackles and won contested balls that gave Akron more scoring opportunities in the second half. He did not play in the first half despite starting in each match the entire season.
"He's a very skillful fullback," Embick said. "I thought his response was excellent to not starting. We talked at halftime about getting him on and moving the game better. When we went down a man, we needed him to go harder, and he really stepped up. Today, he showed a lot of fight."
Embick and the Zips fully understand what a draw against a high-caliber Creighton team means as the regular season winds down with only four conference matches left to play. He is also aware of what the four seniors who were honored before the match — Paiva, Freddy Kossehasse, Francisco Tolaba and captain Matt Dreas — have meant to the program this season and beyond.
"Those guys gave everything they had and led by example," Embick said of the seniors in the match. "They have a lot of passion and heart. Tonight, everyone got to see why we like them so much and why they mean a lot to the team.
"You don't get crowds to give you that type of applause for draws, especially here at Akron where the expectation is to win. You inspire people with your effort and fight and we just made everybody proud."
Up Next
The Zips will travel to Providence for a 7 p.m. matchup with the Friars on Friday, October 16.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's SoccerTeam Stats
CRE
AKR
Goals
1
1
Shots
14
16
Shots on Goal
7
6
Saves
5
6
Corners
4
4
Fouls
11
11
Scoring Plays
Edward Morales (2)
Assisted By: Matthew Reed , Ayden Kokoszka
GOAL by CRE Morales, Edward Assist by Reed, Matthew and Kokoszka, Ayden.
02:42
Matthew Paiva (1)
AKR Matthew Paiva PENALTY KICK GOAL.
80:09
Game Leaders
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
mid
Shots
4
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
mid
Shots
3
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
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