Akron, Western Michigan men's soccer play to draw; Zips win 21st MAC regular-season title
Sometimes a tie is a win.
It was Sunday for the University of Akron men's soccer team, which played Western Michigan to a 1-1 draw.
The tie gave the No. 12 Zips (11-2-4 ,5-0-3) the Mid-American Conference regular-season title outright and left the Broncos (13-2-2, 5-1-1) as the league runner-up.
It's the first conference crown for Akron since 2019.
That’s a big deal even for a program used to making long runs in the playoffs.
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“We had to go through the COVID years, and that season was difficult because of all the cases we had in the middle of it,” Zips coach Jared Embick said. “I think last year we felt like we let it slip away there at the end, so when you take it all in to count, you don't realize it's been that long.
“Maybe we didn't play as free as we wanted tonight, but we wanted to make sure we got the title. It always means a lot.”
Home is where the wins have been for Akron this season
That regular-season title keeps the MAC Tournament title game in Akron, and that’s a big deal considering the Zips are virtually unstoppable at home.
That tournament championship is Saturday when Western Michigan comes right back to a place where the Zips are 76-13-11 in their last 100 games and are 5-0-3 this season in the friendly confines just off Exchange Street.
“Just playing in front of our fans and having a home-field advantage is big,” Jason Shokalook said. “We're undefeated at home right now. As you can tell, there's an energy in the atmosphere when we play here. The team is always up for it. It's a good game to be up for on Saturday.”
Unlike Sunday’s game, next week’s game can’t end in a draw, and that puts a bigger emphasis on things.
Akron is 1-0-1 against Western Michigan this season after beating the Broncos 1-0 on Oct. 13.
A win six days from now earns the winner an automatic berth in the NCAA Division I Tournament.
If that win goes to Akron, it could come with a home game and first-round bye as a top-16 seed.
“Everybody has to bring their ‘A game’ this time of year, especially in the postseason,” Embick said. “You have to bring your game. They're going to bring theirs, and may the best team win.
“For us, we're going to look at our mistakes, just like they will. I think at the end of the day it's going to come down to execution of style. We have very contrasting styles. I think the team that can maybe impose their game on the other for longer periods will win.”
The regular season finale looked like it might be all Zips.
Shokalook took a direct kick from Jonas Buechte 89 seconds in to put Akron up 1-0.
It stayed that way until Jonathan Robinson broke free on the right side and snuck one in off the right post with 34:23 left in regulation.
Setting up next week's title game
That said, throw everything else out the window in what should truly be a winner-take-all scenario.
Both teams have solid resumes and should make the NCAA Tournament, but winning the MAC Tournament should go a long way.
For the Broncos, it would extend their unbeaten streak to six games with their last loss coming to the Zips.
For Akron, it would push its unbeaten streak to 11 games with the Zips’ last loss coming on Sept. 25 (1-0 to Penn State).
“Obviously, we have a lot of confidence going into the game because we haven’t lost in so long,” Buechte said. “Now, we’ve got six days to prepare. We’ve got to fix some things defensively for sure. Offensively, we were fun today.”
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron men's soccer will host MAC title game as result of tie with WMU
