Shorthanded University of Akron men's soccer team confident in tournament game vs. Pitt
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It’s déjà vu all over again.
Yes, the 16th-seeded University of Akron men’s soccer team is playing Pitt for the second time this season but, unlike the 72-degree day on which the two teams played to a 3-3 tie Sept. 19, Sunday’s NCAA Tournament game will be much different.
Think soccer with a snowball on the sideline.
The forecast says it will be 27 degrees with a 15 mph wind when the Zips (11-3-5) and Panthers (9-4-5) take to the pitch in Akron.
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“I think the game will take care of the weather for us,” Hudson native and Zips forward Will Jackson said. “It’s a win-or-go-home scenario. We’re up for it. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining, snowing, cold or hot. It’s just focus on what we need to do to win, and that’s it.”
Akron's 10-game unbeaten streak was snapped in the Mid-American Conference Championship game Nov. 12, and the Zips have had a lot of time to correct mistakes made from the 2-1 loss to Western Michigan.
Unfortunately for the Zips, their two leading scorers — Jason Shokalook (9 goals, 6 assists) and Dyson Clapier (7, 7) — picked up red cards against the Broncos and won’t be available against Pitt.
Although on the surface it looks like terrible news for Akron, the first time the Zips played the Panthers they were without Shokalook due to injury. Clapier was just coming back from a hamstring injury and played 64 minutes.
“The first time we played them, we had experience playing without guys for a period a time,” Akron coach Jared Embick said. “I think that will help us. Instead of being, ‘Oh, my goodness, what are we going to do?’ We’ve already played those guys or, in Dyson’s case, we knew he wasn’t going to be able to give us 90 minutes. We’ll draw up on those experiences.”
What happened in the first Akron-Pitt meeting
In the first meeting, Ryan Kingsford and Clapier gave the Zips a 2-0 lead early, but the Panthers scored two goals in the final 73 seconds of the first half and added another early in the second half to take the lead.
Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal answered two minutes later for Akron and the match finished deadlocked.
“Those two will be a big miss for us,” Kingsford said. “They’ve been big-time for us this season, but we’ve got a big group here with a lot of talent. It’s next man up, really. We’ve faced a lot of adversity with a lot of players missing out. We’ve had to shuffle the squad a little bit, but we’re ready. This is the time to shine.”
That need to move the lineup around during the season has paid dividends.
Kingsford (5 goals, 5 assists), Ashton Kamden (3, 5), Jackson (3, 4), Johnny Fitzgerald (4, 1) Wan Kamal (1, 7), Joel Sangwa (4, 0), Stefan Dobrijevic (3, 2), Josh Hallenberger (3,2) and Terence Okoeguale (2, 4) all have eight points are more heading in.
That diversity in scoring will be needed against a Pitt team that has reached the NCAA Tournament four years in a row behind veteran seniors Valentin Noel (7, 3) and Jackson Walti (2, 0), and juniors Filip Mirkovic (3, 12) and Bertin Jacquesson (7, 3).
Akron, Pitt reap the benefits of playing soccer standouts
Top-seeded Kentucky (14-0-5) or unseeded USF (9-6-4) wait in the wings, but for now Akron will look to a schedule loaded with national powers as the equalizer.
The Zips have played six nationally ranked teams. They’ve also played tournament representatives Ohio State, Indiana, Florida International, Pitt, Western Michigan and Cleveland State this season, and are 3-2-3 in those matches.
The Panthers have played 11 ranked teams. They’ve played tournament representatives Cleveland State, Akron, North Carolina, Marshall, Clemson, Denver and Georgetown, and are 3-1-3 in those meetings.
“The schedules helps, definitely,” Kingsford said. “That’s why I came to Akron. It was the strength of schedule and putting yourself in a place to play against the best players. Pitt has some really good players on their team. We’ve been there and played them and are ready to play them again.”
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron prepares for tournament game with Pitt minus Shokalook, Clapier
