Zeroing in on the Zips: It's not a matter of if Akron men's soccer will score, it's when

Many remember the video clip showing the University of Akron passing 34 times before Colin Biros scored in a 3-2 NCAA Division I quarterfinal win over Stanford in 2018.

When No. 12 Akron (11-2-5) hosts Western Michigan (13-2-2) at 1 p.m., Saturday, for the Mid-American Conference postseason championship, fans will see a much different team.

Yes, the Zips can string together passes from the back to create an attack, but when you have speed to burn like coach Jared Embick does, you utilize it.

Especially when that game is at home.

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“We’ve got a lot of talent in the attack,” he said. “As my staff says, you can't have too many guys that can create goals. It's always one of the hardest things to do.

“Sometimes we played slow in the past because we've had a lot of skillful, technical players. We feel like with this group, we have a few more guys that are better in space, so we tried to tweak it a little bit to where we have a little bit more direct play. I think that balance has kind of helped open some things up for everybody.”

These aren’t your big brother’s Zips.

They’re going to come at you for 90 minutes and may the best team win.

Akron leads the nation along with Charlotte and Washington in goals (47).

The Zips are tied at the top with Charlotte in points (150) and assists (56).

“We talk about it a lot,” Akron forward Jason Shokalook said. “We’re always saying, ‘I wonder what our opponents’ scout teams are like,’ because we have so many guys that have scored goals.”

It’s not a one-headed monster by any stretch as Shokalook (9 goals, 6 assists), Dyson Clapier (7, 7), Ryan Kingsford (5, 5) and Ashton Kamdem (3, 5) all have double-digit points.

Fourteen individuals have scored a goal this season and 17 players have an assist.

“We knew we brought some guys in over the spring and already had some guys that we felt could be really good in the attack,” Clapier said. “In the past, maybe it just wasn't our time to really show it. This year, I think the numbers speak for themselves. I'm really proud of this group and what we've accomplished so far, but you know, we're still hungry for more. If you can attack at all angles, it's going to be dangerous. It's a handful for the defenders.”

Western Michigan’s defense is an entirely different animal.

The Zips scored a goal in each of the previous two games (Oct. 13, 1-0; Nov. 6, 1-1).

Those two goals account for 29% of the seven goals Western Michigan has given up this season.The Broncos lead the nation in goals against average (.412) and are tied with Duke for the fewest goals allowed.

“They have very strong, very big guys,” Akron midfielder Sam Tojaga said. “They take care of their plays in the back, so it's always difficult. That's why we've been going over set pieces against them. We have to expand our game against them and maybe get some goals in the run and play not just from set pieces.”

With a potential top 16 seed, home game and first-round bye for the Zips on the line, things will all come to a head Saturday afternoon when Akron-Western Michigan III takes place.

“We’ve got to break them down in the run of play and capitalize there,” Embick said. “I think for us, we have to be a little bit stronger in the box and take harder runs to get across people. We need to be a little bit stronger on the ball and maybe take some chances that aren't wide open.”

Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Western Michigan-Akron men's soccer title game is a contrast in styles