Akron men advance to MAC final

AKRON, Ohio - Sophomore Darlington Nagbe scored the game winner in the 101st minute to send the University of Akron men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Northern Illinois Friday night in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Lee Jackson Field.

With the win, the Zips (19-0-0) kept their perfect season alive and earned the right to face Hartwick, which defeated Western Michigan, 3-2, in the first game of the day, in the finals of the MAC Tournament Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. at Lee Jackson Field.

On top of that, Akron's 19 wins for the season represent a school record, surpassing the previous high of 18 set in 2005. The Zips' 19-game win streak also matches the fifth longest, single-season streak in NCAA history.   

Midfielder Michael Nanchoff redirected a pass from Teal Bunbury to Nagbe, who finished off a strong run into the box with his fourth game-winning goal of the year in the second overtime period. It was the Zips' first overtime game of the season and their fifth consecutive overtime game in the MAC Tournament, dating back to the 2007 campaign.

"It was a fantastic run and finish by, in my opinion, one of the best players in the college soccer - Darlington Nagbe," said UA head coach Caleb Porter. "He doesn't always get as much credit because he's such an unselfish player, but if you know soccer and you watch our team and see the things he does in possession; it's magic at times. I thought it was fitting that he was the one who scored the goal at the end because he's so important to our team in the attack."

Nagbe is second on the team with nine goals to go along with three assists in 2009.

The Zips and Huskies battled to a scoreless tie in an opening period that saw the teams combine for just five shots (three by Akron). The game's pace began to pick up in the second half as Akron dominated possession and owned a 7-0 shots advantage over NIU.

"NIU is extremely organized and played with a lot of spirit and heart," Porter said. "They wanted to prolong their season so they had a little more at stake, which makes them a hungry team. But we kept defending well and did a good job of staying focused and composed. You can't allow yourself to get frustrated and change the way you play."

UA nearly took the lead on a couple of opportunities in the second half, but were denied each time. Nanchoff rang the crossbar in the 72nd minute off a direct free kick from just outside the box and Huskies' goalkeeper Jordan Godsey made the save of the game by soaring high to his left to deflect a laser by Bunbury in the 85th minute.

But in the end, the Zips grinded out the victory with a relentless attack that saw five different players attempt shots and three – Nagbe (5), Bunbury (3) and Nanchoff (3) – attempt three or more.

"I can't put my finger on it, but there's a real special quality about this team," Porter said. "I was very relaxed heading into the second overtime period because we have so many guys who can score a goal at any given moment. There was no doubt in my mind that someone was going to make a play to win the moment and the game."

It was the 14th shutout recorded by UA in 19 games this season, which is one shy of the school record (15) set in 2005.

Zips Notebook: UA out-shot NIU, 10-1, after the first half and 13-3 for the game ... For the third time this season, Akron did not allow a shot on goal ... Bunbury has recorded at least one point in his last six matches ... The Zips are 49-2-4 at Lee Jackson Field since 2005 and 9-1-2 on their home field during the MAC Tournament ... UA will be playing for its seventh MAC Tournament title since 1993 Sunday.

Akron Dominates MAC Postseason Team
Following its perfect regular season, the University of Akron men's soccer team placed eight players on the All-Mid-American Conference First Team - which matched a program high - and swept the specialty awards for the third straight season, the league announced Friday.
Forward Teal Bunbury as named MAC Player of the Year, defender Zarek Valentin was named Newcomer of the Year and fourth-year head coach Caleb Porter was named Coach of the year for the third consecutive season.

Bunbury, who is third in the nation with 15 goals in 18 games this season, is the seventh Zips player to earn the league's highest award since 1993 and follows Steve Zakuani (2008), Corey Sipos (2007), Sinisa Ubiparipovic (2006) and Ross McKenzie (2005) as the fifth consecutive UA player to be honored in as many seasons.

Valentin becomes the eighth UA player to earn newcomer honors and the fourth in the last five seasons, following Darlington Nagbe (2008), Steve Zakuani (2007) and Evan Bush (2005).

Joining Bunbury and Valentin on the All-MAC First Team were midfielders Anthony Ampaipitakwong, Blair Gavin and Michael Nanchoff; Nagbe; and defenders Kofi Sarkodie and Chris Korb. Additionally, midfielder Ben Zemanski and goalkeeper David Meves were named to the all-conference second team.

The 2009 season has been a breakout one for Bunbury, much in the same light as Zakuani's was in 2008. After scoring six goals in 23 games during his rookie campaign last fall, Bunbury has recorded at least one point in all but four games this year while leading the No. 1-ranked attacking team in the nation.

The native of Prior Lake, Minn., and son of former professional player Alex Bunbury, has recorded multiple-goals in four contests in 2009 and found the net 14 times in a 12-game span from Sept. 20th to Nov. 4th. During that hot streak, Bunbury recorded four game-winners as he netted the decisive score against Florida Atlantic, Virginia Tech, Buffalo and Penn State. With four assists to go along with his 15 goals, Bunbury is ranked fifth in the country with an average of 1.83 points per match.

Bunbury was named National Player of the Week by College Soccer News (CSN) on Nov. 3. Additionally, was named to Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week twice and was the MAC Player of the Week three times this season.

Valentin, a U.S. youth national team veteran, stepped into his center back position on day one and never looked back. The native of Lancaster, Pa., has started all 18 games for a defensive unit that allowed just six goals during the regular season. UA's goals-against-average of 0.33 entering play Friday is tied (Monmouth) for the best mark in the nation and is threatening to erase the current program standard of 0.45, set last fall.

The Zips have risen to the ranks of the nation's elite teams under Porter's watch. Since arriving on campus in 2006, Porter's Zips have posted an overall record of 64-11-7 (.823) in 82 games, including four MAC regular-season titles, back-to-back MAC Tournament titles and two trips to the NCAA Tournament, culminating with a Sweet 16 appearance last fall.

2009 MAC POSTSEASON AWARDS
Player of the Year: Teal Bunbury, Akron
Newcomer of the Year: Zarek Valentin, Akron
Coach of the Year: Caleb Porter, Akron

2009 Men’s Soccer All-MAC First Team
MF – Anthony Ampaipitakwong, Akron
MF – Blair Gavin, Akron
MF -- Michael Nanchoff, Akron
MF – Brad Horton, Northern Illinois
F – Teal Bunbury, Akron
F – Darlington Nagbe, Akron
F – Mike Unwin, Buffalo
D – Zarek Valentin, Akron
D – Kofi Sarkodie, Akron
D –Chris Korb, Akron
GK –Jeremy Vuolo, Hartwick

2009 Men’s Soccer All-MAC Second Team
MF – Ben Zemanski, Akron
MF – Nick Roydhouse, Hartwick
MF – Michael Cunningham, Hartwick
MF – Tyler Rosenhagen, Western Michigan
F – Cameron Hepple, Bowling Green
F – Sareed Sulemana Baba, Western Michigan
F –Dan Summers, Hartwick
D –Owen Botting, Hartwick
D –Konrad Anderson, Hartwick
D –Josh Karsten, Northern Illinois
GK –David Meves, Akron