Marquee Match: California took over the Pac-10 lead with a 1-0 overtime triumph over UCLA on Sunday. Davis Paul scored in the 99th minute to propel the No. 10 Golden Bears. The match was Cal’s eighth OT affair of the season, proving that they can deliver under pressure.

The No. 13 Bruins had beaten the Bears in a 1-0 double OT contest Oct. 17, and California returned the favor.

Ties that bind: Connecticut was battled to a 0-0 draw by Notre Dame on Friday, the third conference tie this season for the Huskies – a stat that could preclude them from taking the Big East regular season title. With just two games remaining, No. 6 Connecticut (4-0-3) trails Georgetown (6-1-0) and the two programs are set to meet for a critical match this Wednesday.

UMBC's Milo Kapor

Beat down of the week: Akron treated Michigan like a practice squad with a 7-1 thumping Wednesday. Kofi Sarkodie recorded a hat-trick and the Zips preceded to beat the Wolverine out of their Big Ten opponent. Take heart Michigan, you’re not the first program to be overmatched by the No. 1 team in the country.

For more on this match and the Akron program, check out our new series, Rob on the Road, that takes you behind the scenes at Akron.

Upset of the week: In somewhat of a surprise, UMBC turned back Penn State 2-1 in overtime. Milo Kapor scored in the 98th minute to drop the Nittany Lions who were playing their third overtime game in a week.

Leading scorer Corey Hertzog notched a goal in the 75th minute to tie the game before No. 27 Penn State ultimately fell short.

Kicking back: Christmas break came early for Loyola Marymount. The No. 20 Lions will play Wednesday for the first time since earning a 1-1 tie with Santa Clara on Oct. 15. Either the extended break will allow the program to be fresh for the late season push or the team will have completely forgotten the rules of match play come Wednesday. Either way, a little rest can go a long way.
 
Men’s Top 20 Action (SEE FULL SCOREBOARD)

1. Akron def. Michigan 7-1; def. Western Michigan 2-1
2. Louisville def. DePaul 2-1; def. South Florida 2-1
3. Maryland def. Colgate 2-0; def. Wake Forest 3-1
4. North Carolina def. South Carolina 1-0; def. Virginia Tech 3-1
5. SMU def. Tulsa 3-2; def. Memphis 3-0
6. Connecticut def. West Virginia 2-0; tied Notre Dame 0-0
7. Virginia tied Boston College 1-1
8. UC Irvine def. Cal State Northridge(m) 2-1; def. Cal State Fullerton 7-2
9. Boston College def. Harvard 2-1; tied Virginia 1-1
10. California tied San Diego State 1-1; def. UCLA 1-0
11. Creighton def. Drake 2-1; def. Central Arkansas 2-0
12. William & Mary(m) def. James Madison 2-1; def. Delaware 2-1
13. UCLA def. Stanford 1-0; lost to California 1-0
14. UCF def. Virginia Tech 4-2
15. UC Santa Barbara def. UC Davis 2-0; def. Cal State Northridge(m) 4-0
16. Michigan State def. Bowling Green 2-1; lost to Indiana 3-0
17. Butler tied IUPUI(m) 0-0; def. Loyola-Chicago(m) 2-1
18. Monmouth def. Bryant 3-0
19. Penn def. Yale 2-0
20. Loyola Marymount was idle (hasn’t played since Oct. 15)