Akron men beat Cal State Northridge 3-0

AKRON, Ohio –  Behind three first-half goals, the No. 1 University of Akron men's soccer team cruised to a 3-0 victory over Cal State Northridge Friday night before a sold out crowd of 4,200 at newly renovated Lee Jackson Field.

It is the second-largest crowd in the 44-year history of Lee Jackson Field. Friday night's match was the second game of The University of Akron Tournament, which concludes with a pair of games Sunday. Illinois-Chicago defeated Cincinnati, 1-0, in the opening match.

With the win, the Zips (4-0) stayed perfect on the season and extended their consecutive shutout streak to nine games, dating back to the 2009 postseason. The streak, which began with a 2-0 win against South Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last fall, matches the sixth-longest streak in NCAA history.

UA also extended its home unbeaten streak to 27 games (26-0-1), which is the longest active streak in the nation and the 10th-longest run in NCAA history.

"It was an electric atmosphere tonight and one of the best environments I've seen in college soccer," said UA head coach Caleb Porter. "It almost didn't feel like a college soccer game; it felt like a professional environment. I thought our guys came to play. The first half was very good. We were especially sharp in the first twenty minutes and got a couple goals. We did what we wanted to do to start the game and get on top and impose our will."

It was a dominating performance by Akron from start to finish. The Zips out-shot the Matadors (0-4-1) 14-5 for the game, including a 10-0 margin in the first half before the reserves took over for the majority of the second half.

The Zips wasted little time finding the net, scoring a goal in the game's fifth minute.

Darlington Nagbe initiated the action with a shot from the top of the box, which was stopped by Matador's keeper Michael Abalos. But Perry Kitchen was there for the deflection and redirected the ball back post for his second goal of the season.

Nagbe nearly made it 2-0 in the 28th minute after he beat his man and fired a low bouncer that glanced off the far post. But he atoned for his misfortune by finishing off a beautiful sequence just seconds later.

Chris Korb sparked the play with a run down the left side of the field and crossed the ball to Anthony Ampaipitakwong, who left it for Nagbe with a one-touch pass. Nagbe, who was streaking down the middle of the field, punched it past Abalos from eight yards out for his team-leading third goal of the year.

Nagbe was involved in the Zips' third goal of the first half as well when he was brought down from behind to set up a 25-yard free kick for Ampaipitakwong from the left side. Chad Barson made Cal State Northridge pay by putting a head on the ball in the 43rd minute as Akron took a 3-0 lead into the half.

Akron will next host in-state foe Cincinnati Sunday in the fourth and final game of The University of Akron Tournament. The Zips and Bearcats will kick off at 2:30 p.m. (ET) at Lee Jackson Field. With another large crowd expected Sunday, fans are strongly encouraged to purchase their tickets in advance.

To purchase a ticket go on-line at GoZips.com/tickets, call 1-888-99-AKRON (25766) or visit in-person at the Akron Athletics Ticket Office at InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field (located at the southwest corner of the venue, near Gate 1). The UA Athletics Ticket Office is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET).