University of Akron men’s soccer freshman Mani Austmann (Reykjavik, Iceland) netted what proved to be the game-winning tally in the 38th minute (37:13) to propel the Zips to a 1-0 exhibition victory past Evansville on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium.
The goal was set up by a pair of strong passes from sophomore Carlo Ritaccio (Westbury, NY) and junior David Egbo (Enugu, Nigeria) to the top of the 18-yard box where Austmann collected a feed in stride and delivered a strike into the corner of the net to give Akron a 1-0 lead.
The Zips registered a 16-2 advantage in shots in the affair, including a 13-1 margin in the first half. Redshirt junior Diogo Pacheco (Lisbon, Portugal) led Akron with a game-high four shots, while Austmann, Egbo and freshman Will Jackson (Hudson, Ohio) added two shots apiece. The Purple Aces were directed by one shot each from Nicolas Likulkia and Luis Aranda.
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Tor Saunders (Seattle, Wash.) garnered the clean sheet victory without having to make a save, while Matt Bryant and Frederik Reimer each played 45 minutes in goal for the Purple Aces.
The Zips posted the first 12 shots of the match, with Austmann finding the back of the net at the 37:13 mark, before Aranda had his shot blocked in the 43rd minute (42:53) for Evansville’s lone shot of the initial stanza.
The Purple Aces were whistled for a foul at the top of the box on Egbo resulting in a yellow card and subsequent free kick at the 44:47 marking. Egbo struck a laser that was deflected out by a diving save from Bryant.
The Zips outshot the Purple Aces in the second half, 3-1, as 23 different Akron players earned playing time, including 11 newcomers.
Freshman Kai Wagner (Wadsworth, Ohio) accounted for the Zips’ lone shot on goal over the final 45 minutes as his shot at the 79:05 mark was saved by Reimer.
Akron returns to action on Wednesday, Aug. 21, as the Zips host Charleston in an exhibition match at 7 p.m. at First Energy Stadium.
2019 Season Tickets are available now. Fans can renew or purchase new season tickets by calling or texting the C.P. and Cornelia S. Chima Athletics Ticket Office at 1-888-99-AKRON (25766) or visiting office at InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field (located at 375 E. Exchange Street, near Gate 1 at the southwest corner of the venue, at the corner of E. Exchange and S. Union streets) Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Renewal invoices for existing season ticket holders were previously mailed out.
Limited Bleacher back seats are available for $110 per seat, General Admission are available for $60, and discounted General Admission season tickets for Akron Faculty/Staff are also available for $48 and must be purchased in person or on the phone. Additionally, General Admission Family Plans ($200), which include a combination of two adult and two youth tickets or one adult and three youth tickets, are available for the fall at this time.
As another option, all Akron Alumni are eligible to purchase the Alumni All-Sport Season Ticket Package for $175, which includes General Admission season tickets for men’s soccer, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, and a reserved seat for football.
One of the benefits of being a season-ticket holder is postseason ticketing priority. Single-game tickets are now on sale.
