Zips fight back after early second half defecate to defeat the pesky Broncos of Western Michigan
On an extremely cold and windy night in Akron, the University of Akron Zips took on the Western Michigan Broncos in a Mid-American Conference semifinal. Only weeks earlier the Broncos took care of business on the very same field, defeating the Zips to a 1-0 score line. However, with NCAA tournament bids on the line, it was a different story. After giving up a goal to the Broncos in the 56th minute, the Zips were able to keep cool under pressure to fight back for a 2-1 victory.
The first half of tonight’s matchup was almost identical to the previous matchup weeks earlier. After a poor passing display in that game, the Zips came out attempting to force the Broncos to play their style. For most of the first half, Akron was able to hold possession and move into the attacking third quite a bit. However, the team struggled to find the back of the net. Keeping his momentum of the past few games going, the driving force for the Zips was captain Adam Najem. The New Jersey native displayed some great footwork while weaving in and out of Bronco defenders. The best chance for Najem in the first half came in the eighth minute. With the ball coming in quick off the left side of the pitch, Zips forward Stuart Holthusen dribbled the ball into the 18 yard box. After getting his shooting angle cut off, Holthusen passed across the six yard box to where Najem was waiting. Just a bit too far out of reach, all Najem could do was stretch for the ball, but it was an easy save for the WMU keeper.
With the game still stuck at 0-0 entering the second half, things began to get a bit chippy on the pitch. In the 54th minute of play, Zip Adam Najem was taken down hard, in where it looked as if his jersey was pulled down from the numbers. After Najem began to show frustration players began pushing and shoving each other. It was not too long ago since these two sides last saw each other, and tempers from that match might have still been high on the pitch. In the previous matchup, multiple players were disciplined with cards by the head ref for their involvements in shoving matches.
After clearing up the mess on the field, Western Michigan took a quick free kick and it caught the entire Akron defense off guard. Sending the ball into the box, it bounced around from player to player, and with the Zips defense losing track of the ball WMU’s Cam Jensen knocked home the goal off the volley. It was a deflating moment for the home fans and players alike knowing what had happened weeks earlier. This time around, following their first matchup coach Jared Embick made the adjustments so his team would not gets stuck in the same spot.
“I think we made some adjustments. We moved some guys around, really talked about maintaining our shape and game plan. We always thought it would work and we just waited till we had a moment. It didn’t come from a moment we planned, it came from a moment from Sam (Gainford) and we took advantage of that.”
That moment coach Embick was talking about is the first goal for the Zips that put momentum back on their side. In the 70th minute, Sam Gainford, a freshman from Liverpool, England, sped down the far side of the pitch towards goal. With the ball at his feet, Sam entered the box near the top corner, and as he attempted to shake a defender, his feet got swept out from underneath him, sending him to the turf. That would result in a penalty kick from team goal leader Adam Najem. A stutter step by Najem sent the keeper to his right and with the space Najem placed a shot into the left side of the net. With the score back level, it was only moments before the Zips were back on the board.
In the 75th minute, in an almost identical location, Sean Sepe was taken down after dribbling his way into the box. In a great sign of trust, captain Adam Najem gave up the penalty attempt to center back Clint Caso. Caso who had never scored in his college career until last weeks victory over Buffalo stepped into the box and delivered. With some power behind it, Caso shot into the lower right side of the net. The keeper essentially froze under the pressure and didn’t move. It was a great moment for Caso who now has two goals in the past two games.
With the game wrapped up, the Zips now take on the Bowling Green Falcons Sunday at 1:00. The Zips recorded a 1-0 win over the Falcons earlier in the year at Bowling Green. The Falcons defeated West Virginia University in overtime after trailing by two goals in the second half. Look for the Zips to force themselves on the Falcons, as they are not as defensively strong as the Broncos. The game will kick off again at 1:00 pm Sunday at First Energy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field on the University of Akron campus.
