Finding comfort in front of their home crowd, the University of Akron men’s soccer team capped off the weekend with a 2-0 win over Hartford on Sunday, securing them as the overall victors of The University of Akron Tournament.
The tournament, played over two days between Friday (Sept. 12) and today, consisted of four programs each taking part in two games apiece. The Zips defeated UCF in their home opener on Friday following a Hartford win over Col. of Charleston while the Knights and Cougars tied earlier this afternoon before Akron took the field to take on the Hawks.
With only one shot combined in the first 29 minutes, the Zips paced back and forth with Hartford as the battle for possession was evident early on. While Akron (2-2-1) kept the ball in their offensive half for the majority of that time, it wasn’t until the 30th minute until things began to heat up.
Blocked shots for sophomore Adam Najem and freshman Richie Laryea led up to a shot on goal for freshman Sam Gainford, saved by goalkeeper David Mackinnon. With those three shots in a span of 18 seconds, the Zips followed those up with a pair of corner kicks and a deflected shot wide before freshman Bryce Cregan lifted a pass from the right side into the middle for senior Saad Abdul-Salaam, who was able to lift himself over his defender and head it in to give UA a 1-0 lead.
Abdul-Salaam’s goal in the 31st minute was his second of the season, with his first coming in Friday’s matchup as he headed in Akron’s first goal against UCF.
Pushing to find rhythm as the game continued, a foul in the 62nd minute gave Najem a free kick opportunity from about 35 yards out that he was able to relay into the middle. Charging in from the right side, sophomore Brad Ruhaak turned and put a perfect touch on it, resulting in a Zips goal that put the team up 2-0 over the Hawks.
“I put in on frame the best I could,” noted Ruhaak. “It just happened to go in.”
“We knew going in they were going to be athletic, they were going to be physical, they were going to try to disrupt our rhythm,” noted head coach Jared Embick. “It was about the quality and speed of play and creating chances.”
While the team made a few runs in the remainder of regulation, it became a defensive game, as Akron maintained a majority of their possessions for extended periods of time to efficiently close out the victory.
“I’m pleased with the performance,” added Embick. “When you play Friday and Sunday and have less than 48 hours, you’re not always going to have the legs and the energy to make it a pretty performance. It’s about buckling down sometimes and just doing it. We kept our composure and worked through it, and it’s always nice to finish the game in the opponent’s offensive half.”
The offense was rejuvenated in parts of the second half as the squad found help from multiple players off the bench.
“We were able to put in some other guys for fresh legs,” Embick commented. “Dener Dos Santos was able to come in and help in the midfield. Nate Shultzbrought some energy up top. Stuart [Holthusen] got in a couple times and almost scored. Anthony [Macchione], too, those guys worked hard and helped us increase our pressure and take more control of the game.”
In all, Akron won back-to-back games this weekend with five days off now before taking on a Tulsa team receiving votes on Saturday.
“We wanted to come in and win two games at home and get something going.”
Abdul-Salaam was named as the Offensive MVP of the tournament with two goals, one in each match, while playing a decisive role in the Zips attacking formation throughout both games and pressuring defenses in the middle of box with his athletic ability.
Ruhaak received Defensive MVP honors, as the Copley native scored his first career goal in today’s match but more importantly played a key role as a sweeper in Akron’s back line this weekend alongside Cregan as the team allowed just one goal over two games, that coming off of a penalty kick. “We have to stay ready at all times to cover for everybody. We would have liked to get the shutout on Friday, that’s always the goal. Happy to get it today, hopefully many more to come,” Ruhaak said.
The University of Akron Tournament – All-Tournament Team
#3 Saad Abdul-Salaam, Defender (Akron)
#15 Jesse Garcia-Aguilar, Midfielder (Akron)
#10 Adam Najem, Midfielder (Akron)
#20 Brad Ruhaak, Defender (Akron)
#5 Jhaime Hyde, Defender (Hartford)
#16 Andre Morrison, Defender (Hartford)
#17 Rohan Roye, Defender (Hartford)
#7 Romario Williams, Forward (UCF)
#4 Leonardo Ayala, Defender (UCF)
#4 Daan Brinkman, Defender (Col. of Charleston)
#14 Kye West, Midfielder (Col. of Charleston)
