Four home matches and two contests against NCAA Tournament qualifiers highlight the 2012 University of Akron men’s soccer spring schedule, as announced by head coach Caleb Porter Wednesday.
The Zips will host Patriot League champion Colgate at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field on Apr. 7 and travel to two-time defending Atlantic-10 champion Xavier, which is coming off its best season in school history, in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Apr. 21. UA will also welcome a pair of in-state foes, Cleveland State (Apr. 14) and Wright State (Apr. 28), after opening its spring schedule at home against Pittsburgh (Apr. 6) from the Big East Conference. All spring exhibition contests at UA are open and free to the public.
Akron will host Pitt and Colgate on back-to-back nights with each match starting at 7:30 p.m. during the first weekend of April. With a record of 11-5-6, the Raiders made their sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2011 after winning the Patriot League championship.
Familiar foe Cleveland State comes to town the following weekend for a rematch of last year’s regular-season opener, starting at 7:30 p.m. The Zips set an NCAA record for the longest home unbeaten streak against the Vikings in a convincing 5-0 victory before better than 5,000 fans last fall.
UA’s lone road match follows next as Akron faces off at Xavier in a contest that will serve as a fundraiser for the Greater Cincinnati Down Syndrome Association. The Musketeers made their second trip to the NCAA Tournament last fall with a record of 12-5-4.
The Zips will then close out the spring slate against Wright State, which advanced to the Horizon League Tournament final for the first time in 13 years in 2011.
Despite losing seven starters from its 2010 NCAA National Championship squad to the Major League Soccer SuperDraft, the 2011 University of Akron men’s soccer team defied the odds by capturing their seventh consecutive Mid-American Conference regular season championship and advancing all the way to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year.
Following the season, sophomore striker Darren Mattocks, who finished second in the country with 21 goals as a first team All-American, was selected with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft.
The Zips will return eight of 11 starters this season and recently announced the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation.
2012 UA Spring Schedule
Fri., Apr. 6 vs. Pittsburgh, FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 7 vs. Colgate, FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 14 vs. Cleveland State, FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 21 at Xavier, Xavier University Soccer Complex, 7 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 28 vs. Wright State, FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field, 7 p.m.
