Roots are an important thing. Knowing where you come from helps you understand where you are going. The University of Akron has proved to be an important part of the soccer journeys of Columbus Crew 2 standouts Marco Micaletto, Abdi Mohamed, and Daniel Strachan. Their time with the Zips helped them grow and develop as players, and they were very prepared for the next level when that time came. The Zips have one of the most robust pipelines to the pros,
A golden goal in the 108th minute (107:44) from senior Hazem Sobhy lifted the 21st-rated University of Akron men’s soccer team to a dramatic 3-2 double-overtime victory past West Virginia (5-3-0, 3-3-0 MAC) on Wednesday, April 7 at FirstEnergy Stadium. The game-winning tally for the Zips (4-2-1, 3-2-0 MAC) was set-up by a serve into the box from junior Sam Tojaga to freshman Jason Shokalook, who got a head on the ball with the deflection falling to Sobhy, who struck a header
A pair of first-half goals lifted the seventh-ranked University of Akron men’s soccer team to a 2-0 triumph past Bowling Green (2-3-0, 0-1-0 MAC) in the Mid-American Conference opener for both schools on Sunday, March 7, at FirstEnergy Stadium. “To start conference play with a win is important,” Akron head coach Jared Embick commented. “The first half wasn’t as clean as we would’ve like, but we were able to find two goals and that is what it is about, just trying to
Help is on the way to Vancouver in the form of a young and enigmatic striker named David Egbo. The University of Akron forward was recently selected ninth overall in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft. Photo Credit: Richard Kruszynski/ISNSoccer.com Egbo registered 21 goals and 13 assists in 35 starts and 56 appearances in three seasons with the Zips. Unsurprisingly he led the MAC in goals and shots per game, and placed second in assists per game in 2019. He helped the Zips
A goal in the 89th minute (88:50) from Zach Ryan lifted third-ranked Stanford to a 2-1 men’s soccer victory over No. 2 Akron before 3,617 fans at FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday evening, September 2nd. The tally spoiled a highly-competitive contest between two of the better teams in the nation over recent years, one that appeared destined for overtime to determine a winner. Despite being outshot by a 19-12 margin in shots, the Zips recorded an 8-4 edge in shots on goal on
A 90th-minute penalty kick from sophomore Colin Biros (Massillon, Ohio) propelled the third-rated University of Akron men’s soccer team to a 3-2 exhibition victory past No. 16 Michigan on Friday, Aug. 23, at FirstEnergy Stadium. Despite the final-minute heroics, the Zips were bested in shots on the afternoon, 13-6, including 5-3 on goal. Six different Akron players recorded a shot in the affair, while Jack Hallahan posted a game-high five shots for the Wolverines. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Tor Saunders (Seattle, Wash.) made two saves in going the distance for the for
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
Stark County has been home to some talented soccer players over the years. Keri Sarver. Michael Furlong. James Haupt. Jordan Brewster. Canton Invaders legends like Jamie Swanner and Rudy Pikuzinski. Simply put, it’s never been hard to find great players and great soccer in the birthplace of American football. Photo Credit: Richard Kruszynski/ISNSoccer.com Yet Colin Biros may prove to be the best of them all. The Jackson High School grad, now a
Just five minutes into Columbus Crew SC’s scrimmage with the Seattle Sounders on Feb. 4, Canton, Ohio native Colin Biros received a cross and put the ball into the net. That doesn’t happen often for a high school senior. Photo Credit Carlos Mojica/Columbus Crew SC “I was overcome with joy,” Biros said. “As you could probably see, with my celebration. It was a sigh of relief, almost. I knew that I can do it, it is possible, I am good enough
