Lundt and Mohamed Taken in Second Round of MLS Draft
CHICAGO, Ill. – University of Akron men's soccer seniors Ben Lundt (Berlin, Germany) and Abdi Mohamed (Westerville, Ohio) capped stellar collegiate careers with their selections in the MLS SuperDraft by FC Cincinnati and New York City FC with the 13th and 19th choices of the second round (No. 37 and No. 43 overall) on Friday, Jan. 11.
Lundt and Mohamed became the 25th and 26th Zips to be drafted during the MLS SuperDraft with their selections this season.
"It has been a dream of mine to get drafted in the MLS, and it is especially exciting being selected by FC Cincinnati so I can continue to live in Ohio," said Lundt. "Having played in Akron, Ohio has become like home to me, and I'm excited to be able to begin my professional career here."
"I'm relieved, super excited and thankful to be selected by New York City FC," said Mohamed. "I have to be ready to work and hopefully earn a spot and continue developing as a player. That's what Akron was about when I first came. I just have to transition into it slowly and learn as much as I can from the players and staff there and do what I can to do my best. I have to contribute every day and work hard day in and day out."
A three-year starter for the Zips, Lundt started all 64 of the games in which he appeared in for Akron, including starting all 22 games in which he played in this past season. In 2018, he registered 71 saves and posted a 1.11 goals against average en route to earning Second-Team All-Mid-American Conference accolades. After making 11 combined saves versus No. 4 Michigan State (Dec. 7) and No. 3 Maryland (Dec. 9) in the College Cup, he was named the Defensive Most Valuable Player at the College Cup and finished the campaign recording 14 victories on the strength of collecting seven shutouts.
Lundt ranked sixth in the NCAA this past fall in minutes played (2,026:22), 26th in shutouts (7) and 38th in total saves (71) and finished his Zips' career ranked third in the Akron men's soccer record book in shutouts (27), while also rating fifth in wins (41) and sixth in goals against average (.938) and winning percentage (.695).
Mohamed started 23 of the Zips' 24 contests this season owning a goal and five assists, while adding 26 shots, including 12 on frame and helped Akron's defense to record eight shutouts.
Developing players for the next level has become commonplace for the Akron staff as 39 Zips have gone on to play professionally either in Major League Soccer, USL or overseas since 2006, including No. 1 overall picks Joao Moutinho in 2018 and Steve Zakuani in 2009, and No. 2 overall picks Darlington Nagbe in 2011 and Darren Mattocks in 2012 - just to name a few. Nagbe was part of a draft class that set MLS draft day records for most players drafted from a single school in the first round (5) and overall (8).
