Wednesday's Scoreboard
Akron 0, Western Michigan 0
West Virginia 0, Bowling Green 0
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Akron 0, Western Michigan 0
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio - In a men's soccer showdown with Mid-American Conference title implications on the line, the University of Akron men's soccer team battled Western Michigan (6-3-1, 4-3-1 MAC) down to the wire before the two conference adversaries exited with a 0-0 double-overtime draw on Wednesday, April 14 at FirstEnergy Stadium.
The two sides will square off again on Sunday, April 14 in Kalamazoo, Mich., with both squads still alive to garner the MAC regular season crown and automatic NCAA Tournament berth. The Zips (4-3-2, 3-3-1 MAC) will need a victory over the Broncos and some outside help in the other two league contests to force potential tie-breaking scenarios. A road triumph over Western Michigan would also strengthen the Zips' resume for a potential at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament.
"It was a hard-fought draw," Akron head men's soccer coach Jared Embick commented. "The guys left it out there. We just didn't have enough left in the tank. I love the effort. I love the grit. We just couldn't find the goal today."
The Broncos earned a 11-10 advantage in shots on the evening, while the Zips posted the edge in shots on goal, 4-3.
Freshman Jason Shokalook (Erie, Pa.) registered a team-high three shots for Akron, while junior Colin Biros (Jackson, Ohio) added two shots, with both falling on goal. Western Michigan was led by a game-high four-shot performance from Dylan Sing.
Senior GK Will Meyer (Solon, Ohio) was stellar in net for the Zips recording three saves, and numerous punch-outs in the box to thwart shot attempts by the Broncos. Isaac Walker pulled in four stops for Western Michigan.
"It is an opportunity lost when you look at the standings," Embick said. "It's a tremendous effort. When you look at our situation with four subs and a lot of them are guys that don't play a lot. They're guys that are here for the future. They had to play a lot of minutes and they're not fully fit. It was a lot of heart. I don't want to call it an opportunity lost because I know where we're at. I want to praise the determination and the effort to try to get the win."
The Zips are scheduled to visit Western Michigan for a 12 p.m. tilt on Sunday, April 18.
West Virginia 0, Bowling Green 0
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team battled West Virginia University through 110 minutes of scoreless action on Wednesday afternoon (April 14). The Mid-American Conference match was held at Cochrane Stadium.
Sophomore goalkeeper Logan Kowalczyk made six saves, the highest total of his young career, for the Falcons (6-4-1, 4-2-1 MAC), en route to his fifth shutout in the last six games.
The Falcons remain in first place in the MAC standings, and BGSU controls its own destiny heading into the final match of the regular season. BGSU hosts Northern Illinois on Sunday (April 18), and a win over the Huskies would give the Falcons the MAC championship and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. With a loss or a tie against NIU, the Falcons still would have a shot at the title, but would need favorable results in both of the day's other matches around the league.
The Mountaineers (6-3-1, 4-3-1 MAC) had narrow advantages of 16-12 in total shots and 7-4 in shots on goal. Steven Tekesky made four saves for the visitors.
WVU entered the day ranked third in the entire nation in the RPI, while the Falcons were 21st in the country.
