Monday's Scoreboard
Akron 2, Pitt 1
Western Michigan 2, Butler 0
Bowling Green 3, Michigan State 0
West Virginia 0, Loyola 0
Stories Courtesy Of MAC Sports Information
Akron 2, Pitt 1
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio - University of Akron senior Diogo Pacheco(Lisbon, Portugal) scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 76th minute (75:29) to send an electric FirstEnergy Stadium crowd home happy as the 19th-rated Zips (4-0-0) garnered a 2-1 men's soccer triumph over No. 3 Pitt (2-2-0) on Monday, Sept. 6.
The victory marked the highest-rated team Akron has triumphed past at FirstEnergy Stadium since Adam Najem sent the Zips to the 2015 College Cup with a picturesque double-overtime goal off a free kick versus No. 3 Creighton in the Elite Eight of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
The game-winning tally came courtesy of a pair of strong passes for assists from sophomore Will Jackson (Hudson, Ohio) and freshman Ryan Kingsford (Herne Bay, England). By virtue of the goal, Pacheco extended his streak of scoring at least one point to five consecutive games dating back to last season.
Fueled by a 10-3 advantage in second-half shots, the Panthers edged the Zips on the night in overall shots, 15-12, including registering a 7-5 margin in shots on goal.
Akron benefited from a team-best three strikes apiece from Pacheco and freshmen Dyson Clapier (Layton, Utah) and Jason Shokalook (Erie, Pa.), while Pitt was directed by a game-high four shots from Valentin Noel.
Senior goalkeeper Will Meyer (Solon, Ohio) was stellar in net for the Zips making a season-high six saves, including several of the acrobatic variety. Nico Campuzano collected three stops for the Panthers.
In a tightly contested opening half, Akron opened the scoring when Clapier headed home his second goal of the season at the 11:29 mark to give the Zips an early 1-0 lead. Sophomore Johnny Fitzgerald (Tallahassee, Fla.) played in a ball from beyond the 18-yard box to the corner to a streaking freshman Malik Henry (Hamilton, Ontario), who served a ball into the six-yard box where Clapier connected for the tally.
Fueled by a 9-5 margin in shots in the opening stanza, Akron entered the intermission holding onto a 1-0 advantage.
The Panthers continued to attack the Zips to begin the second half and Pitt was rewarded in the 59th minute (58:21) when Raphael Crivello headed home his first goal of the year courtesy of an assist from Filip Mirkovic to level the score at one.
Each side had scoring opportunities over the next nearly 20 minutes before Pacheco struck gold with the game-winner at the 75:29 mark.
The Zips then locked down defensively over the final 15 minutes to secure the victory.
Western Michigan 2, Butler 0
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's soccer team earned its first win of the season after beating Butler 2-0 in front of a capacity crowd at the WMU Soccer Complex on Monday afternoon.
Junior forward Charlie Sharp had a goal and an assist, while junior midfielder Dylan Sing netted his first goal of the season. Junior goalkeeper Isaac Walker picked up his second straight shutout but didn't have to make a save as the Broncos did not allow any of the 10 Bulldog shots to reach goal.
WMU struck early on a set piece in the 15th minute. The ball was sent into the box and a scramble to clear it ensued. Sharp came away with it and crossed it to the center. Butler goalkeeper Gabriel Gjergji got a hand on it but it bounced to Sing and he slotted it into the net. The assist was Sharp's second of the season.
The Broncos held their 1-0 lead into the second half when Sharp took advantage of another set piece. The ball was played into the box and junior midfielder Brennan Creek kept the Bulldogs from clearing it. His shot attempt was blocked but bounced right to Sharp and he put it in the open net for his team-leading second goal of the season.
WMU dominated possession in the second half and allowed just four shots by the Bulldogs. Overall, Western Michigan outshot Butler 14-10.
The Broncos head back out on the road to the University of Dayton on Friday for a 4 p.m. kickoff.
Bowling Green 3, Michigan State 0
Box Score
EAST LANSING, Mich. – For the second time in under 72 hours, the Bowling Green State University men's soccer team picked up a three-goal win on the road. On Monday afternoon (Sept. 6), the opponent was Michigan State University, and the Falcons downed the Spartans by a 3-0 count at DeMartin Stadium.
Sophomore Kyle Cusimano was involved in the scoring of all three goals for the Falcons (3-0-1), who were coming off of a 3-0 victory at Cleveland State on Friday night. On Labor Day, Cusimano scored the Falcons' second goal of the afternoon while assisting on the other two.
Jacob Erlandson and Roberto Fernandez Garrido scored those goals, with Erlandson scoring what proved to be the winner with just under 10 minutes left in the opening half. Cusimano doubled the lead with just over an hour gone, before finding Fernandez Garrido for the final goal in the 75th minute.
The Spartans (2-2-0) outshot the Falcons, 10-8, but BG had a 5-3 lead in shots on goal. Logan Kowalczyk made three saves to earn his second-straight shutout and his third in four matches this season to date.
West Virginia 0, Loyola 0
Box Score
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men's soccer team settled for a 0-0, double-overtime draw against Loyola (Maryland) on Monday night at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown.
On the heels of a pair of top-20, home victories last week, the Mountaineers found everything but the winning goal in the 110-minute battle. WVU outshot Loyola, 14-7, including 7-1 in shots on goal, and held sizable advantages in nearly every statistical category.
"Sometimes you have days like today," WVU coach Dan Stratford said. "We had a couple of key chances that we didn't convert, but the only message I can give to the players is this was a sign of respect. We've obviously had a great start to the season, so teams are going to come in here and try to stay in the game as long as possible, and you have to respect what (Loyola) did."
WVU (3-0-1) had several early chances, including a fury in front of the Loyola (1-1-1) net in the 17th minute. Junior midfielder Luke McCormick got a pair of shots off, both saved by the Greyhound keeper, while fifth-year senior Pau Jimenez Albelda also had a try at goal.
Loyola (Md.) denied the Mountaineers two other big chances in the 26th and 43rd minute, respectively, to keep the match scoreless after the first 45 minutes of play.
Of note, West Virginia edge an 8-1 advantage in shots at halftime.
In the second half, redshirt sophomore Bjarne Thiesen nearly put the Mountaineers on the board with a header attempt in the 84th. That, too, was saved by the visitors, as WVU continued to try to find the answer in its final third.
Ninety minutes wasn't enough to determine an outcome on Monday night, and neither team tallied a shot attempt in the first overtime. From there, senior forward Tony Pineda had a shot on goal in the second overtime but couldn't find the back of the net, minutes before the final whistle sounded.
Freshman defender Frederik Jorgensen led WVU with four shots in the draw, while McCormick had three, including two on frame. In goal, fifth-year senior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky was forced into only one save on his way to his second clean sheet of the campaign.
With the result, the Mountaineers are now 0-3-2 all-time against the Greyhounds, including 0-1-2 in Morgantown. Monday marked the first time the two schools had met since 1987.
The contest also marked just the fifth time in the last 29 games that WVU was held without a goal.
