Zajac Named Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Week
Stories Courtesy of Akron Sports Information
AKRON, Ohio – University of Akron men's soccer junior Marcel Zajac (Mississauga, Ontario) capped his award-winning week with his selection on Tuesday, Nov. 13, as the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Player of the Week.
On Monday, Nov. 12, College Soccer News named Zajac to their National Team of the Week. Additionally, Akron Athletics honored him as the Summa Health Student-Athlete of the Week.
Zajac turned in an outstanding week for the Zips registering team-high marks in goals (3), points (7), shots (10), shots on goal (5) and game-winners (1) en route to leading the fourth-seeded Zips to their 15th Mid-American Conference Tournament title and 33rd NCAA Tournament berth with a trio of victories on the week. Zajac's efforts were rewarded as he was named the Most Valuable Player of the MAC Tournament.
He opened his week scoring the game-winning goal in the 33rd minute (32:51) to propel the Zips to a 2-1 victory past SIU Edwardsville on Nov. 6 in the MAC Tournament Quarterfinals. He finished the contest with a game-high three shots.
In Akron's 3-1 win over No. 12 West Virginia on Nov. 9, Zajac again led the Zips with a game-high four shots and added an assist on the second of two goals on the day by freshman Carlo Ritaccio (Westbury, N.Y.).
He capped his week registering his second career multi-goal game posting a pair of second-half tallies in a 3-0 triumph versus Western Michigan in the MAC title game on Nov. 11. Zajac again led Akron with a game-high three shots, all of which fell on frame.
On the season, Zajac owns five goals and a team-high seven assists on the strength of 27 shots, including 15 on goal. He has scored a point in six of Akron's last seven games.
Zajac and the 16th-rated Zips (10-6-2) return to action battling hosting Rider in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, Nov. 15, at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
