Five things to know about Akron men's soccer before Big East Tournament
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The University of Akron will play Creighton in a Big East Conference men's soccer tournament semifinal at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Maryland SportsPlex in Boyds, Md.
Akron (11-1-4, 4-1-3) is the No. 3 seed and Creighton (12-1-5, 4-1-3) is the No. 2 seed. No. 1 seed Georgetown (14-1-2, 7-0-1) will play No. 4 seed Seton Hall (7-4-6, 4-2-2) in the second semifinal around 7:30 p.m.
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Both games will stream live on ESPN+, with the championship match set for 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, on ESPNU.
Here are five things to know about the Akron men's soccer team.
Akron men's soccer closing in on another NCAA Tournament appearance
In its 72nd year of competition, the Akron men's soccer team is closing in on its 38th NCAA Tournament appearance. Akron has made six College Cup appearances. The Zips won the 2010 national championship under former coach Caleb Porter, and were national runners-up in 1986 with former coach Steve Parker, in 2009 with Porter and in 2018 with current coach Jared Embick.
Akron men's soccer history in conference tournaments
Akron is seeking its first Big East Tournament title since joining the conference in soccer only in 2023. This will be Akron's fourth trip to the Big East Tournament after winning 15 Mid-American Conference Tournament championships from 1998-2018.
Akron defeated host Marquette 2-0 on Nov. 6 in its regular-season finale to clinch a share of the Big East Conference Midwest Division title. The victory in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, gave the Zips their third consecutive shared or outright division crown in the Big East.
Akron takes winning streak into Big East Conference Tournament
Akron enters Thursday with four consecutive wins and six wins in its past eight matches since losing 3-1 at home to Georgetown on Sept. 25. The Hoyas were ranked No. 5 in the country then and are now No. 2 behind top-ranked Southern Methodist University.
Akron's past eight matches include wins over DePaul (2-0) and Syracuse (2-1), draws against Creighton (1-1) and Providence (1-1) and victories over Cleveland State (3-2), Xavier (2-1), Villanova (5-0) and Marquette (2-0).
Thomas O’Rourke, Remi Agunbiade, Farrel Ngongang lead Akron in scoring
Thomas O’Rourke, who scored a goal in the wins over Xavier and Villanova, is Akron's leading scorer with four goals and six assists.
Remi Agunbiade and Farrel Ngongang have five goals and two assists apiece, and both have four goals in the last eight matches. Agunbiade netted two goals against DePaul and a goal apiece against Syracuse and CSU, and Ngongang had two goals both wins over CSU and Villanova.
Fifteen Akron players have scored at least one goal, including Matthew Paiva (four goals, two assists), Jack Roman (two goals, four assists), Jack Sullivan (two goals, two assists), Matt Dreas (two goals, one assist) and Noa Testa (two goals).
That scoring depth was on display in Akron's two most recent wins, with Ngongang, O'Rourke, Paiva and Braxton Hayes scoring against Villanova, and Sam Bunch and Tyler Morck scoring versus Marquette.
Akron's projected starting XI versus Creighton
Akron has used the same starting 11 during its four-match win streak.
Starting goalkeeper Brett Kaminski has 39 saves and seven shutouts. Paiva, Bunch, Nolan McGuire and Cole Perez are starting defenders, O'Rourke, Morck, Roman, Sullivan and Dreas man the midfield, and Agunbiade is the starter at forward.
Dreas and O'Rourke earned All-Big East first-team honors on Nov. 11. Agunbiade and Paiva received All-Big East second-team honors, and Roman was tabbed to the third team.
Akron's top reserves are Ngongang, Hayes, Testa, Freddy Kossehasse, Leonardo Morana, Francisco Tolaba and Londen Sears.
Akron Beacon Journal sports writer Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Five things to know about Akron men's soccer before Big East Tournament