Akron Zips vs Stanford Cardinal - College Cup Semifinal Preview

Photo Credit: PAC 12 Networks

A 2015 College Cup Semifinal match that saw Stanford Keeper Andrew Epstein break the hearts of Akron supporters and players is set for its rematch Friday when the 5th seeded Akron Zips (18-3-2) and the 9th seeded Stanford Cardinal (17-2-2) meet on the pitch at Talen Energy Stadium in Philadelphia. 

The eventual champions Stanford got the better of the Zips that day in 2015 and kept moving up, winning a second straight College Cup in 2016. The Zips managed a great season in 2016 as well, winning the MAC Tournament and Regular Season Titles before winning one game in the NCAA tournament and losing to the Indiana Hoosiers. All of that has led to this rematch.

Akron heads to Philadelphia off a hard fought away victory in penalty kicks against an excellent defensive Louisville Cardinals team, while Stanford makes the flight fresh off a 2-0 road win in convincing fashion against 1-seeded ACC champions Wake Forest. Both teams can beat anyone in the country on a good day, so we’ll look at some of the things that make this match very interesting.

Excellence in the back

Both of these teams have highly capable, very successful defenses. Akron’s back line has looked strong as ever this season and has been really turning up the pressure in the tournament. Anyone who watched the defensive clinic that was Akron-Louisville can vouch for that. Akron has only let in 12 goals this season with 6’6” Junior Goalkeeper Ben Lundt (please start calling him ‘The Berlin Wall’) putting up 46 saves so far. The Zips boast an 0.505 goals-against average and are 5th in the nation in that category. Former Stanford keeper Andrew Epstein is a figure that probably still haunts the memories of Zips fans. His outstanding play and two penalty saves in the shootout gave his team the win in Kansas City. He’s since graduated after leading his team to two straight College Cup championships... So thankfully, they’ll have an inexperienced youth between the sticks and Akron’s high-powered attack with have a field day… Right? Not exactly...Red shirt Senior Nico Corti has looked the part with 67 saves and 12 solo shutouts in 21 games, enough to earn him All-Pac-12 honorable mention for his work in goal this year. Stanford loves to get out on the counter and a great stopper at the back like Corti will help them do that. Stanford has shutout opponents in 10 consecutive NCAA tournament matches (an NCAA record) and over 17 hours of play. They boast a second ranked 0.420 goals against average and are second in the nation in shutouts and save percentage.

High flying offense

The Akron Zips are an offensive powerhouse with something to prove. Akron’s 50 goals in 2017 are tied for third in College soccer. Stuart Holthusen has scored 12 goals with three assists this season. Sam Gainford has scored 10 goals with 5 assists this season. Nick Hinds has 6 goals with 4 assists this season. Marcel Zajac and Skye Harter have each contributed 4 goals, with 1 and 6 assists, respectively. Joao Moutinho has three goals on his resume with season and added 5 assists of his own. Manuel Cordeiro, Ezana Kahsay, and Nate Shultz have all found net twice while 5 other Zips have scored at least once. Perhaps even more notable is that the zips have been responsible for 334 shots this season with eight players registering 20 or more. The Zips will test Corti, the question is how often and how successfully? Look for Gainford to get involved from the left very frequently and Holthusen to use his speed and his length to push the Stanford backline and create opportunities in the midfield with strength and hold-up play. The Cardinal has scored 45 goals this season on 359 shots with 149 of those shots on target. Senior Forward and MAC Hermann trophy finalist Foster Langsdorf has scored 13 times this season on 34 on target tries, contributing 6 assists along the way. Senior M/F Corey Baird slotted 6 goals and 6 assists in his 2017 campaign, with a host of other players contributing to goal and assist totals. The pairing and link-up play between Baird and Langsdorf has been key for the Cardinal all season long. Nothing happens without those two being involved. With another MAC Hermann trophy finalist in the Stanford backline in Tomas Hilliard-Arce corralling balls and pushing play forward, listen for those names to be called a lot once the match steps off.

This feels familiar...

After a scoreless draw Stanford beat Akron 8-7 in Penalties in an NCAA semifinal in 2015 when Andrew Epstein saved the 10th Akron penalty kick, putting Stanford into the final which they won convincingly. Corey Baird scored the penalty that ended Akron’s season. Stanford returns 11 players from the 2015 championship team, the Zips return 8. Strangely enough, Stanford advanced to face Akron in a that match after beating Wake Forest in 2015 also, just like this year. Akron will be playing with extra motivation after that 2015 loss, hoping to right the wrongs of that night in Kansas City. No-one more than Nate Shultz. It was Shultz who missed the deciding penalty in 2015 after then senior captain, now Philadelphia Union man Adam Najem saw his penalty saved, one of two on the night. Shultz and those 8 zips who were in Sporting Park that night for that loss will undoubtedly be hoping to vanquish the Cardinal and finally kick those bad memories.

This should prove to be an exciting match in which one single mistake could turn a defensive deadlock into an offensive onslaught for either side. Will the Zips take another step towards their 2nd Star? Or will the Stanford Cardinal machine keep churning out wins on its way to a potential third straight chip? I’ll be watching.

Go Zips!

- @tylerwarner4L, UA 2015
tylerwarnermedia@gmail.com