Orange Visits Akron Friday

Exhibition #2 - Syracuse at No. 13 Akron
Game Details	Friday, Aug. 22 \| Akron, Ohio \| 7 p.m. FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field \| Tickets \| Weather
Game Coverage	GoZips.com: Live Stats Twitter: @SUMensSoccer
Syracuse Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats
Akron Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Orange men's soccer team concludes its preseason schedule on Friday, Aug. 22 with a road match against perennial college soccer power Akron. Kickoff between the Orange and Zips is slated for 7 p.m. at FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field.

Syracuse is 1-0 this season in exhibition play after handing Hartwick a 4-1 loss on Saturday.

LAST TIME OUT
Syracuse tallied three goals in the game's final 20 minutes to break open a tie game and defeat the Hawks, 4-1. Noah Rhynhart, Mike Koegel and Stefanos Stamoulacatos each scored late for the Orange, with Rhynhart's and Koegel's strikes coming two minutes apart.

Goalie Alex Bono played the first 75 minutes between the posts and stopped two shots.

Several of the team's younger players also got their feet wet in the match. Redshirt freshman Kenny Lassiter received a start at forward, while transfers Louis Cross and Liam Callahan were also members of the first XI. Freshman Troy Carrington came off the bench and was credited with an assist on Koegel's insurance goal.

ORANGE CONTINUES TO EXCEL IN PRESEASON PLAY
The Orange's three-goal home victory against Hartwick marked its sixth consecutive preseason victory. Since 2011, Syracuse is 8-1 in exhibition action. It's only preseason loss in that span was a 2-0 defeat at Boston College in 2012.

CROSS FACES FORMER MATES
Orange sophomore back Louis Cross is no stranger to FirstEnergy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field. He spent his freshman year at Akron before transferring to Syracuse for the 2014 season. Cross was a mainstay in the Zips' back four last year, playing in 17 games with 13 starts. He helped anchor an Akron defense that posted nine shutouts.

SCOUTING AKRON
Akron is ranked No. 13 in the NSCAA Preseason Poll. The Zips were 17-4-1 a year ago and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Marquette. The team returns just five starters, including sophomore Adam Najem who notched four goals and a team-high nine assists in 2013. Midfielder Saad Abdul Salaam is also back. Salaam passed out five assists last season.

Jake Fenlason is the most experienced keeper on the Akron roster. He played in four games last season as the backup to Fernando Pina. Fenlason made 18 saves and posted a 3-1-0 record, including a shutout.

Akron head coach Jared Embick enters his second year at the helm of the program following the departure of Caleb Porter. Embick guided the Zips to their 10th Mid-American Conference title in his inaugural season and a berth in the second round of the national tournament. The 2010 National Assistant Coach of the Year, Embick spent six years as Porter's assistant. Prior to joining the Zips' staff, Embick was the head soccer coach Missouri Baptist University for four seasons.

THE SERIES
The Orange is 0-1-0 all-time against the Zips. The only previous meeting between the teams occurred at the Akron Tournament in 1987. SU's Shawn Lilly scored the game's first goal, but the Zips responded with strikes from David Wells and Curt Elchuk to record a 2-1 victory.

Syracuse returned to the Akron Tournament again in 2010, but did not face the Zips. The Orange played a pair of neutral-site matches at FirstEnergy – Cub Cadet Field versus Cal Poly and New Mexico.

UP NEXT
The Orange opens the 2014 season at home on Friday, Aug. 29 against Niagara. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. and admission is free.

Syracuse University Athletics

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