MEN'S SOCCER | BILLIKENS VS. AKRON
WHEN: Saturday, September 16, 2017 • 7 p.m. CT
WHERE: Hermann Stadium • St. Louis, Mo.
RECORDS: Saint Louis 1-3, Akron 2-2
SLU-AKRON SERIES: SLU leads 8-4
SLU-AKRON LAST GAME: Akron 3, SLU 2 • Sept. 11, 2015 • Akron, Ohio
BILLIKENS' LAST GAME: Saint Louis 1, Marquette 0 • Sept. 9, 2017 • Milwaukee, Wis.
ZIPS' LAST GAME: Akron 3, UC Santa Barbara 1 • Sept. 9, 2017 • Akron, Ohio
TICKETS ($10 general admission): Click here, call (314) 977-4SLU or purchase at the gate the day of the game
LIVE VIDEO: A-10 Digital Network (free; unavailable on mobile devices; Adobe Flash settings for your browser must be enabled and updated, and updated specifically for atlantic10.com. Email fansupport@neulion.com if you encounter difficulty.)
LIVE STATS: Statbroadcast
ABOUT THE MATCH
-- Saint Louis hosts the Akron Zips Saturday night at Robert R. Hermann Stadium. Game time is 7 p.m.
-- This will be the 13th meeting all-time between the Billikens and Zips. SLU leads the series 8-4, but Akron has won the previous three matchups. The teams last met in 2015, with Akron coming away with a 3-2 in Akron.
PROMOTIONS
-- Fans are encouraged to bring their dog to the game for the “Howl at Hermann” promotion. Fans who bring their dog to the match will receive a free SLU-branded water bowl.
-- Representatives from Speak St. Louis and The Feral Companion will be on-site for information on dog adoption.
ABOUT THE BILLIKENS
-- Saint Louis is coming off its first win of the season, a 1-0 triumph at Marquette last Saturday. Junior Lennart Hein scored the game-winning goal in the 72nd minute when he converted a penalty kick. Senior Sascha Otte made seven saves for the shutout.
-- Freshman Patrick Wilkinson played a full 90 minutes at Marquette and received the Atlantic 10 Conference men's soccer Rookie of the Week award for his effort in the shutout victory.
-- Hein, who also scored the Billikens' lone goal against Wake Forest two weeks ago, leads the team with two goals.
-- Junior Jacob Krupp scored in the Billikens' 2-1 overtime loss in the season opener against Syracuse. It was the first goal in a Billiken uniform for Krupp, who transferred to SLU after spending his freshman year at Memphis and his sophomore season at Jefferson College.
-- Twenty-two Billikens have seen playing time at some point in the first four games, including nine student-athletes who appeared for the Bills for the first time in their careers.
-- The Billikens finished 7-8-3 last season. SLU posted a 6-2 record in Atlantic 10 Conference play to win the A-10 regular-season title.
-- Senior goalkeeper Sascha Otte has 21 saves. He is tied for third nationally among active NCAA Division I goalkeepers with 21 career shutouts.
-- Sophomore midfielder Saadiq Mohammed is SLU's leading returning scorer after scoring three goals – all game-winners in conference play – a season ago.
-- Junior forward Anthony Brown is the Billikens' career active leading scorer with 12 points (3G, 6A).
-- Head coach Mike McGinty is in his eighth season at Saint Louis. The reigning A-10 Coach of the Year has a 75-50-13 record at SLU.
-- Up next, Saint Louis hosts fifth-ranked Stanford at Robert R. Hermann Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 23. Stanford, the two-time defending NCAA champion, had been ranked No. 1 before falling 2-0 at home against Tulsa.
ABOUT THE ZIPS
-- Akron is 2-2 on the season and is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches national poll.
-- The Zips were ranked No. 16 in the preseason poll but dropped a pair of 1-0 decisions at Utah Valley and Denver to open the season.
-- Akron rebounded well, however, with a 2-0 home win against nationally ranked Washington. The Zips are coming off an impressive 3-1 win at UC Santa Barbara last Saturday.
-- Sam Gainford is the team leader in scoring with five points (2G, 1A), while Marcel Zajac has tallied twice. Gainford earned a spot on the preseason MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List.
-- Akron has gone to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 10 years and has advanced to the third round in seven of the last nine. The Zips advanced to the NCAA title match in 2009 and 2010, and they won the NCAA title in 2010.
-- Jared Embick is in his fifth year as head coach at Akron. He was previously Akron's associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. Embick was promoted after previous head coach Caleb Porter was hired by the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer.
