The pursuit is relentless.... Five things to Know: Wisconsin vs. Akron
November 21, 2017 | Men's Soccer
Badgers face the Zips in the Sweet 16 in Akron
Wisconsin
12 – 4 – 5
Akron
17 – 3– 1
Game Coverage
Saturday, Nov. 25 | 3pm — Akron, Ohio
MADISON, Wis. – One theme of the Wisconsin men's soccer postseason has been pursuit. The pursuit of redemption. The pursuit of revenge. The pursuit of legacy. And now, the pursuit continues on to the Sweet 16. And the other theme has simply been, green bean casserole.Â
Wisconsin faces another hefty challenge in its Sweet 16 opponent, Akron, on Saturday afternoon in Ohio. The Badgers will take on the Zips on their home turf at the First Energy Stadium on the Cub Cadet Field. The kickoff is set for 3 p.m. (CT) and will be broadcast on ESPN3. Live scoring updates will be posted to Wisconsin's twitter (@BadgerMSoccer), while live stats will be updated on gozips.com.
1. WHAT A TIME:Â Wisconsin is still alive in the NCAA tournament after a gut-wrenching match against Notre Dame that was decided in the 95th minute by a header from senior Mike Catalano off of a perfect corner from Chris Mueller. The Badgers prevailed over the Fighting Irish, 1-0, to continue onto the team's third-ever appearance in the Sweet Sixteen in school history.
2. THERE IS NOTHING WE DO BETTER THAN REVENGE: The Badgers avenged themselves in every rematch with an opponent they lost to earlier in the season in the postseason. UW has now moved past Maryland, Michigan, Indiana, and UIC. After falling to the Fighting Irish, 4-0, in the NCAA tournament in 2013, Wisconsin redeemed themselves yet again with their 1-0 win in the round of 32.
3. WE'LL TAKE THOSE ODDS:Â Wisconsin and Akron aren't exactly the most familiar, but when the two schools have faced off, the Badgers have faired well. The Cardinal and White lead the overall series, 2-1-0, splitting games played in Akron, Ohio while leading the series 1-0 at home.
4. KING OF THE DISH: Chris Mueller's 18 assists ranks No. 1 in the country and the Big Ten, also holding the top spot in assists-per-game (.90). He now has 33 career assists. One of his most crucial ones was to Catalano against Notre Dame on Sunday.Â
5. SHUTOUT SCHILLING:Â Wisconsin's six-game win streak has undoubtedly been a team effort, but there is one thing for certain, Philipp Schilling has dominated the net in each contest. The senior captain has allowed only two goals in the six matches, giving way to a stifling .30 goals-against-average. Schilling has tallied shutouts in four of the six games.
BONUS – SCOUTING THE ZIPS: No. 5 seed Akron has proven all season long why it belongs among some of the best in college soccer. The Zips have played an unprecedented 11 games against ranked opponents, garnering an impressive 8-3 record. Akron opened the soccer world's eyes to their mission with a jaw-dropping, 4-1, win over then-ranked No. 1 Michigan State. The Zips followed up that performance with a win against another familiar team to the Badgers, Notre Dame, in 2-0 shutout-fashion. Akron holds a 17-3-1 record on the season as well as a 4-1 mark in the Mid-American Conference.
