The Akron Zips (15-6-2) entered Friday’s national semifinal match against Michigan State (14-5-4) on an eight-game winning streak and improved that number to nine wins after defeating MSU, 5-1, in dominant fashion.
On their journey to Santa Barbara, the Zips had upset 16-seed Syracuse, top-seeded Wake Forest, and the three-time defending national champion, 9-seed Stanford. And they did so all on the road. A somewhat unfamiliar path for a team that had previously hosted five tournament matches in its last two trips to the College Cup in 2015 and 2017.
The Spartans found their way on the road as well: upsetting 4-seed Louisville in extra time and 13-seed Georgetown before hosting and needing a comeback against James Madison in the quarterfinals. A team that also had to come back from an end-of-season lull in which they went 2-4-2, including a 2-1 loss to Akron, and fell from the top 25 rankings.
Just over a month since its last loss, 16 minutes into Michigan State’s first College Cup match since 1968, MSU found themselves down and needing to come from behind once again.
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A volley from the foot of third team All-American and first team All-MAC member David Egbo put the Zips up 1-0. The sophomore forward was one of six starters on this year’s team that played in last year’s semifinal loss to Stanford.
“I wanted to get through the first 15 minutes,” MSU head coach Damon Rensing said. “They scored around the 15-minute mark. Then we had two chances, a breakaway and a three-shot flurry that would bring it to 1-1 and we didn’t score.”
Following the first goal, both teams began to open up the field more, allowing each other scoring chances.
MSU took the first swing, as Hunter Barone had a breakaway 1-on-1 opportunity with Akron goalkeeper Ben Lundt. Barone could not finish as Lundt stepped forward to force a deflection.
The Spartans continued to pressure, creating another chance three minutes later.
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Perhaps MSU’s closest moment to a goal: DeJuan Jones initial shot saved by Lundt, Ryan Sierakowski’s putback blocked by a defender, and Sierakowski’s second shot deflected out of bounds.
Three shots on goal and Akron able to prevent MSU from tying the match at one.
Michigan State followed that attack -- with Akron countering each attempt -- until the Spartans’ right-center back Michael Wetungu went down with what was described as a recurring hamstring issue.
Just six seconds after Wetungu exited the game, the Zips capitalized off a corner kick.
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An unmarked Carlo Ritaccio headed it past Spartan senior keeper Jimmy Hague to make it 2-0, the scoreline that sent both teams to halftime.
“We just have to connect some passes,” Rensing said during his halftime interview. “We found a lot of space in behind. We’ve got to decide when to go and when to just keep [the ball].”
Meanwhile, Akron head coach Jared Embik, despite leading, had a different outlook for his team.
“I told them, in all honesty, that was one of our worst first halves we’ve had in a while.”
Embik, not happy with the Zips’ defensive effort, watched the Spartans come out of the locker room with energy, creating two chances and one shot on goal in the first five minutes.
But that didn’t seem to phase Akron, as senior midfielder Skye Harter stepped over the pending free kick from about 25 yards.
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“I was kind of far out...so he (Hague) maybe thought I wasn’t gonna I would go for it,” Harter said postgame. “But he took a step forward and then cheated a little bit to his right. I thought maybe I could just curl one over. That’s a free kick I actually practice...I was pretty confident.”
With almost 40 minutes still left to play, it was 3-0, the most goals MSU had given up all season.
As the Spartans continued to try to fight their way back in, corner after corner and chance after chance went by with no result. And the Zips continued to possess the ball and counter efficiently.
Just over 10 minutes later, Marcel Zajac added his name to the scorebook. The junior forward took a pass down the left sideline and dribbled through open space to just outside the box before shooting. The ball deflected off of MSU’s Michael Miller’s calf and over the out-stretched arms of Jimmy Hague, sneaking past the goal post and into the back of the net.
A seemingly appropriate way to sum up the night for Michigan State: the ball just didn’t bounce their way, for the most part.
The Spartans got a goal back in the 79th minute, but the Zips answered in the 85th.
“I think we were pretty efficient and pretty lethal,” Embick said. “Defensively, we have some issues we have to clean up before Sunday, but overall performance you can’t complain too much.”
Akron’s continued success in the postseason speaks for itself: NCAA tournament appearances every season since 2004, including now five College Cup appearances in that same span.
For MSU, this was the first time reaching the national semifinals in 50 years. Still, a step in the right direction after being unable to get past the Elite Eight the past three tries. The Spartans lose seven contributing seniors, six of which started on Friday night.
The Zips will face Maryland in the national championship on Sunday at 8 p.m. on ESPNU.