MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – For the first time, the West Virginia University men's soccer team hosts the Mid-American Conference Championship, as No. 12-ranked and top-seeded WVU hosts fourth-seeded Akron in the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 9, at 5:30 p.m. ET, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
 
The Mountaineers (13-5-0) won the league with a perfect 5-0-0 record, while the Zips (8-6-2) placed fourth with a 1-2-1 mark and enter the weekend as the six-time defending MAC tournament champions.

In Friday's first semifinal, at 2:30 p.m., No. 2-seed Bowling Green (6-6-4, 2-1-2 MAC) squares off against No. 3-seed Western Michigan (10-5-3, 1-1-2 MAC). The winners of both semifinal contests will meet in the championship game on Sunday, at 1 p.m., in Morgantown.
 
Tickets are available at WVUGAME.com or by calling 1-800 WVU GAME. Tickets are $5 each and $3 for groups of 10 or more when purchased in advance at WVUGAME.com. At the Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium ticket window, tickets will be $7 for adults, $5 for youth and seniors and $3 for groups. The discounted online pricing will be available until kickoff of Friday's first match. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance to avoid lines at the gate on game day. Tickets for students are free with a valid student I.D. One ticket will be good for both of Friday's semifinal matches.
 
With the men's basketball team playing at 9 p.m. Friday night, parking will be extremely limited in the parking lots around the WVU Coliseum Complex on Friday. Fans who arrive to park for the men's soccer MAC semifinals in the Natatorium/Band lot before 6 p.m. can park free of charge. Fans who arrive after 6 p.m. to park in the Natatorium/Band lot will be charged $10 for parking to attend either the soccer match or the basketball game.
 
To provide a safer environment for Mountaineer fans and to expedite entry into all ticketed WVU athletic events, the West Virginia Department of Intercollegiate Athletics enforces the NFL's Clear Bag Policy. The athletic department invites and encourages fans to visit WVUsports.com/clearbag for more information, to view pictures of permissible and non-permissible items and to obtain answers to frequently asked questions about the clear bag policy.
 
The match will be streamed live for free on ESPN3, while live stats will be available at WVUsports.com/Stats. Direct links to the video stream and live stats can be found on the men's soccer schedule page on WVUsports.com. Additional updates, news and notes will be available on social media by following and connecting with @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
 
"The real advantage will come if we can put butts in the seats and people turn out, and they're loud and they get behind this team," WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said about playing at home this weekend. "Our fans have been a big reason why we've been able to hold home field so many times. We've won a lot of games this year, I think we can still win a lot more, and if we can put some butts in the seats, I don't see why we can't continue to get a couple more wins this weekend.
 
"(Akron is) a good team, they've made some adjustments since we've last played them. We'll need to make some adjustments for them in what we do as well. But, at the end of the day, this time of year, it's about surviving and advancing and getting a result."
 
West Virginia enters the postseason on a five-match win streak, tied for the sixth-longest in the nation, and has won 11 of its last 13 matches. WVU's 13 wins on the season are tied for fifth-most in the NCAA and two shy of tying the program-record of 15, set in 2006. The Mountaineers are nationally ranked in each major poll this week, coming in as high as No. 12 in the United Soccer Coaches rankings.
 
While winning its sixth conference title in program history, WVU was one of just two programs nationally with a perfect 1.000 winning percentage in conference play this year. Having already won the regular-season title, the Mountaineers are playing for a sweep of the conference crowns for the first time in team history.
 
Statistically, WVU leads the MAC in nearly every category, and is No. 3 nationally in assists (44), No. 9 in points (118), No. 12 in goals (37), No. 13 in fewest fouls per game (9.56), No. 16 in scoring offense (2.06) and No. 17 in shot accuracy (.489). The Mountaineers also pace the league in saves per game (3.94) and save percentage (.772).
 
Individually, senior midfielder Joey Piatczyc's five game-winning goals rank No. 9 nationally, and his 0.53 assists per game is No. 12 in the NCAA, while junior midfielder Andres Muriel Albino is No. 21 in the country with a .585 shot accuracy. Sophomore goalkeeper Steven Tekesky leads the MAC in total saves (68), save percentage (.764) and saves per game (3.78), while he is No. 28 nationally and second in the league in goals-against average (1.166).
 
SCOUTING AKRON
Akron is 8-6-2 on the season and finished fourth in the MAC with a 1-2-1 record. The Zips advanced to the MAC semifinals with a 2-1 win over fifth-seeded SIU Edwardsville in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. UA has won two in a row and three of its last four, beginning with a 1-0 win over No. 8 Creighton on Oct. 16.
 
David Egbo paces the squad with nine goals and 21 points, while Marcel Zajac has a team-best six assists and is tied for second with 12 points. In goal, Ben Lundt has allowed 18 goals for a 1.24 goals-against average with 37 saves and a .673 save percentage.
 
In his sixth season, Jared Embick is 87-29-13 after guiding the Zips to the NCAA College Cup in 2017. Akron has made the NCAA Tournament every year of Embick's tenure, including his first six seasons as an assistant.
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE ZIPS
West Virginia is 4-15-1 all-time vs. Akron, following a 2-1 overtime win in Akron earlier this year. The Mountaineers have won two of the last three in the series, both on the road, while the Zips are 2-0-0 in the series in MAC Championship contests.
 
EARLIER THIS SEASON AT AKRON
Piatczyc tied the match with 13 seconds left in regulation and scored the game-winner three minutes into overtime to propel West Virginia to a 2-1 victory at Akron on Oct. 13.
 
WVU trailed 1-0 12 minutes into the second half but responded with an offensive attack that led to Piatczyc's game-tying goal at 89:47. The game-winner came at 92:27. Following Akron's goal in the 57th minute, WVU out-shot the Zips, 10-1.
 
Senior midfielder Jorge Quintanilla and junior midfielder Logan Lucas assisted on the first goal, while Quintanilla and Tekesky assisted on the winner.
 
In goal, Tekesky made three saves, all in the first half. Akron's Ben Lundt stopped five shots, all in the second half. The Mountaineers out-shot the Zips, 15-9, and had eight shots on goal to Akron's four. WVU held a 10-3 advantage in shots in the second half.
 
UP NEXT: MAC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
The winner of both of Friday's semifinal contests will advance to the MAC Championship final on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 1 p.m. ET, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Tickets are on sale now, at WVUGAME.com, by calling 1-800 WVU GAME, or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office at the WVU Coliseum. Tickets also will be sold on match day at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
 
LAST TIME OUT: OT WIN AT NIU
No. 16 West Virginia extended its win streak to five consecutive matches with a 4-3, overtime win at Northern Illinois on Nov. 3, to complete a perfect season in MAC play.
 
On a rainy, chilly evening in DeKalb, Illinois, WVU took a 1-0 lead in the first half and extended it to 2-0 just minutes into the second half. However, NIU rallied with a pair of goals in 50 seconds to tie the contest at 2-2, in the 56th minute. The Mountaineers wasted no time taking back the lead, with a goal 31 seconds later to regain a 3-2 advantage. After Northern Illinois tied it again in the 74th minute, junior defender Pascal Derwaritsch won it in the 97th minute.
 
Muriel Albino scored WVU's first goal, his third in the last two matches and team-leading fifth in MAC play, and Piatczyc tallied the Mountaineers' second goal. Sophomore defender Kevin Morris was credited with West Virginia's third goal, before Derwaritsch's game-winner.
 
Along with his goal, Piatczyc assisted on West Virginia's final two goals to break the school record for multi-assist matches, with five.
 
West Virginia had 11 shots, six on goal, while NIU had 19 shots, eight on goal. In goal, Tekesky made four saves, while the WVU defense cleared another ball off the line, in overtime.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.