KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The University of Akron men's soccer team earned a key Mid-American Conference point on the strength of a hard-fought 1-1 double-overtime draw at Western Michigan (9-4-1, 1-0-1 MAC) on Sunday, Oct. 20 at the WMU Soccer Complex.
 
The result for the Zips (3-8-2, 1-0-1 MAC) was even more impressive as Akron played the final 33 minutes of the match a man down.
 
Each side recorded 10 shots on the afternoon, with the Broncos posting a 4-3 advantage in shots on goal.
 
Freshman Mani Austmann (Gardabaer, Iceland) directed the Zips' offensive attack with a game-high four shots, while junior David Egbo (Enugu, Nigeria) added three shots of his own. Eric Conerty led the Broncos with a team-best four shots.
 
Junior goalkeeper Joe Bowles (Stratford, England) finished the contest with a game-high three saves for Akron, while his counterpart for Western Michigan, Isaac Walker, made a pair of stops.
 
The Broncos took the early lead in the tilt on a goal from Conerty. Brennan Creek and Charlie Sharp played the ball into the box where it found the foot of Conerty in the corner to give Western Michigan a 1-0 lead just 44 seconds into the game.
 
Austmann delivered Akron's first shot of the afternoon, a strike on goal that was pulled in for a save by Walker.
 
Egbo nearly bent in a free kick from 25 yards in the 21st minute (20:59) as his shot was blocked resulting in a corner kick.
 
Redshirt junior Diogo Pacheco (Lisbon, Portugal) leveled the game at one at the 44:07 mark as he headed home a ball inside the six-yard box off a pass from the corner from senior Christian Lue Young (Plantation, Fla.). The tally was the second of the season for Pacheco.
 
The Zips registered a 5-4 edge in first-half shots, while the Broncos posted a 3-2 margin in shots on goal.
 
Austmann nearly found the upper 90 of the net at the 59:03 mark as his strike in the box off pass from freshman Will Jackson (Hudson, Ohio) went high of the net.
 
The Zips played the final 13:31 of regulation and all of overtime a man down after being carded just outside the box in the 77th minute (76:29).
 
Western Michigan nearly regained the lead in the 77th minute (76:33) as the Broncos had a potential go-ahead goal wiped off by an offsides call.
 
A scoring chance at the 87:15 mark by Pacheco was denied as his header off a corner kick by sophomore Colin Biros (Jackson, Ohio) went high.
 
Western Michigan registered a 3-2 advantage in second half shots, with none falling on frame.
 
Each side had a shot blocked in the initial overtime period, before Austmann nearly ended the contest with a header from just outside the six-yard box in the 100th minute (99:29), a strike that was denied by a save from Walker.
 
Bowles made a spectacular leaping save of a strike in the box from Anthony Bowie in the second-overtime period at the 101:32 mark to keep the score tied at one.
 
The Zips had one final shot in the game as Egbo delivered a shot that was blocked in the 106th minute (105:04).

Up next for Akron, the Zips face a key MAC showdown hosting league-leading SIU Edwardsville at FirstEnergy Stadium in a 7 p.m. match on Friday, Oct. 25.

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