PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The No. 9 University of Akron men's soccer team registered a pair of second-half goals en route to the Zips (11-3-1) garnering a 3-0 victory past No. 20 Pittsburgh (8-8-0) on Tuesday, Oct. 24.
 
Sophomore Nick Hinds (Plantation, Fla.) recorded his team-leading fifth and sixth goals of the season, while redshirt sophomore Skye Harter (Copley, Ohio) accounted for Akron's other tally in the tilt. Senior Manuel Cordeiro (Porto, Portugal) finished the evening earning a pair of assists for the Zips.
 
Akron concluded the match with a 17-10 advantage in shots, including a 10-3 edge in shots on goal. Harter and Zajac paced the Zips' offensive efforts with a game-high three shots apiece. Josh Coan led the Panthers with three shots.
 
Junior goalkeeper Ben Lundt (Berlin, Germany) made three saves for the Zips en route to collecting his fifth clean sheet of the season, while Mikal Outcalt posted a game-high seven saves for Pittsburgh.
 
Hinds gave the Zips an early 1-0 advantage connecting on his fifth goal of the season at the 1:43 mark off an assist from Cordeiro.
 
The Panthers had a strong scoring opportunity in the 19th minute (18:53) as Coan got behind the Zips' defensive line and unfurled a shot which went just wide of frame.
 
Colin Brezniak followed with a shot on goal at the 22:00 mark that was thwarted by a diving save from Lundt.
 
Delivering a strike off of a free kick from just outside the in the 37th minute (36:51) was freshman Joao Moutinho (Lisbon, Portugal), which was denied by a diving save by Outcalt.
 
On another free kick, Harter delivered a ball into the box at the 39:14 mark which freshman David Egbo (Enugu, Nigeria) headed just high of target.
 
Each side registered five shots in the initial stanza, with the Panthers recording a pair of shots on goal.
 
Sophomore Marcel Zajac (Mississauga, Ontario) struck a header off a corner from Harter at the 50:09 mark that was pushed away for a save by Outcalt.
 
Zajac had another strong scoring chance in the 53rd minute (52:21) off a pair of passes from senior Sam Gainford (Liverpool, England) and Egbo that was blocked eight yards from the net.
 
Harter nearly struck for a goal at the 59:00 mark as his free kick from 25 yards out bent just wide of goal.
 
Lundt came up with a stop on the shot by Mauriq Hill in the 62nd minute (61:36) before freshman Daniel Strachan's (Lakewood, Ohio) header attempt off a corner was denied by a save from Outcalt at the 62:53 mark.
 
Gainford and Zajac followed with shots on goal at the 64:42 and 66:21 marks, respectively, which were both pulled in for saves by Outcalt.
 
Harter extended the Zips' lead to 2-0 in the 78th minute (77:09) driving down the sideline and into the box to beat Outcalt to the far corner. Cordeiro earned the assist on the tally.
 
Hinds capped the scoring in the affair with his third multi-goal effort of his career at the 80:30 mark. Registering assists on the tally was junior Morgan Hackworth (Bradenton, Fla.) and senior Stuart Holthusen (Auckland, New Zealand).
 
Akron returns to action on Friday, Oct. 27, as the Zips travel to Morgantown, W.Va., for a key Mid-American Conference showdown at West Virginia. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

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