Tulsa Falls, 1-0, to Akron in NCAA Quarterfinals - CONFERENCEUSA.COM - The Official Athletic site of The Conference USA

Tulsa Falls, 1-0, to Akron in NCAA Quarterfinals
Golden Hurricane Concludes Season with 15-5-2 Mark

	Tulsa

Dec. 5, 2009

AKRON, Ohio - Tulsa's seventh-ranked and eighth-seeded men's soccer team dropped a hard-fought 1-0 decision to top-seeded and an undefeated Akron team in the NCAA Quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon in front of 4,254 fans at UA's Lee Jackson Field. The contest began in just 31-degree weather, but the temperature continued to drop and the wind picked up throughout the game.

The Golden Hurricane concluded the season with a 15-5-2 overall record, tying the second-most wins in school history from 2007, just one win shy of the school record set last year with 16. This also tied Tulsa's best finish in the NCAA Tournament, as the Golden Hurricane advanced to the quarterfinals in 2004 and fell, 4-0, to eventual national champion Indiana.

"I certainly want to congratulate Akron on a good win," Head Coach Tom McIntosh said. "I thought they played well. I also want to congratulate my guys. We had a good plan coming in and I thought we executed it. I thought we really put an awful lot of pressure on them in the second half. We were just unfortunate that one of our chances didn't go in. I couldn't be prouder of this season. This group has grown as much as any team I've ever had. I couldn't be prouder."

The Zips' Kofi Sarkodie scored the game-winning goal in the 17th minute off a cross from Blair Gavin to continue Akron's perfect 23-0 record.

Justin Chavez led TU with two shots, both of which were on goal, while Ashley McInnes, Jose Parada, Matt Boullt and Corey Albertson attempted one shot apiece. Andy Aguilar logged all 90 minutes in goal and earned three saves to finish with 88 saves on the year.

Akron had a 12-6 advantage in shots, including a 4-3 lead in shots on goal, but Tulsa had a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.