The No. 8 Creighton men’s soccer team upset No.1 Akron on the road 5-4 on penalty kicks, after the Jays and Zips finished in a 1-1 draw for the second time this season, to advance to an NCAA Quarterfinal for a second straight year. CU freshman Timo Pitter played a starring role in the Bluejays’ victory. The team’s leading scorer tapped in the game-tying goal and then clinched the match with the final successful penalty kick. As a result the Jays moved to 16-3-3 on the year while Akron ended its season at 18-1-3. Creighton advances to face No. 4 seed Connecticut on Sunday, Dec. 2 at noon CT in Storrs, Conn., in the Elite Eight.
Creighton, the No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament, won against the No. 5 seed Akron who had not lost at home all season. After the Zips scored a goal in the 12th minute, the Bluejays continued to battle throughout the contest. It was not until the 83rd minute that Creighton tied the match at 1-1 as senior co-captain Andrew Ribeiro fed Pitter. The first-year player from Germany beat Akron’s goalkeeper David Meves one-on-one to net his team-leading 10th goal of the season.
