Goalkeeper David Meves

MAC Tournament is this weekend

The four-team field for the 2012 MAC Tournament, which will be held at FirstEnergy Stadium – Cub Cadet Field this weekend, is set.

As the league's regular-season champion and No. 1 seed, the Zips will host No. 4 seed Bowling Green (8-8-3, 3-3-1) Friday night at 7:30 p.m. (ET) in the second semifinal match of the day. The first semifinal match – featuring No. 2 Northern Illinois (6-9-3, 4-2-1) and No. 3 West Virginia (9-5-2, 4-2-1) – will begin at 4 p.m. The MAC final will be played at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased on-line at GoZips.com/Tickets, on the phone by calling 1-888-99-AKRON (25766) or by visiting the C.P. and Cornelia S. Chima Athletics Ticket Office at InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field (located at the southwest corner of the venue, near Gate 1, at East Exchange and South Union streets).

Zips ranked No. 1 nationally

The men's soccer team is ranked No. 1 in the nation in three polls, including the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll.

The Zips are unbeaten in their last 13 matches and winners of their last 12. The Zips closed out a stellar regular season with a 1-0 win against Western Michigan on Saturday and immediately turned their attention to the post-season.

"If you look at our results against some of the best teams in the country, we've proven that we're battle tested and ready for the post-season," coach Caleb Porter said after Saturday's game. "Now we start season two — the MAC Tournament. We need to take care of business — hope to raise that trophy. Then we move onto the third season. That's the most important season, the NCAA Tournament."

Highlights of the regular season include:

• Reinaldo Brenes, who had just one goal through his first two seasons at UA due to lingering injuries and limited activity, is currently the team leader with 10 goals in 15 matches after switching positions this fall.
• Senior captain Scott Caldwell -- a first team All-American soccer player and one of the nation’s top student-athletes with 3.9 GPA -- is up for the national Senior Class Award. He scored the game-winning goal in 2010 that enabled UA to earn its first national championship in a team sport. Vote for Scott in the Senior Class Award.
• Goalkeeper David Meves is enjoying arguably his finest season as a senior and broke the school shutouts record with his 52nd clean sheet against Western Michigan. He was named National Player of the Week by College Soccer News Monday. 
• UA has now won the last eight MAC regular-season championships and has not been defeated in a league game since 2006.
• UA recorded its 16th shutout of the season, which is tied for the third-highest total in school history. The Zips have allowed just one goal in their last 1,181:30 of play, dating back to Sept. 14.