Facing the top-ranked Division I men's soccer team in the nation, Hartwick College couldn't hold a one-goal lead in falling, 3-2, before 2,100 fans at The University of Akron on Saturday.
Midfielder Anthony Ampaipitakwong snapped a 2-all tie with 6 minutes, 54 seconds left for the Zips (18-0), who will host the Mid-American Conference Tournament next weekend.
The loss broke an 11-game unbeaten streak for the Hawks (9-3-4), who dropped to 3-1-2 in the MAC.
Hartwick has the second seed for the MAC Tournament and will play No. 3 Western Michigan in a semifinal at 3 p.m. Friday. Top-seeded Akron and No. 4 Northern Illinois follow at 6 p.m. Friday.
Semifinal winners will play for the championship at 4 p.m. Saturday. The MAC is not among the 21 conferences that will earn automatic NCAA Division I Tournament bids this season, so it's likely the Hawks will need a strong showing this weekend to secure an at-large bid.
Akron took a 1-0 lead 6:58 into play as Ampaipitakwong converted a 22-yard free kick. Nick Pratico and Michael Cunningham scored about seven minutes apart late in the first half to give Hartwick a 2-1 lead. Owen Botting set up both goals on throw-ins as Hartwick became the first team to lead Akron at the half since 2007, a stretch that covered 53 games.
First, Botting sent a long throw-in that Pratico headed past Akron keeper David Meves from 15 yards. Pratico's third goal of the season came 30:37 into play.
Another Botting throw-in set up Cunningham for his third goal of the season. Cunningham scored from 18 yards, marking the first time this season Akron allowed more than one goal in one game.
The Zips held an 8-3 edge in shots in the first half and finished with a 23-6 advantage. They also took nine of the game's 10 corner kicks.
After Hartwick started the second half with a corner and a shot off target, the Zips took six shots and five corners. They tied the score in the 72nd minute, when Chris Korb beat Hartwick goalie Jeremy Vuolo on a 35-yard shot.
Akron took three more shots after the tying goal before a straight red card on Cunningham in the 78th minute forced Hartwick to play a man down for the remainder of the game. After five minutes of the man-advantage, Teal Bunbury played a throughball to Blair Gavin, who back-heeled the ball to Ampaipitakwong for the clincher from 13 yards.
Hartwick will be without Cunningham, who was ejected after tackling Ampaipitakwong, for the first game of the MAC Tournament. Under NCAA rules, players who receive red cards must sit out the following game.
Pratico drew a yellow card for Hartwick, which committed 23 fouls to Akron's six.
Akron 3, Hartwick 2
Hartwick2 0 _ 2
Akron1 2 _ 3
Hartwick (9-3-4, 3-1-2): Nick Pratico 1-0, Michael Cunningham 1-0, Owen Botting 0-2.
Akron (18-0, 6-0): Anthony Ampaipitakwong 2-0, Chris Korb 1-0, Blair Gavin 0-1.
Shots-corner kicks: H 6-1; A 23-9.
Goalies: Jeremy Vuolo (H) 3; David Meves (A) 2.
{"HeadlineLight14"/}Women's Soccer
Geneseo wins SUNYACs
Oneonta High graduate Eileen Coyle had a goal and an assist to lead fifth-seeded Geneseo to a 2-1 victory over No. 6 Cortland (12-5-3) in the SUNY Athletic Conference championship game Saturday at Oneonta State's Red Dragon Field.
The Blue Knights (14-4-2) earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament with their fourth overall conference title and first since 1994.
Coyle, a senior who earned Daily Star co-Player of the Year honors for high school girls soccer in 2004, set up Kelly Bergin for the opening goal 33:41 into the final.
Coyle made it 2-0 at the 50:15 mark with an 18-yarder inside the left post off a pass from Bergin en route to all-tournament honors. Teammate Melissa Beale, a senior who scored in Geneseo's 1-0 semifinal upset of top-seeded O-State on Friday, was named tournament MVP.
Oneonta (11-5-3) will find out today if it will receive an at-large NCAA bid. The Red Dragons have qualified for the NCAAs in each of the last 10 years, on nine conference-tournament crowns and an at-large berth in 2006.
O-State entered the SUNYAC Tournament ranked fifth in the East Region, one spot ahead of Cortland and two in front of Geneseo.
The 2008 NCAA field included 61 teams. The East is one of eight regions in NCAA Division III play.
Oneonta fell, 2-1, to Rowan in the opening round of NCAAs last season.
