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BUFFALO, NY - The 20th-ranked UB men's soccer team begins Mid-American Conference play Friday when it hosts second-ranked Akron at UB Stadium. The game is at 7 pm and kicks off Homecoming Weekend at UB, as the Bulls look ahead to their biggest challenge of the season. The second-ranked Zips will be the highest-ranked soccer team to ever face off against any team in Western New York soccer history. The game will be broadcast live on the web as an internet-only broadcast and can be heard for free on the Bulls' website via Teamline.

After winning eight straight games, UB fell to the St. Francis (PA) Red Flash on Sept. 25. Their first defeat, although hard-felt and unrelenting, has taught the team humility, a trait not common amongst the giants that play in Division I competition each year. After claiming victories against Canisius and Boston University, the team now stands firmly at 10-1-0, and with the stress of playing undefeated lifted off their shoulders, they now look to rebound and develop a game plan for by far and away their toughest competition of the season, possibly ever.

As of Oct. 4, the Bulls ranked in the top five in the nation in scoring offense (3.00 goals per game) and winning percentage (0.909). Junior Andrae Clarke (Kingston, Jamaica/DeWitt Clinton) and sophomore Lee Catchpole (Norwich, England/Bungay) have helped lead the charge against the competition with a combined 44 points between them. Clarke ranks seventh in the nation in assists per game (0.82) and 14th in points per game (2.09). The team's 201-81 shot differential is substantial, as the Bulls search for a MAC Championship at the season's end.

The Akron Zips possess a 10-0-0 record and lead the nation in goals per game with 3.89. As of Oct. 4, they had three players who ranked among the top 15 in points per game and top 20 in goals per game. Geir Nyheim, Ross McKenzie and Sinisa Ubiparipovic combine for an astounding 6.46 points per game and have jump-started the Zips to their best start ever.

Akron leads the all-time series 1-11-0, with last year's bout occuring during the MAC Tournament semifinals. The Bulls lost 4-1 with the lone goal coming from Catchpole. Their only win came in 2000, when UB edged the Zips 2-1 in the first round of the MAC Tournament.

These two teams meet on Friday at 7 pm at UB Stadium. There is free admission and free parking for the event that kicks off UB's Homecoming Weekend.