AKRON, Ohio ? The Kentucky men?s soccer team battled to a 1-1 draw on Friday night with No. 26 Akron at Lee Jackson Field in Akron.

The tie by the Zips denied Kentucky (9-4-3, 4-1-1 Mid-America Conference) a guaranteed share of the MAC crown. The Wildcats must now hope for Akron (9-3-3, 2-1-2) to beat or tie Northern Illinois, which is 4-1 in league play, on Sunday.

Boomer Kotchin opened the scoring in the 39th minute for Akron. Kentucky was unlucky as the ball deflected off a defender right to Kotchin at the top of the box where he beat goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum.

Thomas Senecal tallied the equalizer less than a minute later on a header deep in the box. The ball was served in beautifully on a free kick by Jamal Shteiwi.

The Wildcats had a tremendous scoring opportunity in the 79th minute but Riley O?Neill?s shot careened off the crossbar. It was the second time a Kentucky shot hit metal in the game as Michael D?Agostino bounced one off the left post in the first half.

Shteiwi made a tremendous run in the second overtime but shot wide after evading three Akron defenders for the Wildcats best scoring opportunity in extra time.

Most of Akron?s shots came from a distance and went either high or wide throughout. On the Zips’ two best chances, both late in regulation, Gruenebaum came up with a pair of tremendous saves by diving to his left. Kentucky finished with a 5-4 advantage on shots on goal.

The game was the 14th straight for the Wildcats to hold an opponent to one goal or less. It is the longest such streak for Kentucky since 2001.

Kentucky returns to action on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. when it hosts Cincinnati in the final home contest of the regular season.