AKRON, Ohio - Behind two goals from Anthony Ampaipitakwong, the No. 1 University of Akron men's soccer program came from behind to defeat Hartwick 3-2 in dramatic fashion in front of 2,158 fans Saturday night at Lee Jackson Field.

With the victory, the Zips (18-0-0, 6-0-0 MAC) completed a perfect regular season for just the second time in school history after first doing so with an 11-0 mark in 1968. But it didn't come easily as UA needed a pair of second-half goals to put the Hawks (9-3-4, 3-1-2 MAC) away.

Ampaipitakwong netted the game-winner in the 84th minute following a through ball by Teal Bunbury into the box and a back-heel redirection by Blair Gavin.

For the second straight game, the Zips jumped on top early as Ampaipitakwong gave UA a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute on a direct free kick from 22 yards out following a run by Darlington Nagbe that resulted in a Hawks' foul. But much like Michigan State did last Wednesday night, Hartwick did not back down and became the first team to score more than one goal in a game against the Zips.

Both goals came on set plays and followed throw-ins by Owen Botting. Nick Pratico headed in Hartwick's first goal in the 31st minute to tie the game and Michael Cunningham put the Hawks up 2-1 just seven minutes later.

It was the first time Akron had trailed at the half since 2007, snapping a string of 53 consecutive matches.

"We came out flying and were playing very well, then they caught us," said UA head coach Caleb Porter. "But I give a lot of credit to Hartwick – they had a couple of great plays and had us on our heels a bit at halftime. That being said, there was no doubt in our minds that we would win this game. I could just see in our player's eyes that they were excited for the second half and a chance to make amends."

The Zips were relentless with their attack in the second half – out-shooting the Hawks, 15-3 after the intermission – and tested Hartwick's loaded backfield again and again. Defender Chris Korb finally pulled the Zips even in the 72nd minute with a rocket from 35 yards out. It was the second goal of the juniors career and, coincidentally, both have come against Hartwick in game-tying situations.

Hartwick's Cunningham drew a crucial red card with a hard take-down of Ampaipitakwong in the 78th mintue and the Zips took advantage, scoring the go-ahead goal just minutes later.

"The second half was tremendous," Porter said. "I was pleased to see everybody's energy and belief because it's not easy to break down mass numbers. Hartwick was very organized and sat deep, but you could just feel it coming."

For the game, UA out-shot Hartwick, 23-6, and owned a 9-1 advantage in corner kicks. The Hawks committed 23 fouls to Akron's six and drew two cards.

"In some ways, deep down I was hoping something like this would happen where we get down and have to come from behind," Porter said. "To go through that adversity, overcome it and come out with the victory is something that we will learn from and use in the postseason. To think that we'll never be behind for the entire year is unrealistic. Now we know that if it does happen, we can respond and we will respond."

Akron will next prepare for the Mid-American Conference Tournament, which will be held at Lee Jackson Field next weekend. The top-seeded Zips will face the fourth-seeded Northern Illinois Huskies in a rematch of last year's championship game at 6 p.m. To purchase tickets in advance, call 1-888-99-AKRON.

Zips Notebook: Akron seniors C.J. Kaufman, Stefan Ostergren, Ivan Sandoval and team captain Ben Zemanski were each recognized as part of Senior Night prior to the start of Saturday's game ... Korb scored a goal against Hartwick in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament last season at Lee Jackson Field. The goal tied the game at 1-all in the 87th minute and forced overtime. UA eventually defeated the Hawks on penalty kicks to advance to the league championship game ... UA is undefeated in its last 32 (30-0-2) regular-season matches at Lee Jackson Field, including a perfect 8-0 mark in 2009. Since 2005, the Zips are 48-2-4 (.926) on their home field.