Akron Zips 2009 thread

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Following one of the best campaigns in program history, the University of Akron men's soccer team was ranked sixth in the nation, according to a preseason poll released by College Soccer News Thursday.

The Zips, who were ranked No. 9 in the final CSN and NSCAA/adidas polls a year ago, will return seven of 11 starters and nine letterwinners overall this fall – including All-American Anthony Ampaipitakwong and freshman All-Americans Kofi Sarkodie and Darlington Nagbe – from a team that recorded the second-highest win total in school history in 2008.

Moreover, UA set a new standard for defensive efficiency, holding its opposition to a goals-against-average of 0.45 – the top mark in the country – despite playing one of the most difficult schedules in Division I with an NCAA RPI of 7. Akron was also ranked fifth in the nation for win percentage (.826) and shutout percentage (0.61), 11th in scoring offense (2.04 goals/game) and 12th in save percentage (.849).

Highlights from the record-setting season included the program's 11 Mid-American Conference regular-season championship, its sixth MAC Tournament title and the school's fourth all-time trip to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. Furthermore, Akron secured the highest NCAA Tournament seed in program history with a No. 5 designation and spent nine of 13 weeks ranked in the top five of the NSCAA/adidas national poll.

Joining UA's core of returning veterans this fall, will be a host of heralded newcomers. This group, which features seven All-Americans and six players with national team experience, was named the No. 1 recruiting class in the country by ESPN Rise.com last February.

Also making the preseason poll were six schools on UA's 2009 schedule, including three home opponents. No. 7 Indiana (Sept. 18), No. 24 St. Louis (Sept. 20) and No. 25 Michigan State (Nov. 4) will all make the trip to Lee Jackson Field this fall while the Zips will be on the road to face No. 27 SMU (Sept. 4), No. 12 Tulsa (Sept. 6) and No. 11 UIC (Oct. 7).

The Zips will open the fall season with a pair of exhibition games in late August before officially kicking off the 2009 campaign at the Tulsa Tournament against SMU and Tulsa in early September.

2009 College Soccer News Preseason Top 30 Rankings
1. St. John's
2. Creighton
3. Wake Forest
4. North Carolina
5. Maryland
6. Akron
7. Indiana*
8. California
9. Northwestern
10. Dartmouth
11. UIC*
12. Tulsa*
13. South Florida
14. UC Irvine
15. Loyola (Md.)
16. Notre Dame
17. UCLA
18. Dayton
19. UC Santa Barbara
20. Connecticut
21. Drake
22. Virginia
23. Boston Univ.
24. Saint Louis*
25. Michigan State*
26. Cal Poly
27. SMU*
28. Louisville
29. George Mason
30. San Francisco
* 2009 UA Opponent

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Two rising stars on the University of Akron men's soccer team, Anthony Ampaipitakwong and Kofi Sarkodie were named to the 2009 Preseason All-America team by College Soccer News (CSN) Thursday.

Akron was just one of four schools to place multiple members on the esteemed 33-player squad. Ampaipitakwong, an NSCAA All-American in 2008, was named to the second team while Sarkodie, a Soccer America Freshman All-American last fall, garnered third-team honors.

Also landing more than one player on the list were Wake Forest (3), St. John's (2) and Creighton (2).

National acclaim has become common-place for Ampaipitakwong, who was a much-hyped freshman in 2007 and a gem of UA head coach Caleb Porter's first recruiting class. The junior midfielder is a two-time, NSCAA all-region first team performer and All-Mid-American Conference first team honoree. He was also a CSN Freshman All-American following an '07 campaign that saw him lead all first-year players in Division I with an average of 0.43 assists per game (32nd nationally overall).

The playmaker from Carrollton, Texas, followed that up by becoming more of a finisher – doubling his goal total (4) in 2008. More importantly, half of his goals were decisive ones as Ampaipitakwong sunk Michigan in a 1-0 victory at Lee Jackson Field (Oct. 22) after leading the Zips to a 2-0 win at Bowling Green (Oct. 11).

Ampaipitakwong, who was named to the NSCAA All-America third team last December, also added five assists while helping orchestrate the nation's 11th-ranked scoring offense (2.04 goals/game).

Sarkodie, another highly-touted recruit and U.S. national youth team veteran, wasted little time making an impact on the college scene in notching the game-winner in UA's 3-0 season-opening upset of then-ranked No. 3 Notre Dame last August.

The athletic defender from Huber Heights, Ohio started all 23 games as a first-year player was a key component in a defensive unit that led the nation in goals-against-average (0.45), setting a new school standard. Furthermore, the Zips defense was ranked fifth in the country for shutout percentage (0.61) and 12th for save percentage (.849).

In addition to his game-winning goal versus the Irish, Sarkodie also recorded a pair of assists in 2008 while playing lock-down defense. For his efforts, he was named to the NSCAA all-region second team (the only freshman named to the 33-player all-region squad), and was named to the All-Freshman team by Soccer America and Top Drawer Soccer.

Ampaipitakwong and Sarkodie represent two of seven starters returning for Akron, which was ranked No. 6 in CSN's preseason poll last week. The Zips, which advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Championships for the fourth time in school history last fall, finished with a 17-2-4 overall record and will open their 2009 campaign at the Tulsa Tournament versus SMU on Sept. 4.

2009 College Soccer News Preseason All-America Teams
First Team
Andrew Wiedeman, California
Andre Akpan, Harvard
Samson Malijani, FDU
Nelson Becerra, St. John's
Corben Bone, Wake Forest
Michael Stephens, UCLA
Craig Henderson, Dartmouth
Chris Schuler, Creighton
Ike Opara, Wake Forest
Joel Gustafsson, St. Jonn's
Jovan Bubonja, UIC

Second Team
Cody Arnoux, Wake Forest
Conor Chin, San Francisco
Byron Dacy, Creighton
J.T. Noone, Temple
Anthony Ampaipitakwong, Akron
Toni Stahl, Connecticut
Ben Arikian, Massachusetts
Tenant McVea, Loyola (Md.)
Barry Rice, Kentucky
Mark Blades, Northwestern
Zack Johnson, West Virginia

Third Team
Paulo da Silva, SMU
Casey Townsend, Maryland
Garrett Webb, Drake
Alex Torda, Dayton
Tony Tchani, Virginia
Ryan Kinne, Monmouth
Tim Ream, Saint Louis
Patrick Sigler, Cal Poly
Kofi Sarkodie, Akron
Nick Cardenas, San Diego State
Jimmy Maurer, South Carolina

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Despite losing the top scorer in the nation and arguably the best goal keeper in the history of the program, the University of Akron men's soccer team is the team to beat in 2009, according to a preseason poll conducted by Top Drawer Soccer, which awarded the Zips a No. 1 designation Tuesday.

According to the website, "Caleb Porter’s program gets the nod as the #1 selection in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Tournament 48 Men’s College Soccer pre-season ranking, continuing the Mid-American Conference school’s rise to nationally-elite status over the past few years. Despite losing all-everything forward Steve Zakuani, standout goalkeeper Evan Bush and others, the Zips continue to bring in top recruiting classes each season and should be able to more than make up for the loss of the departing seniors.

"A defensive unit that includes youngsters Zarek Valentin, Chad Barson and Kofi Sarkodie plus Matt Dagilis and Chris Korb will be very strong. Add new goalkeeper David Meves of Sockers FC and the U17 Men’s National Team and a very solid midfield unit, and the Zips are looking good. Finding a consistent source of goals will be the biggest challenge but I suspect the goals will come from a cast of many."

Looking up at Akron in the top five are College Cup finalist No. 2 St. John's, No. 3 Creighton, No. 4 California and defending national champions No. 5 Maryland.

Other notabale schools listed in the top 30 include eight 2009 UA opponents; Indiana (No. 6), UIC (No. 11), South Florida (No. 12), Tulsa (No. 15), SMU (No. 18), Michigan (No. 24), Michigan State (No. 27) and Ohio State (No. 29).

Also released later Tuesday was the National Soccer Coaches Association of Amerca/adidas preseason poll, which ranked Akron No. 3 along with Wake Forest. It is the third preseason poll the Zips have garnered favorable placement as UA was ranked No. 6 by College Soccer News (CSN) last June.

The Zips, who were ranked No. 9 in the final CSN and NSCAA/adidas polls a year ago, will return seven of 11 starters and nine letterwinners overall this fall – including All-American Anthony Ampaipitakwong and freshman All-Americans Sarkodie and Darlington Nagbe – from a team that recorded the second-highest win total in school history in 2008.

Moreover, UA set a new standard for defensive efficiency, holding its opposition to a goals-against-average of 0.45 – the top mark in the country – despite playing one of the most difficult schedules in Division I with an NCAA RPI of 7. Akron was also ranked fifth in the nation for win percentage (.826) and shutout percentage (0.61), 11th in scoring offense (2.04 goals/game) and 12th in save percentage (.849).

Highlights from the record-setting season included the program's 11 Mid-American Conference regular-season championship, its sixth MAC Tournament title and the school's fourth all-time trip to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. Furthermore, Akron secured the highest NCAA Tournament seed in program history with a No. 5 designation and spent nine of 13 weeks ranked in the top five of the NSCAA/adidas national poll.

Recruiting Class Receives More Accolades
College Soccer News announced its top 40 recruiting classes in the nation Tuesday and Akron's much hyped class of 2009 earned top honors after being awarded the top slot by ESPN Rise last February.

"Under head coach Caleb Porter and assistants Dave Giffard and Jared Embick, Akron has become one of the superpowers of the recruiting trail. The Zips rounded up a ten member dream class that includes U.S. U-18 National Team member Ben Speas, who is a Parade and NSCAA High School All-American; Zarek Valentin, who is a U.S. U-20 National Team member and NSCAA High School All-American; Chad Barson who is a U.S. U-18 National Team member and Parade and NSCAA Youth All-American; David Meves who is a U.S. U-17 National Team member and Parade and NSCAA Youth All-American; and Scott Caldwell who is a U.S. U-18 National Team member and Parade All-American."

The Zips will officially begin training for the 2009 season next week with two-a-day practices leading up to their exhibition match against South Florida next Friday at 7:30 p.m. Lee Jackson Field.

2009 Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Poll
1. Akron
2. St. John's
3. Creighton
4. California
5. Maryland
6. Indiana*
7. Wake Forest
8. Northwestern
9. North Carolina
10. UC Santa Barbara
11. UIC*
12. South Florida#
13. Notre Dame
14. Connecticut
15. Tulsa*
16. Virginia
17. Louisville
18. SMU*
19. Dayton
20. UCLA
21. Boston College
22. San Francisco
23. Dartmouth
24. Michigan*
25. Denver
26. Duke
27. Michigan State*
28. George Mason
29. Ohio State*
30. Santa Clara

* - 2009 UA regular season opponent
# - 2009 UA exhibition opponent

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University of Akron junior Anthony Ampaipitakwong has been named to the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy Watch List for 2009. The All-American midfielder becomes the second Akron men's soccer player to be named to the list in as many years, following 2008 first runner-up Steve Zakuani.

Considered the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer, the recipients of the MAC's Hermann Trophy are selected by Division I head coaches who are current members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Ampaipitakwong is among 38 of the best men's Division I intercollegiate soccer players that comprise the 2009 Watch List.

Ampaipitakwong was the only player from the Mid-American Conference and one of 15 midfielders to make the exclusive list.

The Carrollton, Texas native was an NSCAA All-American third team honoree last season and a 2009 preseason All-American after starting all 23 games for the nation's 11th-ranked offense. He finished fourth on the team with five assists while finding the net himself four times – including the game-winner in a victory over Michigan at Lee Jackson Field – as UA netted 47 goals as a team; its second-highest total since 1999.

The former College Soccer News Freshman All-American (2007) was one of several prize recruits in head coach Caleb Porter's first class, which was ranked No. 5 in the nation.

Ampaipitakwong burst onto the scene as a first-year player, scoring the game-winning goal in his first collegiate contest, a 3-1 decision over New Mexico. The early success was a sign of things to come as the playmaker went on to post six assists over a three-game span, including three in a win at Wright State. It was the second highest, single-game assist total recorded by a Division I player in 2007 and third-highest in school history.

In all, Ampaipitakwong finished the year with nine assists, which led the team, to go along with two goals, including the game-winner in Akron's double-overtime victory against Buffalo in the MAC Championship game. His 0.43 assists-per-game average was the 32nd-highest mark in the nation and first among all freshmen.

A list of 15 semifinalists for the Hermann Trophy will be selected by a coaches committee in November, with three finalists announced in early December. They will invited to the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, Mo., for a news conference on Jan. 8, 2010, where the winner will be announced, with a presentation banquet following.

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Friday night there is no admission for the exhibition against #12 South Florida.

The Zips will be in two-a-days all week as camp started yesterday. They open the season against SMU on September 4th, and the home opener is on the 18th against #6 Indiana. That is the second game of a double header.

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AKRON, Ohio - A goal by Michael Nanchoff in the 77th minute before a record-setting crowd at Lee Jackson Field lifted the No. 1 University of Akron men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over No. 8 Indiana Friday night.

Nanchoff's game-winner came on a free kick from the top of the box, slipped past a wall of IU defenders and found its way into the bottom right corner of the net. With the win, the Zips (5-0-0) stayed perfect on the year and defeated their second ranked opponent in as many tries following their 1-0 decision over No. 14 Tulsa on Sept. 6.

"I thought it was pretty even in the first half and IU could have caught up a couple of times," said UA head coach Caleb Porter. "But we clearly came out as the aggressor in the second half and did what was needed to get the win."

Friday's highly-anticipated match-up drew a capacity crowd of 2,443 fans to Lee Jackson Field – far surpassing the previous high of 2,319 set in 2005 in a 3-0 win vs. Ohio State.

Defensively, it was UA's fourth shutout in five games. Akron is now undefeated at home in its last 25 regular season games and owns a 42-2-4 record at Lee Jackson Field since 2005.

As could be expected in a game featuring two premiere teams, the Zips and Hoosiers felt each other out in what proved to be an exciting opening period. Junior Blair Gavin had the hot hand early, firing a pair of shots – including an attempt that was denied by an IU defender following a perfectly-placed pass from Anthony Ampaipitakwong in the 12th minute.

Sophomore Teal Bunbury was also aggressive in a scoreless halftime with a pair of shots of his own. But the IU defense was up to the task in a back-and-forth affair.

The second half was a much different story however as UA began to take control of the game.

"I was really proud of the way we played in the second half," Porter said. "Not to take anything away from Indiana because they have a very talented team, but with the players we have, I really felt that if we could control the ball and dictate the action we would come out on top. I really liked the energy and focus we had coming out after the half."

Bunbury opened the second half with a pair of quick shots to spark the attack.

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http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4527203

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The No. 1 University of Akron men's soccer team officially clinched the Mid-American Conference regular season championship and the right to host the league tournament on Nov. 13 and 15 following Hartwick's 1-1 tie against Western Michigan Saturday night.

For the Zips (16-0, 5-0 MAC), it is their fifth straight MAC regular-season title and 12th overall since joining the league in 1993.

As the No. 1 seed, Akron will once again be the host site for the MAC Tournament. Unlike last year's format, however, when all six schools qualified, this year's postseason has been trimmed down to the league's top four teams.

As a result, Lee Jackson Field will be the host of two semifinal games on Friday, Nov. 13, as well as the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 15. The No. 2 seed will face the No. 3 seed in the first semifinal match-up at 3 p.m. with the Zips taking on the No. 4 seed in the night cap, starting at 6 p.m. The championship game is scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m.

The other three participating schools have also been determined as well as Hartwick (8-2-4, 3-0-2), Northern Illinois (10-6-1, 3-2-0) and Western Michigan (6-8-1, 2-1-1) will also make the trip to Akron.

Tickets for the MAC Tournament are $10 for adults and $5 for youth and can be purchased by calling 1-888-99-AKRON. University students with valid ID's will be admitted free of charge.

Akron has two more regular season matches left, both at home, before beginning postseason play. The Zips will host Michigan State Wednesday and Hartwick Saturday with both matches starting at 7:30 p.m.

2009 Mid-American Conference Men's Soccer Tournament
at Lee Jackson Field, Akron, Ohio

Friday, November 13
Semifinals, No. 2 seed vs. No. 3 seed, 3 p.m.
Semifinals, No. 1 Akron vs. No. 4 seed, 6 p.m.

Sunday, November 15
Championship, 4 p.m.

All times are EST.

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#1 seed University of Akron faces a former conference foe when they take on USF in the second round match at Lee Jackson Field on Sunday. The Zips had a first round bye, and home field advantage through the Elite Eight.

Akron is the onlu undefeated team in Division I, and hasn't even been tied.

4th seeded Ohio State would face Akron in the semifinals, televised on ESPN, if both teams make it. The other top seeds are Virginia (2) and Wake Forest (3). Catch the full brackets at NCAA.COM

Anyone else going?

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#1 seed University of Akron faces a former conference foe when they take on USF in the second round match at Lee Jackson Field on Sunday.

Why do I think Mr. Mac will be reappearing in this thread?
Akron's soccer team is pretty doggone good.

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It's funny looking back, the best player on the team this year wasn't even listed in the pre-season All Americans. lol

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If there's a team that needs a new stadium, this is it. There's no reason fans should be turned away.

The Zips faced an attacking USF team and held them to one shot-on-goal. They now head into the Round of 16. With 21 consecutive victories, UA also matched the second longest, single-season win streak in NCAA history and will host the winner of Stanford vs. UC Irvine next Sunday at 4 p.m. at Lee Jackson Field.

Ohio State lost to unseeded Drake in overtime.

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Akron 2 Stanford 0

Next up, Tulsa and the Elite Eight. The Zips are now 23-0.

We beat Tulsa earlier this season to title the Radisson Tulsa Airport Classic. This time it's on our turf.

Buy your tickets early, the Stanford game sold out on Tuesday...

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University of Akron junior Anthony Ampaipitakwong and sophomore Teal Bunbury were among 15 semifinalists for the 2009 Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy, the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer.

Overall, six teams in the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Elite Eight have a total of eight players representing them. UA and Wake Forest lead the way with two players each.

Division I college head coaches with current membership in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) will vote to determine the 2009 MAC Hermann Trophy recipient. Three finalists for the award will be announced on Friday, Dec. 11 and will be invited to the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis for a news conference on Friday, Jan. 8, 2010, where the winner will be announced. Dinner and a formal presentation of the award will follow the news conference that evening.

Ampaipitakwong, an NSCAA third team All-American in 2008, has started all 22 games this season for the Zips (22-0-0). He has been UA's driving force on the attack with three goals in two NCAA Tournament games – including the game-winner against South Florida in the second round – entering Saturday's quarterfinal match-up with eighth-seeded Tulsa.

In all, the midfielder from Carrollton, Texas, has netted eight goals to go with five assists for 36 points – ranking third on the team – on the year. On top of that, half of his goals have been game-winners. He is a three-time All-Mid-American Conference First Team honoree.

After a strong freshman campaign, Bunbury has blossomed into the nation's most dangerous goal scorer in 2009. The reigning MAC Player of the Year, who leads the country with 17 goals on the season, has dictated the outcome of nine UA wins alone with five game-winning goals and four assists that led to game-winners.

In all, he has recorded at least one point 16 times in 22 games and scored multiple goals in four contests. Bunbury enjoyed an incredible run from late September to early November, scoring 14 goals in a 12-game span, including game-winners against Florida Atlantic, Virginia Tech, Buffalo and Penn State. For the season, the striker from Prior Lake, Minn., has totaled a tea-high 39 points while starting every game this season.

His header against Stanford last weekend proved to be the difference in leading the Zips to the third NCAA quarterfinal appearance in school history. UA is attempting to become the first team in 35 years to win a national championship and is currently riding the second longest, single-season win streak in NCAA history.

It is the second consecutive year Akron has been represented on the Hermann Trophy semifinalist list. Current professional star Steve Zakuani was named first runner up a year ago before becoming the No. 1 overall draft pick of the MLS SuperDraft.

Representing the Demon Deacons are a pair of juniors, midfielder Corben Bone and defender Ike Opara. Rounding out the list of players from Elite Eight teams are Zach Loyd (North Carolina), Kyle Nakazawa (UCLA), Tony Tchani (Virginia) and Garrett Webb (Drake). Harvard senior forward Andre Akpan makes his third appearance among the semifinalists.

2009 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Semifinalists
Andre Akpan, F, Sr., Harvard, Grand Prairie, Texas
Anthony Ampaipitakwong, M, Jr., Akron, Carrollton, Texas
Corben Bone, M, Jr., Wake Forest, Plano, Texas
Teal Bunbury, F, So., Akron, Prior Lake, Minn.
Ryan Kinne, M, Jr., Monmouth, Naugatuck, Conn.
Zach Loyd, D, Sr., North Carolina, Verdigris, Okla.
Danny Mwanga, F, So., Oregon State, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
Kyle Nakazawa, F, Sr., UCLA, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
Conor O'Brien, M, Sr., Bucknell, Mt. Sinai, N.Y.
Ike Opara, D, Jr., Wake Forest, Durham, N.C.
Colin Rolfe, F, So., Louisville, Canton, Mich.
Toni Stahl, M, Sr., Connecticut, Tuusula, Finland
Tony Tchani, M, So., Virginia, Norfolk, Va.
Bobby Warshaw, M, Jr., Stanford, Mechanicsburg, Pa.
Garrett Webb, F, Sr., Drake, Prairie Village, Kan.

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From collegesoccernews.com, a preview of Saturday's Elite Eight match

the game will be broadcast on FoxSports 1350 AM

#8 Tulsa (15-4-2) vs. #1 Akron (22-0-0) - The two top seeds in the bracket advance to face each other on Saturday, December 5 at Lee Jackson field in Akron. A full house is expected along with an electric atmosphere.

This contest is a rematch as Akron and Tulsa tangled back in the first weekend of regular season play in the Radisson Tulsa Airport Classic with the Zips coming out on top 1-0. Junior midfielder Anthony Ampaipitakwong netted the game-winning goal for the Zips in the tenth minute of play in that encounter with sophomore forward Teal Bunbury contributing the assist. However, that contest was even more noteworthy because it served notice that the Akron backline consisting of Kofi Sarkodie, Zarek Valentin, Chris Korb, and Chad Barson and freshman goalkeeper David Meves were going to be a force to contend with. In that regard Akron has recorded sixteen shutouts in twenty-two outings.

Akron out of the Mid-American Conference advanced to the Elite Eight with a 2-0 win over Stanford. Tulsa out of Conference USA earned a spot in the quarterfinals win a 1-0 win over Northwestern avenging a 3-2 loss in overtime that they had sustained when facing the Wildcats in regular season play back on September 13. Tulsa will no doubt come into the contest with Akron believing that they can also turn the table on the Zips when it counts the most.

Akron has defied the odds with a perfect season to date despite fielding a team that has a starting lineup that features seven underclassmen including three true freshmen including Meves in the very crucial goalkeeping role. The fact that Akron is unbeaten and seeking to become the first team since twenty-five years to win a national championship with a perfect record is very impressive when you take into consideration that they have played a very competitive schedule that has included the likes of Indiana, Ohio State, Illinois Chicago, Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, Hartwick, and South Florida.

Forwards Teal Bunbury (17g, 5a) and Darlington Nagbe (10g, 3a) give the Zips one of the most potent combinations up-top in the country. Each has netted five game-winning goals. Midfielder Ampaipitakwong (8g, 5a) who has tallied three goals in two NCAA Tourney matches so far this year and midfielder Michael Nanchoff (5g, 11a) add offensive punch to the Akron midfield. The fact that Akron has scored a total of fifty-seven goals while allowing opponents to score a total of seven speaks volumes regarding how dominant this team has been to date.

Tulsa is clearly the underdog in this contest but they match up well with Akron and have the potential to pull off the upset if they can withstand the pressure that the Zips will likely put them under. The Golden Hurricane have a very potent offense of their own that when clicking can score in multiples. Tulsa has a high octane and diverse attack led by sophomore Neil Austin (13g, 3a), junior Ashley McInnes (9g, 8a) and senior Jose Parada (9g, 5a). Sophomore back Justin Chaves, who was named the CUSA Defender of the Year and senior back Chris Taylor anchor a Tulsa backline that has allowed a total of twenty-five goals to date. Senior Andy Aguilar is the starting keeper for the Golden Hurricane.

The key to this match will be whether or not Tulsa can contain the Akron attack. If they can they have a shot at doing what no other team has been able to do all year - beat Akron. If they can’t then the Akron string of consecutive wins will stay alive. Look for both teams to press the attack which should make it an interesting up-tempo matchup.

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Game on!!!! Zips are up 1-0 in the first half.

Listen in on 1350 AM or http://www.gozips.com/newMediaPlayer/co ... emid=10800

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Final Four, here we come!!!

Now we get to play North Carolina in, well, Raleigh North Carolina. Some home field advantage for being #1 seed...

Hopefully it goes better than last year when our home tournmant game was "moved" to Northwestern.

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Sophomore Teal Bunbury, who was named Player of the Year, was one of five University of Akron men's soccer players honored by Goal.com this week.

Joining Bunbury, the nation's leading scorer, on the Goal.com First Team were junior midfielder Anthony Ampaipitakwong and sophomore defender Kofi Sarkodie. Goalkeeper David Meves and defender Zarek Valentin were named to the All-Freshman Team. Both Bunbury and Ampaipitakwong are semifinalists for the prestigious 2009 Hermann Trophy.

According to Goal.com, Bunbury "left many fans, opponents, and scouts in awe of his agility, pace, and power during Akron's undefeated season. He was the focal point of the Akron attack that led the nation in scoring. He topped the charts in goals scored with seventeen plus he added five helpers. If assists were awarded for suffering fouls that led to free kick goals, his point tally would double.

"While Akron's league opponents were not the most difficult competition, their out-of-conference schedule was more than adequate to showcase Bunbury's prowess at the highest collegiate level. Against teams that made the NCAA tournament this regular season, he registered ten points; averaging more than a point per game. It has been a season to treasure for the Akron faithful; Bunbury has been the pinnacle for much of the success."

Bunbury, the reigning Mid-American Conference Player of the Year, has developed into the most dangerous striker in the nation. Of his 17 goals, five have been game-winners while four of his five assists have led to game-winning goals.

In all, he has recorded at least one point 16 times in 22 games and scored multiple goals in four contests. Bunbury enjoyed an incredible run from late September to early November, scoring 14 goals in a 12-game span, including game-winners against Florida Atlantic, Virginia Tech, Buffalo and Penn State. For the season, the striker from Prior Lake, Minn., has totaled a team-high 39 points while starting every game this season.

The top-seeded Zips (22-0-0) will host eighth-seeded Tulsa (15-4-2) Saturday at 4 p.m. (EST) in the NCAA quarterfinals at Lee Jackson Field. UA is attempting to become the first team in 35 years to win a national championship with a perfect record.

Goal.com Teams of the Year

First Team
GK: Brian Perk, Senior, UCLA: 14 Games played, .82 save percentage, 50 saves, 5 shutouts
DEF: Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Senior, UCONN: 19 games started, 3 goals, 13 shutouts
DEF: Ike Opara, Junior, Wake Forest: 15 games started, 3 goals, 2 assists, 9 shutouts
DEF: Kofi Sarkodie, Sophomore, Akron: 21 games started, 2 goals, 7 assists, 16 shutouts
MID: Tony Tchani, Sophomore, Virginia: 20 games started, 7 goals, 3 assists
MID: Rafael Baca, Junior, LMU: 20 games started, 9 goals, 5 assists
MID: Anthony Ampaipitakwong, Junior, Akron: 22 games started, 8 goals, 5 assists
MID: Kyle Nakazawa, Senior, UCLA: 19 games started, 12 goals, 7 assists
MID: Corben Bone, Junior, Wake Forest: 22 games started, 2 goals, 12 assists
FWD: Danny Mwanga, Sophomore, Oregon State: 18 games started, 14 goals, 2 assists
FWD: Teal Bunbury, Sophomore, Akron: 22 games started, 17 goals, 5 assists

Freshman Team
GK: David Meves, Akron: 22 games started, .837 save percentage, 36 saves, 16 shutouts
DEF: Zarek Valentin, Akron: 22 games started, 16 shutouts
DEF: Anthony Arena, Wake Forest: 22 games stated, 3 goals, 9 shutouts
DEF/MID: Andrew Wenger, Duke: 21 games started, 4 goals, 3 assists, 7 shutouts
MID/DEF: Machael David, UCSB: 23 games started, 1 goal, 4 assists, 16 shutouts
MID: Amobi Okugo, UCLA: 19 games started, 2 assists
MID: Dominic Reinold, Farleigh Dickinson: 18 games started, 12 goals, 4 assists
MID: Issa Tall, Adelphi: 18 games started, 16 goals, 1 assist
FWD: Will Bates, Virginia: 18 games started, 11 goals, 1 assist
FWD: Patrick Wallen, San Diego: 17 games started, 7 goals, 5 assists
FWD: Ryan Finley, Duke: 21 games started, 11 goals, 5 assists

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The top-seeded University of Akron men's soccer team will face fifth-seeded North Carolina in the second of two national semifinal matches on Friday, Dec. 11, at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.

Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. (EST). The game will be shown live on ESPNU and on tape delay on ESPN2 on Dec. 12, starting at 11 a.m.

No. 2 Virginia and No. 3 Wake Forest will play in the first semifinal game at 5 p.m. on ESPN2 Friday. The winners will meet in the national championship game on Sunday, December 13, at 1 p.m. on ESPN2. Fans can also listen live locally to all Akron games on 1350 AM (WARF).

The Zips (23-0-0) matched the NCAA record for most consecutive wins in a single season last Saturday against Tulsa and is attempting to become the first team in 35 years to win a national championship with a perfect record.

Interactive NCAA Bracket

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This is in NC because that's where the Final Four is being held???

Would seem to be another shitty break for a 1 seed to endure.

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Yeah kind of like USC and UCLA playing in the Rose Bowl.

When UCLA made bowls...

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7:30 tonight. ESPNU.

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http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college ... am_wi.html

Zips win! Next is the championship game!

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After playing to a scoreless tie through 110 minutes, the University of Akron men's soccer team was defeated by Virginia in penalty kicks, 3-2, Sunday afternoon in the NCAA national championship game at WakeMed Stadium before 5,679 fans.

The top-seeded Zips (23-1-1) suffered the loss despite posting their fifth straight shutout of the NCAA Tournament, spanning 490 consecutive minutes. Akron, which defeated No. 5 North Carolina on 5-4 penalty kicks in the semifinal match Friday night, could not do so again Sunday in a match-up of the top two defensive teams in the country.

Virginia led 3-1 after three rounds of penalty kicks after Akron's Zarek Valentin and Kofi Sarkodie failed to convert. UVA's Jonathan Villanueva and Greg Monaco each had a chance to clinch the title, but Zips true freshman goalkeeper David Meves made a pair of brilliant saves to extend the shootout. In between, fellow Akron freshman Scott Caldwell found the net to close the gap to one, but Blair Gavin's final attempt sailed high.

The second-seeded Cavaliers (19-3-3) claimed their sixth College Cup championship and first since they won four straight national titles from 1991-94.

"It's tough to lose that way," said UA head coach Caleb Porter. "I'd like to credit Virginia for playing very well and putting up a good fight. They played us as tough as any team this year. As you get closer to winning a national championship, second place hurts more. You get so close you can taste it."

"What makes this one even more tough is that we didn't give up a goal in the entire NCAA Tournament, and yet we don't take home any hardware. I told the guys that they have nothing to hang their heads on. They raised the bar in my opinion. The way they played the game, I can hold my head high knowing we did everything we could."

UA suffered the loss despite out-shooting UVA, 12-10, and recording more corner kicks, 6-4. Moreover, the Zips were on the ball for much of the contest yet unable to capitalize.

"I thought we had chances today, but two incredible goalkeepers kept making plays," Porter said. "The defenders also made good plays and in the end it was a tie. You have to have a winner and in our sport penalty kicks is how they determine that. I've been a part of a team that has won that way as well, and I can tell you it's better than losing. But it doesn't feel quite as good as actually winning the game."

For the Zips, the result put an end to the greatest season in program history. The Zips matched the NCAA single-season record for most consecutive wins (23) while setting school records for wins (23), shots (412), shutouts (19), fewest goals allowed (7) and lowest goals-against-average (0.27).

Moreover, of those milestones three of them rank highly among the greatest in NCAA history. UA posted the second-most shutouts in single-season Division I history while it's goals-against-average and shutout percentage (.760) are third best all-time.

"What I'll remember more than anything this year is the way we played this game and how we approached going against the best teams in the country," Porter said. "We didn't hope to win, but expected to win. We didn't hang on potential results, but dictated the game.

"I thought we did that again today and we've done that all year long, so I'm proud of my guys. We will continue to follow the same formula. I've always felt that if you do that in the end it's going to be fair. We are going to keep chasing the national championship."

Anthony Ampaipitakwong had the Zips' best scoring opportunity of the first half in the 14th minute when he turned the corner and fired low towards the right post but Restrepo dove to his left to make the stop. It was the second of two shots on goal for UA in the opening period as Ben Zemanski recorded the other with a blast from 30 yards a few minutes earlier.

When they weren't on the ball, the Zips' swarming defense was relentless to get it back as Akron held the Cavaliers without a single shot for nearly 35 minutes (from 36:29 to 70:54) amid the intermittent rain that fell throughout the contest.

UA was clearly the aggressor in the second half but Virginia's defense was organized and physical in the final third. Freshman Ben Speas sparked another scoring opportunity in the 54th minute when he lost his man near the right touchline and crossed the ball into the box. Sophomore Teal Bunbury leaped up to meet it but his header went wide.

Zips Notebook: While the game ended in a tie, the NCAA's policy – exclusive for national championship games – requires that a winner be declared for all purposes, including record ... Sunday was the Zips' second appearance in the NCAA championship game. UA was defeated by Duke, 1-0, in 1986 ... Ampaipitakwong was limited to 49 minutes because of a leg injury. He left early in the second half and did not return ... For an extended period of time in the second half, the Zips had six true freshmen on the field at the same time ... UA ended the season with six shutouts in its last seven games ... The Zips allowed just one goal during the postseason (including the MAC Tournament), spanning 680:47.

2009 NCAA College Cup All-Tournament Team
Zach Loyd, D, UNC
Corben Bone, MF, Wake Forest
Zarek Valentin, D, Akron
Teal Bunbury, F, Akron
Ben Speas, MF, Akron
Blair Gavin, MF, Akron
Diego Restrepo, GK, Virginia
Jonathan Villanueva, MF, Virginia
Brian Ownby, F, Virginia
Mike Volk, D, Virginia
Tony Tchani, MF, Virginia



NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament: Finals

Akron vs. Virginia
WakeMed Stadium; Cary, N.C.; Attendance: 5,679

Akron 0, Virginia 0 (2-3 PK)

Akron head coach Caleb Porter:

Opening statement…
"Its tough to lose in penalty kicks. I have been a part of a team that has won that way and I can tell you that it feels good, feels better than losing but it also doesn’t feel quite as good as scoring a goal. We are getting closer to winning the national championship but second place hurts. It hurts because you get so close you can taste it. What makes this one even tougher is that we didn’t give up a goal during the entire NCAA tournament and yet we don’t take home any hardware."

"I told the guys that they have nothing to hang their heads on. They raised the bar in my opinion. The way they played the game enables me to hold my head high and I can sleep at night knowing that we did everything we could. What I’ll remember more than anything is the way that we played this game and how we approached going into games against the best teams in the country, not hoping to win but expecting to win. Not hanging on but by dictating the game and I thought that we did that again today like we have all year long so I am proud of my guys. Its not easy to lose this way but we are going to try to follow the same formula and we are going to keep chasing the national championship."

“I would like to credit Virginia. They played very well and put up a good fight and played us as tough as any team has all year. In the end they are the national champions and I congratulate them. They are very organized and they fought hard. Virginia was the best defensive team we have played all year."

On how unique it is to not give up a goal in the NCAA tournament but not take home a trophy….
“We led the country in scoring, gave up the least amount of goals with seven and had 19 shutouts. We set program milestones and broke almost every record of the 54 year history of this program along with setting NCAA records. Those are the things that I will remember and this team should be proud of that. Hopefully people will recognize when they watch this game the quality we had and the way we played."

On the physical nature of the game…
“That’s part of the nature of the game. I thought the first half we let it rattle us a little bit, we weren’t quite quick enough but in the second half I thought we were again in control of the game and had some great sequences and created enough to win but like Friday against North Carolina a goal wasn’t scored. When you have two teams, one that has given up seven goals and the other eight no one is giving in so when time runs out and its scoreless you have to decide on five kicks a winner."

On going into penalty kicks for the second consecutive contest…
“Its just like free throws in basketball, it’s a tough way to lose. In 2004 when I was an assistant at Indiana, we won the championship on penalty kicks and I didn’t really feel that great about it to be honest with you. I was glad we had won versus lost it but it didn’t feel quite as satisfying.”

“We practiced penalty kicks all year long and we moved on to the finals on Friday because of penalty kicks. There is no other way to determine a winner its just a hard way to lose.”

On what Virginia was able to do defensively to stop Akron…
“They are very organized and the team has bought into that and take pride in it. Their back line is athletic, very physical and tough and they are extremely connected. Their back five especially are tough to break down."

On Akron’s defense…
“Our defensive is young and I am proud of the fact that they didn’t give up many goals this year. A lot of what our defense had to do was counter attack. We were more on the ball typically in every game and so we worked a lot on putting out counters and fires and staying focused."


Akron Player Quotes:

Ben Zemanski (Sr., MF)
On the loss…
“It stinks but I am proud of my guys. We fought every game of the season and to come up short like we did is tough. None of those guys deserve that, they played their hearts out.“

On Akron’s dominance in the second half…
“They countered us a couple times in the first half but I felt like in the second we definitely were starting to dictate the game a little more and get into the style we wanted to play. It felt like a goal was coming we just ran out of time.”

On if the weather affected play…
“Not at all. It made the field slick, it sped up the ball a little bit but overall it was fine.

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