Akron made that game waaay harder than they needed to. Should have been up 4 at the half. As it was, they needed an immense individual effort to break through.
Some real “sitters” missed by Zips. Dyson Clapier’s score was all Dyson Clapier. I rather like Ryan Kingsford at the CAM #10. Need to be better to defeat Mountaineers in Morgantown.
And so it begins... MAC Conference play, that is. https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/rankings/college-rankings/ncaa-di-men/ A friend on ZipsNation.org wrote this (yes, I have friends): "In the United Soccer coaches poll, the West Virginia moved up to #3 in this week's rankings (they were #4 last week) One of the 24 coaches voting...voted West Virginia as #1. The Zips dropped from #20 in last week's ranking.....to #26 The soccer coaches rate the Zips as the 3rd best team in the MAC. Bowling Green is 7-1-1 and stayed at #17 in the weekly rankings. To side track for just a second...it is interesting to look at some big name schools that are not in the top 25. Indiana is #30 ; North Carolina is #31 ; Stanford is #34 ; Wake Forest is #40 Getting back to West Virginia West Virginia is 6-0-2......and is a team that is fully capable of reaching the college cup in December I think that it is safe to say (that if you exclude Akron teams), this is the best MAC team in the past 15 years This is the toughest MAC season opener that any Zip team has ever faced. West Virginia began this season with a huge chip on their shoulder. West Virginia deserved a berth in last year's NCAA tourney. They had a regular season win over eventual NCAA champion Marshall and they thoroughly destroyed at large selection Charlotte 3-0. West Virginia ended the year around #15 in RPI. West Virginia deserved to be in last spring's NCAA tourney West Virginia did not receive one top 25 vote in the preseason coaches poll. WVA is 6-0-2 they started the year with a 2-0 win over Robert Morris. In their 2nd game, they hosted then #3 rated Pitt. WVU came away with a 2-1 win 3rd game, they hosted then #17 ranked Penn State. WVU won that game 3-1 On Labor day, they hosted Loyola (MD). That game ended 0-0 5th game, they hosted the Ohio State Buckeyes. WVU added another shutout in a 1-0 win they then travelled to #6 Marshall. After 110 minutes, it was a 2-2 result On Sept. 21, they hosted Dayton and WVU won 3-0 On Sept. 25, they hosted St. Bonaventure and WVU dominated in a 4-0 win. in 5 of their 8 games, they have shutout their opponent. They have only allowed goals to Pitt, Penn State, and Marshall. (2 of those 3 teams were ranked in the top 6, other team was ranked #17) 17 goals scores in 8 games. Only 4 goals allowed. West Virginia coach Dan Stratford is one of the great young soccer coaches in the game https://wvusports.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster/coaches/dan-stratford/3999 3 years at the University of Charleston (WV) - 61-4-5 record....Division II national champion in 2 out of 3 years This is his 2nd season as WVU coach. This is a team with great depth. 11 different players have scored goals for them. Yoran Popovic leads them with 3 goals. Frederik Jorgenson has 2 goals and 2 assists. Kevin Morris has 2 goals and 1 assist. Pau Jimenez Abelda has 1 goal and 3 assists. The zips will have to get off to a quick start in this game. In the past 2 games, Malik Henry has been fantastic early on and put the ball on a forwards foot in the first 5 minutes of both games. In both games, the zips striker did not convert. To use a Jared Embick term, the zips need to be very clinical and put the ball in the net early in the game. The zips were not at full strength - player wise against Yale. Hopefully, all of the backline players are back healthy. The zips have proven that they can compete with Indiana and Pitt. West Virginia is every bit as good....possibly better than last year's college cup teams. The zips can get a win......But they need to regain their confidence....BE CLINICAL early in the game. Huge Challenge for a young team. Go, Zips !!!"
I did catch the second OT of the Akron-WVU game, and it was an eventful one... I think in the final 10 I saw 4 yellows, about 8 shots, and alot of back and forth. It was certainly an entertaining watch. Is the MAC doing a tournament this year? (I seem to recall the MAC made an announcement that they were cancelling various tournaments for multiple sports?) If so, a rematch of these teams would be a must-watch as there were some fireworks at the end of this one.
Akron Garners a 0-0 Double-OT Draw at No. 3 West Virginia - University of Akron Athletics (gozips.com)
Mountaineers draw in MAC opener against Akron | Men's Soccer | thedaonline.com Methinks Zips will meet Mountaineer's again this season.
Spring 2021 was an aberration. MAC Tournament will be hosted by winner of MAC Conference schedule (and the 3 dozen obscure tie breakers therein). Same as it ever was! Most conference tourneys have pre-determined hosts. Not so in the MAC.
AKR 1-3 Georgia State FT Panthers are a very well organized and disciplined bunch. GK was superb. I was impressed. Conference loss. Akron Drops 3-1 Decision to Georgia State - University of Akron Athletics (gozips.com)
AKR 2-1 PSU FT It really was not that close. Nittany Lions hit the bar on a header in the first half. They scored a pretty goal in the second half. Those were the only times they seriously threatened. Conversely, Zips were dangerous throughout the match, recording 15 shots.
Akron Earns 2-1 Triumph Over Penn State - University of Akron Athletics (gozips.com) Though not their greatest offensive output, against Penn State the Zips logged their most comprehensive offensive performance of the season to date.
Akron Earns NCAA-Best Four Selections on TDS Top-100 Midseason Freshmen List - University of Akron Athletics (gozips.com)