AKR 0-1 BGSU FT In yesterday's match, many Zips showed moments of brilliance, only to negate the positives with boneheaded plays or squandered opportunities. A silly foul here, a bad touch there. The little things accumulate. The one player I will salute is Ryan Kingsford, probably our best player. He continues to show grit and savvy, and a very strong work ethic. Playing in the hole is evidently Ryan's best position, so he should remain there. Kingsford's production is top drawer and consistent. Real quality. Too bad we do not have a few of him. And I am going to call out a good player that is underachieving. Because he deserves it. And also because he can take the criticism. Jason Shokalook can and must do better finishing in front of the goal. He is our best option up top. I have watched this guy score dozens of goals in his young career. But right now the goal seems like the eye of a needle to him. Relax, Jason. Do not hurry. Make solid contact. Pass the ball into the net. See you all in Columbus come Saturday!
Green - 30 years incorporated. The only way to get a Green zip code is having a PO Box at our shed of a post office.
AKR 5-2 DAY FT A bright and gusty day at Historic Crew Stadium. Congratulations to the entire Zips MSOC organization for dramatically rebounding from last week's disappointment. A resounding victory over a quality foe is a fine way to enter the off-season, on a decidedly positive note. It is not just the win; the momentum throughout the match was all Akron's. This contest was never really in doubt. There are still things on which to improve, to be discussed at another time. Well done, Zips!! Jason Shokalook was the not only the Man Of The Match, he was also the most dominant player on the pitch, turning in arguably his best performance to date wearing the Blue & Vegas. Shookie scored twice before many spectators had settled in the bleachers. He showed an insatiable desire to transform any offensive thrust into a scoring chance, both with his back to goal and by dribbling at defenders. Jason's assist to Clapier was efficient and accurate. Shokalook's offensive production was relentless until he was pulled from the match with about ten minutes remaining, the match result already determined. When Shokalook plays like this, Zips are very dangerous. Jonas Buechte was again very quietly a defensive stalwart at Center Back. His distribution was not always as precise as he shown, but his tackling and intercepting were superb. Buechte reads the game very well, superior to most at this level. Buechte's running mate Joel Sangwa also logged in a quite solid shift at Center Back. Sangwa is very composed on the ball. These two complement each other well and this tandem should be the preferred CB pairing going forward, with Will Portman spelling each as necessary. Dyson Clapier was again a continuous offensive threat employing both his athleticism and guile. He scored off a fine floor pass from Shokalook, taking a few touches to set up a right footer into the top of the goal. In scoring, Dice captured the tournament's Golden Boot with a tally of five. Malik Henry once again was excellent along the right flank, getting into the final third and delivering quality service. In doing so, he recorded another assist to Stefan Dobrijevic, but easily could have had several assists in similar fashion. His defensive tactics and execution continue to improve. Mitch Budler is either emerging as #1 GK, or he already has the position solidified. Budler really took a developmental step forward in this match. He is fearless, and he is a tough customer when he gets there. He is becoming a physical presence in the box, and opposing forwards are starting to clock Budler's proximity before taking action. He is only about 6'2" high but he is broad shouldered and solidly built. He ain't scared of nobody! Budler has a big foot; his Goal Kicks routinely clear the circle on the opposite side. And he can clear with either foot, an underrated GK skill. Mitch still has plenty of room to improve, especially regarding judicious distribution, but he is well on his way. Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal put in a yeoman's match at Defensive Mid Field. He was persistent and consistent with winning balls and distributing. He is surely sore today, having sustained double digit fouls, counting only the whistles. I think he may have gone the full 90. Zips got a fine performance from perhaps an unexpected source. Will Jackson left the match due to injury just before HT. Nick Scott filled in nicely at LB, cutting out passes, tackling, and sometimes man marking Flyer's most dangerous threat. He turned in possibly his best performance as a Zip. Good Job, Nick! Great way to wrap up Spring. Have a good off season! Rest up! July will be here before we know it.
I was going to mention that although 5 goals were scored vs Dayton, conceding 2 goals to them is not good. Dayton is generally not that strong. Then I looked at Dayton’s spring schedule and it looks like they played well. Maybe the Zips’ result was good? Not a lot can be gleaned from spring soccer but the Flyers beat Louisville & Ohio State and only lost to Marshall, 1-0. Then there’s this weird result, a 5-4 win over Cedarville.
Did they do a double round robin last year in the MAC due to COVID? I can't remember the last time the MAC season went that way.
Seth Wilson is big and strong at keeper. He could be a junior but tried his luck in Europe a couple times. He decommitted from Clemson a few years ago and then decommitted from Pitt. It is a good get for Akron. I think he also has USY national team experience.
Some good schools (Pitt, Clemson) with quality goal keepers and goal keeping coaches. I wonder if he has good habits, or over-all quality to beat out competition.... OTOH, could just be a numbers game. Best of the luck to the kid.
That is what I am saying. If he stays all four years, he will be mature and well experienced. He is very talented.
Seth Wilson did not exactly cover himself in glory in an exhibition match at Dayton. He purportedly earned a RC within minutes after entering the match in the 2nd half. I did not attend; my information is second-hand. DAY 2-2 AKR OT
A good win for the Zips last night vs FIU, I guess. Did either side try to defend? Giving up 3 goals is too many and they were also outshot, 14-12. I noticed the trend of Akron getting outshot in games a few years ago. It comes down to possession. The Zips used to be a lot more possession-oriented than they seem to have been in some of the games the past few seasons. It's a simple thing - possess the ball and the other team can't get shots off. Although I did not see the game, FIU's #18 ranking appears to be a bit high. I noticed that Malik Henry did not start and only was on the field for 13 minutes. What is up with that? He started 16 or 17 games last season with good minutes and was a solid assist guy.
Akron 3-1 VCU 3 second half goals after going down a goal within 20 minutes on VCU's only real attack that half. Poor marking on the ensuing corner. Shots were something approaching 26-3.
AKR 3-1 VCU FT Dyson Clapier was MOTM, with 1 goal and 2 assists. He was a terror down the Zips' left flank. Could have scored even more but for some adrenaline-charged strikes over the bar. There is no ceiling on how good Dice can become. But the entire match immediately changed when Malik Henry entered the contest at RB. His overlapping runs and crosses into the box opened up the Rams defense. VCU had no answer to #5 and they never recovered. And Gyuwon Chong is such a pleasant surprise. He might end up being one of the best players on the squad. Who knew!?! Not I. This guy can keep the ball from you in a phone booth.
I just took a gander at the Zips' schedule to see when I might be able to take in a game. I really don't like the days that they're playing most of the games this year. From this point forward there is only one home game on Friday or Saturday (this Friday vs Wright State). They have a Friday game vs IU in Bloomington and a Saturday game vs NIU in DeKalb. I don't remember another season that had so few home games on Friday or Saturday night. I usually try to tie a game in Akron to a business trip in Ohio and visits with family and I usually prefer it when the game is at the end of the week. Maybe I'll need to plan for a weekday game. I may try to catch the game at NIU. DeKalb is about 60 miles from where I live and anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half depending on traffic. It's a Saturday evening game so traffic should not be tremendous. I'm really wondering why they scheduled so few Friday & Saturday home games this season. I would think that attendance might suffer a bit.
Another attendance wet-blanket: general admission tickets are up to $19. That's just under a 100% increase from a couple years ago.
Catching up during a very busy weekend for Zips MSOC. AKR 5-1 WSU FT Zips dominated throughout. Josef Paulus played his best match as a Zip to date. He tackled well and distributed well with a high rate of pass completion. His left-footed screamer of goal put the Zips in front, a lead Zips never relinquished. That ball would have cleared the stadium but for the crossbar. Paulus is learning how to keep his fire under control without extinguishing it. Way to go, Joey! Jonas Buechte again steadily directed the defense. But for just a few minor breakdowns, the defense was clean and efficient. The PK resulted from an unfortunate tackle in the box by Joel Sangwa. It was not a dumb foul as is sometimes the case, simply unlucky. The subsequent conversion ruined GK Mitch Budler's clean sheet. But overall, the defense was cohesive and disciplined. Freshman Ashton Kamdem is a standout in the making. Two aspects impress: His foot speed and his willingness to employ either foot. His long-range bomb of score from the right side with the left foot will be remembered for some time. It was a popular topic of conversation during yesterday's festivities.