quotes from the beacon Journal about the tourney

[TennZip]

my two Cents- Victor Souto and Adam Najem have been publicly stating since Brazil that this Akron team can win it all. I really admire both great leaders. The coaches and the team leaders have created a family that believes....Go, zips ...and thanks to the Beacon for giving the zips some publicity (not holding my breath on the Johnny Manziel Plain Dealer to realize that there is a great college team in Akron)

highlights from the Beacon article:

The Zips have had their eye on a top-four seed and another national championship since August.

“We created a family, we’re more mature. We worked hard through these 20 games. I think we’re ready to get a national championship,” junior midfielder Victor Souto said.

“We knew if we could get a top-four seed we’d play all of our games at home going into the Final Four,” junior midfielder Adam Najem said. “Just the environment around here, having the best fans in the country, one of the best stadiums in the country, it’s really an advantage for us. Anyone who comes here is going to be nervous to play us at our home field.”

UA is 8-2-1 at home this season, with its only losses to Wake Forest, seeded No. 1 in the tournament, and UCLA, unseeded. The Zips’ average attendance of 2,115 ranks eighth nationally after finishing 14th (1,825) a year ago.

“The two years we went to the Final Four [2009, ‘10] we had all three home games and that helped,” UA coach Jared Embick said. “That’s a position of strength for us, that’s where you want to be in the tournament. If we can get everyone there, get the crowd behind us and make this a difficult place to play, it’s only going to spur us on to hopefully do what we really want do, which is win another national championship.”

The Zips feature a balanced attack that has Najem and sophomore midfielder Richie Laryea leading the team with nine goals, redshirt sophomore Sam Gainford with eight, Souto with six and sophomore Stuart Holthusen with five, four in the past three games.

The Zips are 8-1-1 in their past 10 matches and Najem cites chemistry and confidence as the reasons.

“The team chemistry has really evolved since last year,” Najem said. “The team has an overall belief that we can win this thing. Everyone has the confidence we can do it and that’s showing on the field now.”

[a-zip]

RESPECT.........FINALLY!!!! Very excited.....I hope the games are well publicized and well attended.

Well done NCAA (I can't believe I just said that)