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An entertainingmoment from the press conference, summarized, here. Bowden: We are the Akron Zips, which is our mascot, the kangaroo, which is [named] Zippy, that comes from actually a zipper that came from a boot. But now that that’s all said, the players really like the Z [helmet sticker], The Z is a cool thing. They like that better than the kangaroo head. Kiffin: I’m not very educated. Did you just say there’s live kangaroos in Akron? Bowden (referring to Kiffin’s previouse school, Alabama, which has an elephant as a mascot): There are no elephants in Tuscaloosa. You know the deal. People do crazy things. People do crazy things. I grew up in West Virginia we had the Mannington Gators. There’s no gators in West Virginia, either. But anyway. Mayor Haynie: We have Owls. Kiffin: I’ve actually not seen an Owl, so that might not be true, really. I saw raccoons on our campus this morning when I was driving in, though.

A couple of years ago a professional weather guessers group decided it would be more valuable to name winter storms rather than improving forecasts. Like hurricanes, the first letter of each name follows an alphabetical order. Zoey is the name they will use this season if we get to a 26th storm. We should start a campaign NOW to get Zippy used for the 2018-19 season.

This team went much farther than I expected them to go...I was glad to see Marla Ridenour write about this being a season to savor. https://www.ohio.com/akron/sports/university-of-akron/marla-ridenour-despite-disappointing-finish-ua-mens-soccer-team-banished-demons-turned-season-on-the-brink-into-something-to-savor

Thanks CK. I've followed this team on the road and at home throughout this season, and this tweet sums 2017 up for me... I'm sad that our seniors didn't get to leave UA with the Championship trophy, but they were 1 of 4 teams out of 205 D1 Men's Soccer Programs who played tonight. Not too shabby at all. Thanks Coach Embick, staff and players for a fun ride. So glad I was there!

Stanford has slightly better talent than the Zips, but seemed to want the win more than the Zips. They played with aggression and a will to win the entire match. For the most part, the Zips played too mechanical and tepid. They never came close to matching Stanford's intensity. I don't mind losing to a better team, and that's what the Zips did tonight. They had an awesome season... just fell a little short of a National Championship. Not too shabby.

Game moved to 7pm tomorrow

Great crowd at the party tonight.

Anything new on this? Thanks seniors but let’s win it next year.

I have commenced crying at my accuracy! Sorry, Akron Zips! ?

I had a similar thought. The Stanford defensive pressure was unlike any I have seen. We could not get anything going. Playing like that, Stanford will be tough to beat. That being said, a tremendous season by Akron. They should be proud of their accomplishments.

Great season Zips. Beaten by a very good veteran team. They almost seem like a pro team. I expect them to 3 peat. Shultz’s two worst memories are going to be Stanford.

Stanford has really stepped up their game. Their lowish seed (#9) was due to a weak schedule (only one game against an RPI top-25 team before the NCAAs); usually that means a team is unprepared for high-level competition, but Stanford's upperclassmen have two national championship runs to draw on, and clearly they have done exactly that. Congrats to the Cardinal, and to the Zips for an excellent season that ended with them being one of the top 4 teams (out of over 200 overall) in D1.

Stanford looked very much the part of reigning 2 time champs. 1st half was the worst Akron soccer I can remember. Schultz probably the worst game I can remember by an Akron player. Bummed, was planning on going to Philly on Sunday.

I don't believe I've ever seen a college team play that successfully aggressive a game defensively, and all their attack was based on and off of their ability to pressure Akron at both ends of the pitch. Well done, Cardinal and Coach Gunn.

Need some energy and some quicker ball movement. Is Stanford really that much better than us? We deserve to be losing that is for sure.

I wish CP all the success in the world, whether in MLS or USMNT. But I DO NOT want him back in the NCAA.