Leaderboard

I loved our first half. Complete domination. That was good, old-fashioned Zips' soccer. But then I was disappointed as Kentucky really controlled the 2nd half. Does anyone know what adjustments they made? The first OT was a draw, but we seemed to really control the 2nd OT & Kentucky seemed glad to come away with the draw. Someone already mentioned this, but Kentucky’s goal felt more like an (un)fortunate bounce than a skillful goal. This was the first I’ve seen the team play this year, but I’ll take an effort like that first half any day!

The Zips were the better team, no doubt. The first half was pure vintage Akron soccer. Lots of possession, pressure and penetration. In the second half we lost the rhythm and let a less talented team back in the game. To me the midfield seemed to fall apart and the backs did not overlap and widen the field. In the first half Pol was a monster at that. He and Diago created so many problems for UK's back four. It bothered me that in the second half we stopped settling the ball and passing on the ground with our short pass game. Instead we got caught up in the momentum going to UK and we started going for more long ball and thru passes. UK was effective in cutting off any thru balls and winning their share of the long balls. The Zips are back. We took on the #12 ranked team and showed we are better. At this stage of the game the only thing I saw lacking was a burner who could stretch the D and get behind the back four. We need a mid to emerge as a dominant distributor also. Regardless, Jared will find a way to win and this team will improve. At tournament time we will be a beast.

I don't post here often. I've been a soccer fan since the old ASL Cleveland Cobras, then the Force, Crunch, and Invaders playing indoor. I talked to Mike Sweeney a lot and went to his team's games, the D3 Cleveland Caps. But I don't have enough knowledge (or enough confidence in my knowledge) of the strategies. So I just read a lot. For awhile I thought I was the only one on the forum so I posted some updates. They look solid to me. Maybe with the Gov opening sporting events up a little, we can get back to the games.

I agree. It’s great we can follow the team on TV. Very grateful for today’s technology. But I am really missing seeing games in-person. And the pregaming at The Score. And seeing friends that you rarely see outside of Zips games. 💉 can’t get here soon enough.

And T-shirt cannons 😉

Grande problema. Cinco libras de problemas.

I'm really enjoying reading all of your posts. Please keep posting. There have been times in the past when I felt like I was posting too much and monopolizing the soccer forum. I never meant to do that but rather just being a fan (fanatic) about our Zips Men's Soccer team. Recently, I haven't had as much time to post here: I greatly appreciate TennZip posting all of the previews and other information and love reading others' perspectives. Please keep up all of the great discussions without worry about depth of knowledge of strategies, etc. I never played the game and know I don't pick up on many of the nuances of it, but I learn a lot reading all of your perspectives. Please keep sharing. Go Zips!!!

HAY PROBLEMA? Oh, you guys have no idea.

BG has really picked it up since that disastrous stretch a few weeks ago, and considering how the Zips have been playing I'm much more concerned than usual going into a game against BG. Akron hasn't lost to BG at the JAR since I believe 2009. I love Akron on paper against BG (and most teams in the MAC for that matter), but we all know that means very little. Star power goes to Akron with LCJ > Turner. Post play Freeman/Reece > Whatever BG trots out. The things in the middle are pretty close, with Akron's supporting cast having a far higher ceiling. This is a good matchup for Akron, as is a team like Kent. I'd like to see the Zips go back to their formula from their best play of the season. LCJ playing his game and hitting shots he always hits, Trimble making every open look, Ali hitting perimeter shots but not as the focus of the offense, Freeman grabbing boards, 1-2 really good contributions from Maishe, and then 3-4 really solid contributions from Dawson/Wynn/Clarke. Of course, it's much more difficult than just saying "HEY GUYS, PLAY GOOD" but if the guys focus on playing their asses off on defense and simply making smart plays (aka being an NBA All-Star in their own roles), the pieces should fall into place. I think a lot of the recent struggles come from LCJ being off, similar to how he regularly played in his first season as a Zip. Obviously, Akron basketball is poetry in motion when he's playing well and the room for error becomes enormous. But the talent level on this roster is such that he shouldn't have to do that every game for Akron to play at a very high level. That's where a guy like Maishe could have made the most impact this year. In the past, these are games that Akron tends to come back strong in and look good. I trust Groce and LCJ to get the most out of this team. I'm excited to see what happens! Go Zips!

Tribble starting tonight in place of Dailey

357 days ago we were sitting in the JAR watching our Zips beat PCCC...sigh.

It's one of those 20 hour two day doubleheaders!

It is a great OOC schedule. The NW game stands out to me. If that is a Saturday game, the weekend could set up really nicely for OU Alumni. That weekend the Cubs play a weekend series against their arch rival St. Louis at Wrigley and there is a Friday afternoon game. My guess is OU could pull off an alumni weekend in the greater Chicago area. If you have never been there, NW has a really cool, old...and I mean old, stadium. The luckiest woman in the world, Mrs. GP1, graduated from Miami. A few years ago, they played Notre Dame and had an alumni weekend in Chicago that included a Friday afternoon Cubs game. On Saturday, the group took a private train to South Bend for the game. It was a really neat thing to do.

Totally. During the 2nd half it seemed like they settled on a few too many long balls. But they returned their short game in OT. The short passing game is why I started following this team a few years (well, that and I'm from Akron lol) Agreed. Also Clapier looked great on the right side and was impressed with Combe's ability to lockdown attackers and pass out of the back. And how about Sohby? Strong, gritty, physical and worked his tail off -- I wouldn't want to face him in the midfield. I agree that the coaches have tough choices in the midfield -- lots of quality... hopefully they'll find continuity.

ESPN's game preview concludes with this para. This gotta change: DID YOU KNOW: The Bowling Green offense has recorded a turnover on only 14.3 percent of its possessions, which is the fourth-lowest rate in the nation. The Akron defense has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over on just 17.4 percent of all possessions (ranked 282nd among Division I teams).

I think Turner and Plowden are always going to get their's. The key is to prevent any of their other players from going off. If the perimeter defense is off again, guys like Diggs and Metheny could really do some damage. BG doesn't have a traditional big post presence but Plowden can do some real damage on the boards and he's a tough matchup as he can play like a wing yet is among the league's top rebounders. They need a body on him at all times.

Keep posting! Trust me, no one knows less about soccer than me.

really nice to see so many people posting.... Diogo Pacheco was my man of the match. next 2 games against Marshall and Bowling Green are going to be huge. I believe that top drawer soccer has Marshall ranked higher than Kentucky (Marshall 9 ; Kentucky 12) Marshall host Bowling Green this Saturday. That will be an interesting game for the next 2 opponents of the zips. Bowling Green is looking like they are going to be a very tough MAC opener. In exhibition play, Bowling Green defeated Xavier 2-0 (of course, Xavier lost 2-1 in overtime in their regular season opener to Kentucky) in BG's regular season opener, they defeated Dayton 3-2 (Zips played Dayton in an exhibition game) in BG's 2nd game, they went on the road and defeated Syracuse 2-1....beating an ACC team on the road....is not easy after playing Marshall this Saturday, BG will play Kentucky on March 2nd.

And it ends 1-1 after two OT periods. Not a bad start on the road against a top 20 7-1-0 team. Scoring: 14:33 Akron Pacheco unassisted 69:49 KY Lindlow assists Bjorgolfsson, Asensio

I was impressed with their performance after a long layoff. They looked good most of the time. That Kentucky goal seemed like a lucky break...

KEN 1-1 AKR 2OT Not a bad result, but we could have had ALL the points.

I have a novel idea- the best guy starts. Whoever runs the offense best in the pre-season starts the season at QB. I don't care whether it's a 12th year redshirt senior or an early entry freshman.