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He's what I could glean my first look at the 2024 Zips - Ben Finley saw the field as the #2 QB behind Tahj Bullock. It won't be long before he assumes the #1 position. He hit receivers downfield, whether they were open or in traffic. He moves the chains. Looking forward to watching him in an upcoming scrimmage. Seems like a nice kid too. From observing the player interaction on the sidelines, the other players seem to like him. Finley tosses one deep. Finley reads the D. Myles Walker reels in a 40 yard TD pass from Finley. Noah Perez is still hanging around. Steele Wasel saw a fair amount of action. He seems more confident this season. More purposeful with his actions. It wouldn't shock me to see him pass Tahj as the #2 QB at some point. Tahj received a fair amount of PT Saturday, but seems to be a distant 2nd to Finley in the QB race. Steele tosses a screen pass. David Jester arrives too late to block a PAT. Look out for Bennett Adler this year. I thought he was somewhat of an unsung hero last season. Solid, durable. And sneaky-strong. I'd predict 5-6 sacks for him in 2024. #36 Dante Jackson handled most of the punting today. Very windy...you couldn't tell much from what came off his foot. Adrian Norton handled the punt return duties. With mixed results. He misjudged one that bounded over his head. Braydon Ruggow saw some action. As expected, he looked overwhelmed. Tossed a bad ball on an out pattern that should have been an INT. Missed a wide open seam route for a TD. Nowhere to go but up for him. 😀 Joe speaks to the 4 QB's who saw action today. A little chilly, but overall a really nice day for an outdoor scrimmage. I wish I had hair like Steele. Owen Wiley lines up for a PAT. Then, my camera battery died. Other notes - Finley pulled in a high snap and hit Adrian Norton on a quick slant for a 7(?) yard TD strike in the second half. Perfectly placed ball, and Norton showed nice hands pulling it in while also keeping his feet inbounds. After the play he took his helmet off and got flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Joe was pissed and stopped the practice to forcibly remind every player they can cost their team a game with their reactions to adversity, as well as prosperity. Not much news on the RB front. Marquese Williams saw a few carries. He's a little guy. In the post practice mid-field gathering Joe singled out Fish and McCoy as guys that have been outstanding so far. He also brought in three of his former players (not Zips) to say a few words to the guys. He also mentioned the portal opens on Monday, and if any player isn't fully committed to turning the Zips program into a winner, they should use it. Joe also voiced the players can't be thin-skinned. They need to listen to bad stuff in order to improve. Overall, to me, Joe's leadership style strikes a nice balance of being very direct and honest with the players, while also letting them know how much he cares about them and their success.

Yes. Busy day afterwards so I will post some pictures and thoughts tomorrow morning. My big takeaway of the day was - Finley is accurate. Short and long throws, in traffic, he hits his target.

LETS GO!

My two cents: I would move Prather down to WF (Dawson's old spot). Wilson will probably play both PG and WG. Redshirt Mahaffey and Brisco. Add another wing, forward or center - best available. Josiah Harris would be fine with me.

Great game. Kudos to the players, coaches, and staff. The Zips dominated most of the match and created many more chances than reflected in the final score. Happy Devin Armstrong got the clean sheet. Well-deserved. Matt Dreas looked good in midfield, as did Nicholas Beier at #6. The backline of Ashton Kamdem, Jonas Buechte, Robert Ydrach, and Malik Henry were confident and solid. Awesome offensive action by Ashton and Malik getting forward and creating numerous scoring opportunities. Maximus Barboto continued to impress and great to see a healthy Dyson Clapier making the moves and creating chances. Awesome to see Stefan get the first goal of the game on a beautiful breakaway run. Happy to see Caleb Borneo get the start and to see his fellow Crew Academy team mate, Josh Bartels, score off the bench on a great cross by Stefan Dobrijevic. (Really great to see Josh score for the Zips in Historic Crew Stadium knowing that had to be special for him.) Much to be happy about in today's match. Looking forward to the Fall 2024 season with this group and the fall additions. Sorry to our team for not being around as much this Spring as I have been in the past due to personal issues. I hope I can attend more in the Fall.

Now, that was more like it! AKR 2-0 LOU Match was not as close as score might suggest. Very solid and steady performance by our Zips, with flashes of brilliance throughout the match. 4-2-3-1 Goal Keeper Devin Armstrong #29 is much more than a suitable backup to Mitch Budler #1. Akron is set at GK for the foreseeable future. His medium ranged save, diving to his left, sealed the deal for me yesterday. (Just in case saving two PKs last week was not enough.) Zips keep trying to move Jonas Buechte #4 to HMF, because he is really good there. The problem is that we have only one Buechte. And he is also our best option at CB. The pairing of Jonas Buechte #4 and Roberto Ydrach #8 seems to be the best Center Back tandem for Zips. Both are heady and steady. Our outside backs really impacted the match yesterday, as they commonly do. Malik Henry #5 put in his usual uneven but sometimes brilliant shift up the right flank. On the left, Ashton Kamdem #27 fought like a demon! He created one chance after another all match long! He was everywhere! Remarkable that he did not score (hit the post). Ashton Kamdem is poised to have a monster Fall 2024. Promising freshman Nicholas Beier #6 was tried at Center Back last week, with mixed results. Beier looks far more comfortable at Holding Midfield where yesterday he facilitated several thrusts into our offensive third. He is also a good ball winner. And speaking of ball winning, Matt Dreas #22 is making a strong case for starting at HMF. Dreas will tackle anything that moves in midfield. Dreas is emerging as a scrapper. Incoming transfer Maximus Barboto #21 continues to show his creativity in the final third. He is quite accustomed to providing the critical pass from Attacking Midfield into space. And he is left footed, so he fits our paradigm of inverted wingers. On the other side? Whoa! When Dyson Clapier #19 has come to play... look out! "Katie, bar the door!" Several players on the Louisville right had nightmares last night featuring Ash and Dice. Stefan Dobrijevic #18 capped off his stellar Spring campaign with a goal and a beautiful assist to Joshua Bartels #15. Stef is another Zip on the verge of greatness. Not necessarily a consensus opinion, I believe Dobrijevic is best suited to play up top. He is currently Akron's best option at Forward. In summary, an excellent performance by Zips MSOC. May this victory be a harbinger of better things to come.

Kent State just learned of our latest acquisitions.

I think the team counts its blessings in that it has a committed fan like you. No one does more for Zip soccer in building confidence and pride.

As a freshman Seth Wilson was rated as one of the two best freshman PG's in the state (IIRC). I saw him at STVM a few times his freshman & sophomore years. He struck me as pretty darn good... but not awesome. He transfered to Lorain for his junior & senior seasons & his production really took off. Not saying that's STVM's & Coach Dru's fault - just saying it's probably because he was an upperclassman & team leader at Lorain as opposed to being an underclassman on some stacked STVM teams. He's big bodied & looks strong as an ox. Good ball handler & can shoot the 3-ball. When he committed to WVU I thought he looked like a prototypical Huggybear/WVU tough-as-nails-type player. Josiah Harris is a true 6-7 stretch 4. He can put the ball in the hole. Sometimes guys just need a change of scenery, and in Groce I trust. He gives his guys lots of confidence and a long leash. If Seth & Josiah felt they had a short leash at WVU then that can really get into a player's head. I think they'd do well - and have a lot of fun - playing Groceball.

Go Zips! Excited for the future.

Won the natty! 🏆 #HangTheBanner Yet another reason for a new arena

I thought that Matt Dreas had an outstanding game. I hope to see more of him at the holding midfielder position.

(from facebook) The University of Akron · The Akron Women's Dodgeball team made history on April 6 by winning the National Collegiate Dodgeball Association's National title! Against all odds, they turned a 1-3 deficit into a stunning 7-3 victory against Michigan State University. Their comeback is the largest in collegiate women's dodgeball history. #GoZips

👍👍👍

Zips Lady Dodgeball - A true Underdog Story. Has a nice ring to it. I wonder if it would make a great movie title?

@Captain Kangaroo Happen to notice who was running with which groups on the OL? I’m sure they are still experimenting, but curious to know if anyone stood out. Did the young LBs of Benege, Springs, and Summers do anything noticeable? Lastly, who was running at safety? Looks like Jester and Greenwood were running with the twos in one of the pics? Not surprised about McCoy and Fish. I’d be shocked if they both didn’t make at least 2nd team All-MAC this year. Probably means the DL is also doing their part again.

Correct. Men have one too.

That looks so good already with one scholly left. Wow. Obviously guys like Prather, Nate, Tavari, and Scott need to take the next steps, but this roster is so much better already with those 2 P5 additions.

Mikal Dawson departs. Zips add Seth Wilson and James Okonkwo.

I doubt Baker is ahead of Lyles or he wouldn't have redshirted. Imo

Give me a wing who can hit threes at a decent clip

PG - Tavari, Wilson, Young WG - Scott, Nate, Prather, Mahaffey WF - Marvin PF - Baker, Lyles CF - Okonkwo, Brisco I'd say it looks like we probably need one more post player.

Good day to be a Zip! Getting a guy who transferred up from WVU to NORTH CAROLINA just last year feels like we’re stepping up a notch.

To the Debbie Downer thread with ya. Off you go! 😂

These guys are bench players from a power five conference who rarely saw the court. I am just not sure if I am thrilled to get guys who failed at a bigger program no matter how highly sought after they were after high school.