slowroll

Just jumping in to say that this season was a pleasant surprise and the post season run was incredible. You could see the on- field chemistry. So gutted for the guys. If the ending was hard to see as a fan, quadruple that feeling for the players. And I don't blame Stefan one bit for continuing what was working for him - how many PKs did he successfully convert prior to this one? No player has a 100% conversion rate even at the pro level. Eventually, an attempt will be saved or will go wide or high. As for the SLU game ...sheesh...as long as I've been watching soccer (a long time) and playing (maybe too long) I can't recall that many unfortunate occurrences in a single match over such a short time period and to such detrimental effect. Lady luck must have been on a cruise. These are the types of games that can propel a group forward. I'm happy to hear that the incoming class is talented. That taken with the now experienced returners should produce another good year. Congrats to the players and coaching staff for getting Akron soccer back on the map. Onward and upward!

Absolutely. The 2025 tournament has a particularly high PK rate so far - looks like 20% of results (8/40) were decided by PKs. I counted only 5 last year (and only 4 in 2023) and one was the semi between Denver and Vermont. Let's hope that PKs have had their moment and will now hibernate for the rest of winter.

AND traveling from St. Louis to Rhode Island back to St. Louis and then to Akron

Hope so. No selfish intentions 😁

Excellent news! From what I've seen, this group has excellent composure, toughness, and leadership, all of which are very necessary for any kind of deep run. Let's hope they get a dose of good fortune as well. Looking forward to Sunday.

That stinks. Assuming they'll be still be seeded?

It's obvious that that this team has outstanding on field leadership - that will serve them well in BE tournament. Congrats, Zips. Such a fun game to watch.

Beautiful service from Royer.

I've only been able to watch the first half thus far but would agree that this is (so far) a great defensive team. I can imagine that the offense will start to click when coach dials in the right partners and the chemistry catches up. The MOTM for me was the announcer.

Agree that Sullivan and Borneo looked lively and skillful. Hopefully Ferguson finds his form soon... they'll need another scorer in the box. I've also thought Roman has been one of the more consistent players in both games - really like his hustle and ability to make things happen. Overall, the team looks like a group that's putting the pieces together so hopefully that means a big upside. Excited to see how they perform after a week of practice against a strong side in WVU!

Clapier was playing with his food tonight. I hope he continues his good form in Indiana.

Gaulmin's pass on the 3rd goal was expertly weighted and executed. That's the kind of pass that can be the difference in a game. Hopefully many more of those to come!

Ydrach is a tough mudder. Very impressed.

IMHO Shookalook is doing several things well outside of scoring goals - his hold-up play has been excellent, smart passing, he finds nice pockets of space, and he's good in the air. Maybe most importantly, has a nose for goal, as they say. So many other good performances. One person who doesn't always get the kudos is Buechte, who rarely puts a foot wrong and can be a tenacious defender when necessary. He put out a few fires last night. His passing and vision are excellent I was watching the game against the concrete wall in the first half and happened to be standing next to Joey's mom and other family members. Really nice people. I didn't quite see the knock he took, but the fact that he was motionless on the ground was horrible. My thoughts to him and his family and hope he has a speedy recovery.

They are in 2nd place in their division. All is not lost yet - or maybe "all is not tied" is more appropriate to the situation. Getting Clapier back will open things up and hopefully that happens sooner than later. https://www.bigeast.com/sports/msoc