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RPI begins to matter come October. After RPI takes over, all polls are nearly meaningless.

GK Mitch Budler was caught wrong footed on that last goal. True. Zips' overall team defending against Corner Kicks continues to be awful. But make no mistake about it; the heroics of GK Mitch Budler kept the Zips in the match. With an average GK the Zips lose this match by several goals. No, it doesn't get any easier. @PIT, @PSU, Duquesne

At Indiana this last Friday I personally saw adults wearing Ohio State Soccer garb. I assume these were folks scouting both teams. Ohio State witnessed how Akron struggled in Midfield. We should expect the same defensive pressure, especially in Midfield, when Buckeyes visit. A similar effort from Zips will garner a similar result, possibly even worse. Quite a bit rides on Tuesday's match.

At Hoosiers, Zips could pass into the Midfield. But they could not were not allowed to make that next pass among Midfielders. Any success was either one touch out of Midfield into Offense, or directly over top the Midfield entirely. No second touches in MF were successful. Zips need someone in MF to receive and keep the ball in order for the team to advance up the pitch. Then deliver a high percentage pass. Gyuwon Chong was very sorely missed. Training drills should focus on playing into midfield and keeping it for (again) high percentage pass into Offense.

Mitch Budler is the only Zip getting a nod.

Putrid! Pathetic! Zips looked tired and overmatched. Key players were missing. But, in a way, everyone was missing.

Zips are the embarrassment so far! Can’t pass. Can’t defend.

Will. Do.

We will be in Bloomington.

They can stick their worthless ranking! Tell them I said so!

#3 Elijah Howe’s fouling of Gyuwon Chong was injurous and cynical. It should have been a straight red card. Chong had clearly beaten Defender to goal. Howe basically jumped on Chong’s ankle with bad intent. I have countless times seen players ejected for much less. edit: Box Score is erroneous. The offending party deserving a straight red card was #20 Tyler Crawford. Upon video review, the NCAA should retroactively issue an ejection thereby enforcing the one game suspension. In no way will such action replace Gyuwon Chong's ankle, but it is the correct thing to do. https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2022/09/06/NABJ/e45c3651-1f6d-40b7-abb3-80b9ea115227-AKR_95_UA_soccer_3.jpg?width=592&format=pjpg&auto=webp&quality=70

Joel Sangwa and Jonas Buechte performed well to preserve the clean sheet for GK Mitch Budler, cutting out Spartan incursions and distributing well into offence.

Catching up during a very busy weekend for Zips MSOC. AKR 5-1 WSU FT Zips dominated throughout. Josef Paulus played his best match as a Zip to date. He tackled well and distributed well with a high rate of pass completion. His left-footed screamer of goal put the Zips in front, a lead Zips never relinquished. That ball would have cleared the stadium but for the crossbar. Paulus is learning how to keep his fire under control without extinguishing it. Way to go, Joey! Jonas Buechte again steadily directed the defense. But for just a few minor breakdowns, the defense was clean and efficient. The PK resulted from an unfortunate tackle in the box by Joel Sangwa. It was not a dumb foul as is sometimes the case, simply unlucky. The subsequent conversion ruined GK Mitch Budler's clean sheet. But overall, the defense was cohesive and disciplined. Freshman Ashton Kamdem is a standout in the making. Two aspects impress: His foot speed and his willingness to employ either foot. His long-range bomb of a score from the right side with the left foot will be remembered for some time. It was a popular topic of conversation during yesterday's festivities.

I do not recall Niko ever playing anywhere but LB.

I thought that would beg the question regarding the best LB for Zips since Porter era began in 2006. No takers? Niko De Vera.

Agreed. Best RB since Yedlin. Not so sure about scoring, but....

AKR 3-1 VCU FT Dyson Clapier was MOTM, with 1 goal and 2 assists. He was a terror down the Zips' left flank. Could have scored even more but for some adrenaline-charged strikes over the bar. There is no ceiling on how good Dice can become. But the entire match immediately changed when Malik Henry entered the contest at RB. His overlapping runs and crosses into the box opened up the Rams defense. VCU had no answer to #5 and they never recovered. And Gyuwon Chong is such a pleasant surprise. He might end up being one of the best players on the squad. Who knew!?! Not I. This guy can keep the ball from you in a phone booth.

RPI gains relevance once data accumulates. October is beginning of “RPI Season”.

Hopefully.

Chong was a continuous and pleasant surprise. The guy was very active.

Joel Sangwa continues to impress at CB. He reads the game very well and his passing into offense is superb. Gyuwon Chong arrived. Last night. He subbed in quite well for the unavailable Johnny Fitzgerald.

Bad to have conceded two 2nd half goals, regardless.

Declan Waters was 6’5”. Santiago Frias is 6’5”. Shane Weidt was tall, maybe not 6’5”.

I would hope that the press release would be today. If not today, there may not even be a press release. Unbelievable.

Bowling Green, from the lowly MAC Conference, is nationally ranked?