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UA had to act quickly. June/July is absolutely the worst time of year for a Soccer coaching regime change. Based solely on her biography, UA are lucky to land Simonetti on such short notice. There is no tradition of excellence with UA WSOC. An accomplished coach is not coming to Akron. Hopefully, that will change soon. Excellence must begin somewhere. I say give Simonetti a good chance.

Jerry Yeagley began his coaching career by coaching the IU club team - for 10 years.

Jen Simonetti looks to be a good hire!

That was not an easy finish. Well done!

I nominate Frank Gagliardi. I have no idea if he is even interested.

Correct. But it will happen eventually, with or without the NCAA. Anticipate Spring tournaments to gain influence and popularity until the NCAA builds a sidewalk on top of the beaten foot path.

Definitely should have scored. How could he not?

Let’s not look down our noses at MAC MSOC until we have our boots firmly on their throats.

Yes. Unless the MAC decides to play every team twice.

Five MAC teams went to NCAA last year. BGSU, NIU, WMU all have tasted the exposure this brings. And they want it again. Year in year out, at least one of those three will challenge Zips for MAC. Let’s return to always beating these teams every time before we complain about the quality of the MAC.

Jerry Yeagley was first HC. Program has 8 titles, 21 CCs, 46 tourneys, in 50 years. Seems fairly successful to me. When filling out your bracket in November, consider that IU has gone to nearly half of all College Cups since 1973.

Welcome, Mansour Diop to Zips Nation!!! Very intriguing prospect!

Regular Season? A FIFA draw is preferable. Students have another match in 3 days. No down side to this change toward FIFA rules. Draws have been a part of the sport for well over 100 years. Post Season? Sudden Death (Golden Goal) is perhaps the only NCAA rule that is better than FIFA rule. But I will take the whole FIFA package. NCAA adopting FIFA rules cannot happen soon enough. Viva la futbol!

AKR 5-2 DAY FT A bright and gusty day at Historic Crew Stadium. Congratulations to the entire Zips MSOC organization for dramatically rebounding from last week's disappointment. A resounding victory over a quality foe is a fine way to enter the off-season, on a decidedly positive note. It is not just the win; the momentum throughout the match was all Akron's. This contest was never really in doubt. There are still things on which to improve, to be discussed at another time. Well done, Zips!! Jason Shokalook was the not only the Man Of The Match, he was also the most dominant player on the pitch, turning in arguably his best performance to date wearing the Blue & Vegas. Shookie scored twice before many spectators had settled in the bleachers. He showed an insatiable desire to transform any offensive thrust into a scoring chance, both with his back to goal and by dribbling at defenders. Jason's assist to Clapier was efficient and accurate. Shokalook's offensive production was relentless until he was pulled from the match with about ten minutes remaining, the match result already determined. When Shokalook plays like this, Zips are very dangerous. Jonas Buechte was again very quietly a defensive stalwart at Center Back. His distribution was not always as precise as he shown, but his tackling and intercepting were superb. Buechte reads the game very well, superior to most at this level. Buechte's running mate Joel Sangwa also logged in a quite solid shift at Center Back. Sangwa is very composed on the ball. These two complement each other well and this tandem should be the preferred CB pairing going forward, with Will Portman spelling each as necessary. Dyson Clapier was again a continuous offensive threat employing both his athleticism and guile. He scored off a fine floor pass from Shokalook, taking a few touches to set up a right footer into the top of the goal. In scoring, Dice captured the tournament's Golden Boot with a tally of five. Malik Henry once again was excellent along the right flank, getting into the final third and delivering quality service. In doing so, he recorded another assist to Stefan Dobrijevic, but easily could have had several assists in similar fashion. His defensive tactics and execution continue to improve. Mitch Budler is either emerging as #1 GK, or he already has the position solidified. Budler really took a developmental step forward in this match. He is fearless, and he is a tough customer when he gets there. He is becoming a physical presence in the box, and opposing forwards are starting to clock Budler's proximity before taking action. He is only about 6'2" high but he is broad shouldered and solidly built. He ain't scared of nobody! Budler has a big foot; his Goal Kicks routinely clear the circle on the opposite side. And he can clear with either foot, an underrated GK skill. Mitch still has plenty of room to improve, especially regarding judicious distribution, but he is well on his way. Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal put in a yeoman's match at Defensive Mid Field. He was persistent and consistent with winning balls and distributing. He is surely sore today, having sustained double digit fouls, counting only the whistles. I think he may have gone the full 90. Zips got a fine performance from perhaps an unexpected source. Will Jackson left the match due to injury just before HT. Nick Scott filled in nicely at LB, cutting out passes, tackling, and sometimes man marking Flyer's most dangerous threat. He turned in possibly his best performance as a Zip. Good Job, Nick! Great way to wrap up Spring. Have a good off season! Rest up! July will be here before we know it.

That is a look toward the future, beyond 2022. Of Henry and Stephens, which one has the more reliable left-footed cross? Stephens will see playing time in the Fall, but probably not as a starter.

https://www.buildlineup.com/shared/6258069a2be93026176936c5 Here is how Zips should deploy vs. Dayton:

AKR 0-1 BGSU FT Zips players, coaches, managers, trainers and administrators, friends of program, etc. LISTEN UP! (Is this thing on?) Bowling Green is our chief adversary. No bout adout it!!! Falcons have beaten Zips in every match that has mattered for several outings, over multiple years. Where is that vomit emoji? They! Own! Us! Do not train your sights on any other foe until we dispatch Bowling Green. I do not want to hear any more rhetoric about national championships, blah, blah, blah. F***ing beat Bowling Green in Akron; then maybe we can talk about larger aspirations. Is this message overly nuanced or too subtle? Good! It is high time the people listed above start taking their work more personally. In yesterday's match, many Zips showed moments of brilliance, only to negate the positives with boneheaded plays or squandered opportunities. A silly foul here, a bad touch there. The little things accumulate. The one player I will salute is Ryan Kingsford, probably our best player. He continues to show grit and savvy, and a very strong work ethic. Playing in the hole is evidently Ryan's best position, so he should remain there. Kingsford's production is top drawer and consistent. Real quality. Too bad we do not have a few of him. And I am going to call out a good player that is underachieving. Because he deserves it. And also because he can take the criticism. Jason Shokalook can and must do better finishing in front of the goal. He is our best option up top. I have watched this guy score dozens of goals in his young career. But right now the goal seems like the eye of a needle to him. Do we still have a Sports Psychologist on the payroll? Relax, Jason. Do not hurry. Make solid contact. Pass the ball into the net. See you all in Columbus come Saturday!

We did not play consistently bad.

Rubbish!

Play FIFA rules/format. Period.

RMU 2-3 AKR FT Presumably due to sloppy conditions, match moved to Joe Walton Field where Robert Morris plays FB, LAX, FH, but not Soccer. There are lines all over the place, none applicable to soccer. And the width is less than 60 yards. It was weird playing with what I think is a LAX Penalty Area. Is the GK out? Who knows!? Like everything else in Pittsburgh, the field is built into the side of a mountain. Easily a dozen balls were sent over the fence during play, possibly gone forever. Malik Henry continues to shine along the right flank with speedy overlapping runs out of defense. What is improving rapidly is his service into the box. The first score of the match was just such a run capped by a (no exaggeration) world class cross onto the head of Jason Shokalook for the score. Sublime! Ryan Kingsford is the Zips' best option at several positions, but his most natural place is in the middle of the 3 in a 4-2-3-1, or in "the hole" as some say. His work rate is off the charts and he sprays the ball all over the pitch with a variety of passing techniques. Kingsford probably passed the ball to every single Zip who saw time. Freshman Stefan Dobrijevic again impressed off the bench, slotting in the winning goal with a right footer to the far post from the left side of goal. Extra drama mid way through the second half when Head Coach Jared Embick was tossed from the match for (justifiably) berating the near side linesman. Not sure, but I think Will Jackson may have been tossed as well. At any rate, WilJax did not return after exiting. It was fairly intense for spring soccer.

Excellent! Have not heard about Shultz in a while.

This is so subversive. I love it! College Soccer is acting in its own best interests, outside the auspices of NCAA. About F’ing time, I say! Times are a changin’! With or without the NCAA. Preferably with. This vote is big.

A very good team victory, in which everyone who played contributed. Jonas Buechte was again outstanding, this time from Center Back position. He organized the Defense, intercepted passes, and made several key tackles that halted counter attacks. He even scored off a restart. Malik Henry was a monster up and down the right flank. His defending was uncharacteristically solid, breaking up opposing offence down the Zips' right. But his half dozen over-lapping runs into the final third were lethal. And unlike last week, his crossing was money. Ryan Kingsford's score was a direct result of Henry's excellent cross. Dyson Clapier again terrorized the opposition defense with well-timed runs and scoring attempts down the left. He was a bit unlucky to have not scored a few times, having beaten his man to goal. He should have finished on at least one of those. Better shooting from Clapier would have ended the match as a contest in the first half.

AKR 3-1 MICH FT