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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?

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.