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'Garcia-Aguilar has high hopes for his future, so much so that college soccer is his fallback. His dream of wearing a first-team jersey in front of the Timbers raucous fans at Jeld-Wen Field may be more of a reality than he realizes. "That's my dream, to play professionally," he said. "That's what I'm working for, and if I can't I'll just hopefully go to college."' Is Alex Segovia going to college?

I just finished shoveling the driveway. Please stop reminding about your weather.

I do not like this at all. For the first time since 2006, there is no Zips MSOC going into Thanksgiving. Yes, there was that horrible home loss to USF on Thanksgiving eve 2007. But at least Zips Soccer was on my mind over the holiday. http://www.gozips.com/sports/msoc/2007-08/releases/1329376_1 And who among us will ever forget the last second OT victory over OSU at St.V-St.M Thanksgiving eve 2008? Epic! Zemanski to Tutich; header in the net; match over; shirtless in the snow! Anyone have video on that? http://www.gozips.com/sports/msoc/2008-09/releases/3624053_1 In 2009, on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, arguably the best collegiate MSOC squad ever assembled, demolished visiting Stanford. We will never forget 23-0-2! http://www.gozips.com/sports/msoc/2009-10/...ses/204841648_1 Akron’s lone team championship finally arrived in 2010. The dreaded Indiana Hoosiers, at whose hands the Zips have suffered mightily over the years, were dispatched on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We were the better team, but they were just as game as ever. http://www.gozips.com/sports/msoc/2010-11/...ses/205038382_1 In 2011, the road warrior Zips fell to eventual runner-up Charlotte on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I will dispute with my dying breath the off-side call that nullified the equalizer. http://www.gozips.com/sports/msoc/2011-12/.../20111127w3q98r The most heartbreaking of outcomes on this list is from 2012. Favorites to win it all, Zips fell in PKs to visiting Creighton. Scotty Caldwell, of all people, missed a PK just a few minutes into OT. Despite BlueJays also going down a man on the same play, Zips still failed to score throughout the remainder of OTs. (I stopped sniffling about that sometime in Spring 2013.) http://www.gozips.com/sports/msoc/2012-13/.../2012112543170p Thanksgiving 2013: NOTHING! That is the point! Coach Embick, if you need a barometer or standard by which to judge success, let it be that. Are you still playing come Thanksgiving?

Smith? Jones? Nanchoff? It is really tough to say with such common names.

Brenes, Derschang, Portillos, Quinn, Stevenson are out of eligibility. Gallego will probably go pro; Najem could do the same, but likely not. Pina may very well transfer. This team will be gutted. Now we will really find out about Embick. Can he back-fill these losses? He had better recruit well.

Due to school? You realize this is a university team, right?

Victor Souto sent off after match already lost?

So, he is well used to this weather.

Saad has looked shaky for several matches.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." Maybe someone will tell you later, but not right now.

Clever passing is neutralized in freezing temperatures. I too want to see Riley Grant run at the Marquette back line.

All video feeds should be this good.

Marquette are better in first 30.

Good. Represent loudly and proudly! We will be watching.

Surf's up, Don Ho.

No, no, no. Lying on his back in the goal is a Hoosier defender. Beaten Hoosier GK is the one running back toward goal. Coach your kids to always clear the ball from your own goal As Soon As Possible, regardless whether it is in or not. You never know.

So, is a bus going to Marquette or not? Someone please confirm. I cannot go, no way, no how. But I absolutely hate the thought of our boys up there without any support.

No enough interest? Nine hours is a long drive.

http://www.gomarquette.com/sports/m-soccer/

Right. It is remarkable how Fenlason disdains the punt, continually placing the ball on the ground before kicking. Why does he do this? As a GK coach, perhaps you can lend some insight. Is it about the trajectory of the ball?

Well, if Goal Kicks are what we are indeed talking about, then this conversation makes even less sense to me. A Goal Keeper must kick the ball downfield occasionally, at the very least. If the opposition's forwards elect to stifle the short pass Goal Kick on the ground, they can accomplish that every single time. So, there must be an alternative for the Goal Keeper, which is the long Goal Kick. The opposition offense must be made to pay for allocating resources toward preventing us from playing from the back. Zips must get better at gaining possession from the inevitable long kick. This usually entails collecting the second ball, because possession is rarely gained from the initial contact, or first ball. Last night, Hoosiers were much better at collecting that second ball. They anticipated better, they reacted quicker, and they were physically tougher in winning possession. Marquette will watch video of last night’s match, to be sure. Zips had better fix that.

It was a well-officiated match overall, but that certainly looked a score.

Did Fenlason punt the ball even once against Indiana? He kicked it from the ground every time. Can you remember a punt? The defense should play out of the back whenever possible, agreed. But not when opponent is pressing so high. An occasional long ball must be mixed in to keep the high pressure honest. One likes to think that our odds of collecting the long ball are better than 50%, but even so, a long ball must be boomed from the back from time to time. A good team can do both. And weather/pitch conditions must also be taken into account. On several instances, Zips nearly got burned by their own reckless care of the ball along the back line, during a cold rain. Last night was not the match to get cute in the back. Zips were lucky. Remember that 1/3 of all goals are the result of defensive turnover.

Hoosiers were better on offense. Zips were better on everything else. Zips are lucky to advance. There was a 25 minute stretch in the 2nd half where Hoosiers dominated play. Tommy Thompson was the best player on the pitch. I will be surprised if the San Jose Homegrown has a Junior year, maybe not even a Sophomore year.

The higher seed would host, which I think is Akron. Fat chance!