Johnny Utah Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 From todays Beacon Journal:Although it has not been officially announced, the University of Akron men's soccer team's 2009 recruiting class is ranked No. 1 in the country by espnrise.com, an ESPN Web site focusing on high school sports.Sheldon Shealer, of espnrise.com, wrote: ''It's almost unanimous among college coaches polled: Akron has the strongest incoming class.''The Zips' recruiting class, which will be partially announced on national signing day on Wednesday, is projected to include Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy standouts Ben Speas and Matt Mason. Speas, a Stow resident, is a midfielder and Mason, an Akron resident, is a forward.The group is also expected to include, but is not limited to, defenders Zarek Valentin and Chad Barson, midfielders Scott Caldwell and Eric Stevenson, goal keeper David Meves and forward Yoram Mwila.Valentin, Barson, Caldwell and Speas each have experience on the United States youth national teams.''Akron wins the top-class argument on two levels: the quality of players and the fact that the Zips appear to have strength at every position on the field,'' Shealer wrote.Zips coach Caleb Porter can not comment on the recruiting class until national signing day on Wednesday.Departed standouts Steve Zakuani and Evan Bush led UA to a 17-2-4 record in 2008 and the highest NCAA Tournament seed in program history with a No. 5 designation.The Zips concluded the best four-year run in program history with a record of 63-12-11 from 2005-2008 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the 23rd time.UA also advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time and won its sixth Mid-American Conference tournament title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w00t Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 Can we just fast forward to August? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbozeglav Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 wow... this is good news. Im definitely excited for this fall... and not just because of the stadium! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zips4ever2008 Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 This is exciting news. Porter has done an awesome job with this program and this team should be fun to watch this season and those after. GO ZIPS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72 Roo Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 This in indeed fantastic news, but let's not overlook the challenges that face Caleb and the Zip soccer program. They are: 1) we have got to get out of the MAC (Please become an affiliate member of Conference USA and 2) we need a new soccer specific stadium. With those two issues addressed we can challenge for a national championship. Without them being resolved we will continue to get screwed by the powers that be.The bottom line is that we are on the cusp of being a top 10 program. With these improvements we will be a top 5 program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdt1420 Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 As far as a new stadium goes... if we build one, do we go with turf or grass? I ask this obviously based on what we went through this past year. Traveling to NW, in admitedly worse weather conditions, but their field was in playable shape because it was turf.I know grass is better to play on, and the NCAA frowns on turf for soccer, but if it means costing us a home playoff game in the future I think we should say eff what the NCAA frowns on, we're doing this for us.Can a new grass stadium with a proper drainage system really prevent what happened last year? Because the biggest slap in the face would be to build a grass stadium with an excellent drainage system and have the same thing happen to us during a big storm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z.I.P. Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 As far as a new stadium goes... if we build one, do we go with turf or grass? I ask this obviously based on what we went through this past year. Traveling to NW, in admitedly worse weather conditions, but their field was in playable shape because it was turf.I know grass is better to play on, and the NCAA frowns on turf for soccer, but if it means costing us a home playoff game in the future I think we should say eff what the NCAA frowns on, we're doing this for us.Can a new grass stadium with a proper drainage system really prevent what happened last year? Because the biggest slap in the face would be to build a grass stadium with an excellent drainage system and have the same thing happen to us during a big storm.To pdt, and 72:First the game was not moved from Lee Jackson because of the grass. It was the poor drainage UNDER the grass that made the field unplayable. I haven't done any research, but I'd bet very few Div I soccer programs employ field turf. A good field turf field can be as good a field as top-flight agronomy grass, but the soccer world still looks down on it. When they go to turf at Camp Nou (FC Barcelona), field turf will have come of age. Our sport takes its cues from FIFA, not NCAA.72, leaving the MAC at this point will make little to no change in Akron's image in collegiate soccer. It will take time to become a household name, no matter what league we are in. Only difference would be (possibly) the impossible jump to Big-10. However, Akron is on the verge of knocking down the door to college football (oh, I mean soccer for those few) supremacy, and that will impact the UA athletic program across the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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