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By Michael Beaven
Special to the Beacon Journal
POSTED: 07:51 a.m. EST, Nov 16, 2007
MAC soccer title would give automatic NCAA Tournament spot
he University of Akron men's soccer team heads into this weekend with one objective: win the Mid-American Conference Tournament title. The reward for the Zips (13-3-2, 4-0-1) would be an automatic invitation to the NCAA Tournament.
''We are peaking at the right time,'' UA coach Caleb Porter said. ''We're 11-1-2 in our last 14 games with 10 shutouts. We are really playing well as a team on both sides of the ball.''
UA, ranked No. 12 in the NCAA men's soccer RPI, won the conference regular-season championship and is the No. 1 seed. The Zips will play Northern Illinois in a MAC semifinal at 7:30 tonight at Lee Jackson Field. The other semifinal features No. 2 seed Buffalo against Hartwick at 5 p.m.
UA hosts the MAC Championship Game at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The Zips are seeking to return to postseason play after losing the MAC championship game to Northern Illinois last season.
The previous five seasons, UA qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The 2005 team, which went 18-1-4, was ranked No. 1 in the nation for a month and made it to the NCAA quarterfinals.
''Without a doubt, walking off the field at Northern Illinois (last season) knowing we had no control of our destiny was an empty feeling,'' junior goalkeeper Evan Bush said. ''We wanted to go back to work right away.''
''We have kind of held that feeling and used it to our advantage to keep ourselves focused,'' senior defender Corey Sipos said.
Bush and Sipos are two big reasons why UA has shut out 11 opponents. Seniors Devin McKenney, Elliot Bradbrook and Matt Augustin form the nucleus of the defense, joined by juniors Ossie Michalsen and Andrew Tipton.
''We're very confident going into this weekend,'' Porter said. ''We are just not giving teams many chances at the goal. To me, that is the most pleasing part of the team. Teams that defend well, are organized and disciplined, usually find a way to be successful in the postseason.''
Porter said the defensive unit's experience is a big factor in its success.
''We have guys who have been in a lot of big games and won a lot of tough battles,'' Porter said. ''They are all on the same page, they read each other very well, and they are always in sync.''
Sipos, who missed last season with a torn ligament in his left knee, agreed. ''It's definitely a cohesive unit in the back,'' Sipos said. ''Each of us have played for two or three seasons together. We can criticize each other and not be offended. Communication is a huge thing with our team.''
Zips junior Matt Tutich (five goals, three assists) leads a diverse offense, which also has seniors Pablo Moreira and Steve Kalan and freshmen Steve Zakuani, Anthony Ampaipitakwong (nine assists) and Blair Gavin.
''We are difficult to prepare for because we have multiple scorers — someone always steps up,'' Porter said.
Tutich, Zakuani, Moreira and Bradbrook have five goals apiece.
''It has been a complete team effort. We don't have one superstar that we need to turn to,'' Bush said. ''Any given guy on our team can score and come through.''
Sophomores Ben Zemanski, Stefan Ostergren and C.J. Kaufman also contribute on offense with freshman Michael Nanchoff.
''The biggest thing is we don't have just one threat,'' Tutich said. ''This year, goals have come from everyone. We have balanced scoring; other teams can't focus on just one player on our team.''
UA is ranked No. 16 in the Division I College Soccer News Top 30 National Poll, No. 17 in the NSCAA/adidas Top 25 poll, and tied for No. 18 in thesoccertimes.com Top 25 poll.
''It's in our hands, we have the ability to control our own destiny,'' Porter said. ''On Monday, we are hopeful to watch the NCAA Selection Show (on television) and know we will be in. We approach this weekend with the idea of winning the MAC Tournament and getting the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.''
MAC soccer title would give automatic NCAA Tournament spot
he University of Akron men's soccer team heads into this weekend with one objective: win the Mid-American Conference Tournament title. The reward for the Zips (13-3-2, 4-0-1) would be an automatic invitation to the NCAA Tournament.
''We are peaking at the right time,'' UA coach Caleb Porter said. ''We're 11-1-2 in our last 14 games with 10 shutouts. We are really playing well as a team on both sides of the ball.''
UA, ranked No. 12 in the NCAA men's soccer RPI, won the conference regular-season championship and is the No. 1 seed. The Zips will play Northern Illinois in a MAC semifinal at 7:30 tonight at Lee Jackson Field. The other semifinal features No. 2 seed Buffalo against Hartwick at 5 p.m.
UA hosts the MAC Championship Game at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The Zips are seeking to return to postseason play after losing the MAC championship game to Northern Illinois last season.
The previous five seasons, UA qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The 2005 team, which went 18-1-4, was ranked No. 1 in the nation for a month and made it to the NCAA quarterfinals.
''Without a doubt, walking off the field at Northern Illinois (last season) knowing we had no control of our destiny was an empty feeling,'' junior goalkeeper Evan Bush said. ''We wanted to go back to work right away.''
''We have kind of held that feeling and used it to our advantage to keep ourselves focused,'' senior defender Corey Sipos said.
Bush and Sipos are two big reasons why UA has shut out 11 opponents. Seniors Devin McKenney, Elliot Bradbrook and Matt Augustin form the nucleus of the defense, joined by juniors Ossie Michalsen and Andrew Tipton.
''We're very confident going into this weekend,'' Porter said. ''We are just not giving teams many chances at the goal. To me, that is the most pleasing part of the team. Teams that defend well, are organized and disciplined, usually find a way to be successful in the postseason.''
Porter said the defensive unit's experience is a big factor in its success.
''We have guys who have been in a lot of big games and won a lot of tough battles,'' Porter said. ''They are all on the same page, they read each other very well, and they are always in sync.''
Sipos, who missed last season with a torn ligament in his left knee, agreed. ''It's definitely a cohesive unit in the back,'' Sipos said. ''Each of us have played for two or three seasons together. We can criticize each other and not be offended. Communication is a huge thing with our team.''
Zips junior Matt Tutich (five goals, three assists) leads a diverse offense, which also has seniors Pablo Moreira and Steve Kalan and freshmen Steve Zakuani, Anthony Ampaipitakwong (nine assists) and Blair Gavin.
''We are difficult to prepare for because we have multiple scorers — someone always steps up,'' Porter said.
Tutich, Zakuani, Moreira and Bradbrook have five goals apiece.
''It has been a complete team effort. We don't have one superstar that we need to turn to,'' Bush said. ''Any given guy on our team can score and come through.''
Sophomores Ben Zemanski, Stefan Ostergren and C.J. Kaufman also contribute on offense with freshman Michael Nanchoff.
''The biggest thing is we don't have just one threat,'' Tutich said. ''This year, goals have come from everyone. We have balanced scoring; other teams can't focus on just one player on our team.''
UA is ranked No. 16 in the Division I College Soccer News Top 30 National Poll, No. 17 in the NSCAA/adidas Top 25 poll, and tied for No. 18 in thesoccertimes.com Top 25 poll.
''It's in our hands, we have the ability to control our own destiny,'' Porter said. ''On Monday, we are hopeful to watch the NCAA Selection Show (on television) and know we will be in. We approach this weekend with the idea of winning the MAC Tournament and getting the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.''
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