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National soccer title is legitimate hope
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports columnist
Published on Monday, Nov 17, 2008
The wind whipped across Akron's Lee Jackson Field, straight into the faces of anyone heading toward the west goal.
The temperature was barely above freezing, with wind chills much worse.
A layer of snow covered the field at the start of the second half, and by game's end, the field was sloppy wet and plenty chopped up.
When snow fell, it blew sideways.
Soccer, anyone?
''Awful'' was the word used to describe the conditions for Sunday's MAC Championship Game between the best overall college sports team north of the Ohio River and Northern Illinois.
The only thing missing was Todd Palin arriving via dog sled.
The University of Akron's standout soccer team had pretty much assured itself an NCAA tournament berth with or without the MAC title.
Its challenge Sunday was to face these conditions, play a team that benefited from rough weather and still come away with the triangle medal that signified nobody was better than the Zips in the MAC.
And do it with their best player, one of the nation's best players, hobbled by a sore left ankle.
The Zips succeeded 1-0, thanks to a breakaway goal by standout Steve Zakuani in the second overtime. The score was set up by a how'd-he-do-that cross-field pass from Matt Tutich that put Zakuani onside and behind three defenders.
Zakuani took the pass on his sore left ankle, dribbled past Huskies goaltender Joe Zimka and calmly put the ball in the net with his left foot.
''Matt put a nice ball and Steve-O did what he did,'' coach Caleb Porter said. ''Dribbled the keeper and tucked it away.''
Using the left ankle he hurt in Friday's semifinal game, the one he thought would not allow him to play at all Sunday.
But Zakuani persevered in the conditions he called ''awful'' and unlike anything he'd ever played in. He persevered just like his teammates did.
It left Northern Illinois players disconsolate on the field as the Zips celebrated their sixth overall and second consecutive MAC title, and the automatic NCAA berth that goes with it.
In the NFL, players are feted for playing in snow and mud. But they play one side of the ball and head to hot benches and sideline heaters and they have all kinds of warm undergarments for protection.
These soccer players had shorts, their soccer jerseys, probably shirts underneath and perhaps gloves.
The ball had to feel like a rock, and headers . . . ugh.
Every time players fell or went to the ground — which was frequent in the knock-around kind of game Northern Illinois likes to play — they were caked with wet, cold mud and snow.
Add in that Akron could not play the kind of skilled passing game it likes to play, the kind that got it through the season with only one loss and earned it the No. 2 ranking in the nation, and the challenge is evident.
Especially because Northern Illinois played its game well — and competed just as hard as Akron did.
It took patience and effort and mudding and mucking by Akron to win this game, a win that came as much as anything from mental toughness.
Porter talked to his team before the game about the mental challenge it would face. He addressed it head-on, in fact.
''He said this was perfect for their kind of team,'' Zakuani said. ''They [like] to battle and scrap a little bit. We're more clean and play soccer. I think we did both today. We outfought them and we outplayed them.''
Zakuani was right. Though the Huskies had chances off a couple of Akron miscues, Akron carried the play. UA had seven corners to NIU's two. The Zips had 20 shots to the Huskies' five. UA had seven shots on goal to NIU's one.
One NIU shot reached the goal. One UA shot went in the goal.
Because it did, the Zips deserve one of the top four seeds in the tournament, which means a bye and (hopefully) three more games at home.
''We're looking forward to making a run here,'' Porter said.
He meant for a national championship.
It's a legitimate hope, and there's no reason to think the Zips won't.
Think how much it will be to watch.
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/mcmanamon/.
The wind whipped across Akron's Lee Jackson Field, straight into the faces of anyone heading toward the west goal.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 09:25 AM, 11/17/2008
go SocceROOs!
What an awesome weekend of Zips sports (minus thursday's losing at the Rubber Bowl)
anyone who hasn't had a chance to watch this exciting (yes i said it) soccer team is MISSING OUT.
GO ZIPS
Posted 05:30 PM, 11/17/2008
Does anyone know how the Ncaa tourney works? They play at home for best team or neutral site? Love to see a warm weather team have to play in Akron!
