The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

Graphic courtesy of Liv Ream; movie flyer from IMDB
In defense of Skinamarink
By Liv Ream, Arts and Entertainment Editor • October 1, 2023
Alternative Spring Break 2023 volunteers in Washington, D.C. Courtesy of Natalie Mowad.
Applications open for Akron’s 2024 Alternative Spring Break
By Taylor Lorence, Correspondent • October 1, 2023
The Northern Cheyenne tribe and community walking the ancient Portage Path from Portage Path CLC to the John Brown Home during a previous years First Peoples Day event. Photo courtesy of Portage Path Collaborative.
UA Holds events in celebration of North American First People’s Day   
By Shananne Lewis, Online Editor • September 28, 2023
White swan on water during daytime photo - Free Uk Image on Unsplash
The Swan's Rapture: a poem
By Emily Price, editor in chief • September 27, 2023
Desperately Seeking an Amazon Fighter, sculpture by Kimberly Chapman
"Easy Prey" art exhibit on display at Myers School of Art
By Taylor Lorence, Reporter, Secretary • September 21, 2023
“On the left, there’s me at work! I received the New Student Orientation “Gold Standard” award alongside 
and at the same time as my friend Gillian.”
Courtesy of Connor VanMaele
Fall 2023 Print Edition: Going the Distance
By Connor VanMaele, Correspondent • September 19, 2023
L to R: Steve Horner, Heather Barhorst, Haley Kuczynski, Shawna Blankenship, Brynley Harris, Jessie Redwine at the Pop-Up Pantry. Image Courtesy of ZipAssist.
ZipAssist Holds Community Resource Fair Tuesday, September 19 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the SU 2nd Floor
By Shananne Lewis, Correspondent • September 18, 2023
Film critic Liv Ream and friend pose for photo (Image via Liv Ream)
My Barbie experience
By Liv Ream, Film Critic • September 17, 2023

The real futbol team

” A lot has changed since 2005, the year the University of Akron athletics put itself on the map. The football team won its first Mid-American Conference Championship and the soccer team sailed to the Elite Eight, even after a shady seed by the tournament committee.”

A lot has changed since 2005, the year the University of Akron athletics put itself on the map.

The football team won its first Mid-American Conference Championship and the soccer team sailed to the Elite Eight, even after a shady seed by the tournament committee.

Since then, the boys who wear pads every Saturday have gone through a rough patch. They had the talent but not the chemistry in ’06 and have the chemistry but lack the necessary talent and experience to compete this year.

On the pitch, the Zips had a solid year in ’06, even after the departure of the most successful UA coach (and arguably MAC coach), in any sport, in any era, who was lured away from the Rubber City by the Big East.

With Ken Lolla gone to Louisville, the powerhouse that he built was sure to suffer. But with the hire of an eerily Lolla-like Caleb Porter, who spent most of his career at soccer juggernaut Indiana as a player and an assistant coach, the drop-off never came.

Like Lolla, Porter’s recruiting both nationally and overseas, has been pristine and his team plays for him. He stresses the same points as Lolla: stingy defense, and offensive freedom within a system. The players he’s recruited make things happen for themselves and for teammates.

This past Saturday, the No. 17 Zips clinched their 10th regular season conference title with a win over Western Michigan in 14 years of MAC soccer.

Porter doesn’t have the top-heavy attack Lolla had in ’05, with future pros Ross McKenzie and Sinisa Ubiparipovic forming the best forward tandem in the country, but he does have one thing on his side: balance.

The Zips have four players who have scored five goals this year. Two are seniors (Pablo Moreira and Elliot Bradbrook), one is a junior (Matt Tutich) and one is a true freshman (Steve Zakuani). Another true freshman, Anthony Ampaipitakwong leads the conference in assists with nine.

Not only do the Zips have scoring punch, but they’ll have it in the following years. Ampaipitakwong and Zakuani have the potential to be the next McKenzie-Ubiparipovic combo up front and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if they end up surpassing the best front-line combo in Zips history.

And the defense is arguably the best in conference history. Statistically speaking, it would be impossible to have a better defense than the Zips have had in MAC play because they didn’t give up any goals. Go ahead and read that last sentence again. No goals in MAC play.

There is no doubt UA has earned at least an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament, that is, if they don’t win the MAC tournament.

They’re the one team at UA that never seems to suffer a down year. No problems with chemistry and few, if any, problems with players. Just winning.

It’s a little different on the gridiron, with the sport being infinitely more popular in the country, but even still, who’s the real futbol team on campus?

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