“The University of Akron men’s soccer team’s current 10-game winning streak was catalyzed in a unique way: with a trip to Buffalo Wild Wings. The Zips, the No. 2 ranked team at the time, were coming off of a weekend in Albuquerque when they lost to New Mexico and then tied Missouri State.”
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The University of Akron men’s soccer team’s current 10-game winning streak was catalyzed in a unique way: with a trip to Buffalo Wild Wings.

The Zips, the No. 2 ranked team at the time, were coming off of a weekend in Albuquerque when they lost to New Mexico and then tied Missouri State.

Feeling frustrated, coach Caleb Porter wanted things fixed, especially his team’s inability to self-motivate. Senior captain Evan Bush also wanted the problem corrected.

He called a players-only meeting at the restaurant, and he and his teammates put everything on the table.

No one was pointing fingers or playing the blaming game, but we were just open, sophomore Steve Zakuani said. We spoke very real and said if we want to go forward this is what we have to do. Our season is in our hands. We can’t afford to tie with Missouri State. And it’s worked.

Akron started its season with two impressive wins, over No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 7 Indiana in the Hoosier’s tournament, two teams that are still in the top-25.

Then they beat West Virginia and Cincinnati and got complacent. The Zips then lost 1-0 to New Mexico and had a scoreless tie against Missouri State.

It was a wake up call and a reminder we need to give our best against everybody and that you can’t take anything for granted, Porter said. We learned a lot from that weekend with regards to our approach to the game, not getting complacent and playing to the level of our opponents.

They haven’t looked back. The first match after the meeting, UA pummeled Florida Atlantic 7-0.

The Zips won their next 10 matches, including a 1-0 win against Western Michigan that clinched the program’s fourth consecutive Mid-American Conference regular season title and 11th since joining the conference in 1993.

After dropping to No. 10 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America national poll after the New Mexico Tournament in mid-September, UA rose back to their second-ranked status, with three regular season matches remaining.

It’s no surprise why- they’ve dominated on both sides of the pitch this season.

Zakuani is the nation’s leader in scoring with his 15 goals and five assists totaling 35 points. He also leads the country in goals and as a team the Zips are the third highest scoring team in the country with 37.

It’s the best we felt, Zakuani said. We were ranked No. 2 earlier in the year, but it was still early and we hadn’t really clicked. Now, everybody’s confident. The team spirit is there. There’s something about this team.

The defense is even more impressive. Led by Bush, the conference’s all time shutouts leader, UA has been the best in the country this season, allowing only four goals. They have 12 shutouts this season, including one in the last five matches and seven in the last eight.

The regular season ends in a little over one week. They travel to Hartwick Saturday, then to Ohio State Saturday.

It’s a good test for us going on the road with three tough opponents, senior Matt Tutich said. We expect results but we realize they’re good teams. This is a good test for the NCAA tournament.

The Zips can’t help but look towards the tournament, where they were upset last season in the second round against South Florida.

They haven’t won a tournament game since the 2005 season, in which the Zips fell in the national quarterfinals to the eventual national champion Maryland in a double-overtime shootout.

Were gearing up for a national championship, Bush said. Ever since the 2005 season, we realized those are realistic opportunities.

Porter thinks the Zips are capable but have to improve considerably before the tournament.

We’ve put ourselves in a great position, he said. ‘We control our own destiny. We have a lot of our own goals ahead, but one of the most dangerous things about success, is that you stop getting better. This team realizes we need to get better and we need to get better and we need to be at our best to win a national championship.

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