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Are you still upset over the football team's loss Saturday? I believe it was Katy Perry who said "maybe your reason why all the doors are closed; so you could open one that leads you to the perfect road." That door you just opened is leading you to the Zips' road to the College Cup in hopes of another National Championship.
The Zips came into the season ranked #8 in the nation and without former Akron demigod coach Caleb Porter. New coach Jared Embrick is looking to continue where Porter left off and build on his success. Akron opened the season at the College of Charleston tournament with games scheduled against the hosts College of Charleston and Furman.
The first game for the Zips was against the Cougars of College of Charleston. Akron was the aggressor for the duration of the match, but could not find the back of the net. A red card in the 70th minute by Cougars' midfielder Ike Crook spelled doom for CofC and Akron would break the tie in the 80th minute with a goal from midfielder Aodhan Quinn. An own goal by the Cougars in the 87th minute put the nail in the coffin and the Zips picked up their first win of the season.
Akron's second game against Furman was very similar to the first. A dominating performance for the Zips throughout with several scoring chances, but no goals early. The MAC's leading goal scorer from 2012 Reinaldo Brenes scored off a corner kick in the 58th minute for the Zips. That was enough as 1-0 was the final result and Akron won the tournament. Defender Bryan Gallego was named tournament MVP leading the defense to a shutout in both games.
The weekend saw the Zips climb in the rankings as they moved up to No. 5. The road to the College Cup continues next weekend in the St. John's tournament and the Zips will take on the hosts and 23rd ranked St. John's followed by Rutgers.