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11.19.2007

Zips draw first-round bye



UA ZIPS SOCCER TEAM SEEDED #14 IN NCAA TOURNAMENT

The University of Akron Zips drew a first-round bye as the NCAA announced the pairings for the men's national soccer championship tournament. The Zips will play the winner of the Colgate-South Florida game in Tampa, FL on November 28.

NCAA News Release

Soccer Tournament Brackets

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'IT'S GOING TO BE A SHOOTOUT...' BROOKHART ON CMU GAME

On the loss versus Miami (Ohio) last Wednesday...
“When you look back on the game, its crazy. The interception that Chris Jacquemain threw we were down at the 25, second and nine. If he just runs the ball we are third and four and who knows whether we get a first down or not. Worst case scenario would have been Igor Iveljic kicking and then we are probably up 3-0 and win 3-0. But we made a decision to make a change, tried to make something happen to get some points going. We didn’t protect overly well, the ball got loose. It was the only touchdown of the game. Never would I have imagined that low scoring of a game out of that contest.”

On senior wide receiver Jabari Arthur...

“He is really different than anyone else I have been able to coach. I think he has gotten so good, purely on a want to basis. He wants to be good at whatever he does. He has that personality and that attitude towards school. He isn’t the fastest; he doesn’t have the greatest flexibility and he is not a natural hands guy. All those things that you need to be great are not real god given for him as a receiver. I think it’s a real testament to the kind of guy he is. He has worked on his speed, he’s worked on his hands, he’s worked on his route running and he has become extremely effective at it. I think it’s the way he will be the rest of his life. What he chooses to be good at, he will be good at. He’s a smart kid, bright and vibrant. I don’t think I’ve had a bad moment with him. He takes full advantage of the student-athlete experience. He is looking for a good opportunity in the NFL but if it doesn’t work out, he is very well prepared.”

On the senior class...
“It is going to be sad to see some of these guys go. These guys were a big part of that first year when we tried to develop a mentality here. One of the first things we did was try to develop a defensive mentality that I think is showing up. We have made huge strides in that area. I think we got a toughness factor about the defense. These kids overcame a lot and they’ve been through a lot in changing a program. They will be able to look back and say that we were the guys that had to find a ride to practice in the beginning, had to bring our clothes to the P.E. locker room and now we are sitting here having been part of advancing this program to the indoor facility and after winning a championship getting offices approved and continuing to do well and have enough faith in the program to build a stadium. They have a lot to be proud of.”

On the 2007 season as a whole...

“We were very close this season to having a number of wins that we didn’t have. I believe we made some adjustments in the program that were necessary. We knew that there was some transition to this year and these were kids that have been enjoyable to coach. We haven’t had cancer on the team, our locker rooms been good, the attitude has been outstanding, I would coach these kids again. Are we missing some things? Yes, two NFL receivers who didn’t find it important to go to school. That obviously hurts. I made a decision to dismiss six others. They were talented kids and it hurt in depth. Was it the right thing to do? Yes, it was right for the future of the program. I talked with Mack Rhoades and we agreed upon it. Because of those things there were some limitations and we had some things to overcome. We were close to doing that in a number of games. The disappointing thing to me is that we suspended three players throughout the year and two of them were quarterbacks. That limits your chance for success. A different commitment level has to be there at that position. Do we have a bunch of good kids? Absolutely, I would coach them again and look forward to continuing to coach these guys.”

On facing Central Michigan on Friday...

“They are extremely talented. They are throwing up 44 points in a league game. I think it’s going to be a shootout and your going to have to score a lot of points to win. The quarterback (Dan LeFevour) is clearly the best in the league. He makes it happen, both running and throwing the ball. He has very good skills. There are two running backs and a number of receivers that can make some things happen. They will move the ball effectively.”

(source: Akron Media Relations, photo: Jeff Harwell, Zips Sports Photography)

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AKRON GAME PROVES DANGEROUS

CM-LIFE, which has proven itself to be one of the better student newspapers in the MAC, reports that after the let down against EMU, the Akron game is very dangerous. After last week's let down against Eastern, the Chips shouldn't be taking anything for granted. The Akron-CMU game is scheduled for an 11 a.m. kickoff this Friday.

COSTLY MISTAKES

Central Michigan, the Zips next opponent, made costly mistakes in their loss to Eastern Michigan last week. CM-life.com

EASTERN HAD MORE TO PLAY FOR

In what reeks as a rationalization, CM-Life.com says the Eagles beat the Chipps because they had more on the line. Uh-huh...yeah.

(photo: Dave Williams, CMU Athletics)

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ZIPPY WINS AGAIN

For the 10th straight week, Zippy has won in the Capitalonebowl.com Mascot competition. This week, Zippy has a stiff challenge from Hairy Dog of Georgia, who is in second place in the overall standings. Vote for Zippy!

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