It is hard to find anybody who thinks the Akron Zips' soccer program won't challenge for the NCAA championship again this season.
Akron's soccer team is expecting to make another long run in the NCAA championship tournament this season.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- On the national stage, it is hard to find anybody who thinks the Akron Zips' soccer program won't challenge for the NCAA championship again this season.
The Zips, who lost the 2009 title match to Virginia on penalty kicks, were ranked preseason No. 1 in the nation by College Soccer News. This week, the team also was voted into the top spot in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll.
The four national semifinalists from 2009 earned the top four spots in the rankings, as Virginia, Wake Forest and North Carolina were listed second through fourth, respectively.
Akron will face five teams that made the preseason poll: No. 3 Wake Forest, No. 4 UNC, No. 7 Tulsa, No. 18 Ohio State and No. 24 Michigan State.
Individually, Anthony Ampaipitakwong, Darlington Nagbe and Kofi Sarkodie were named to the College Soccer News Preseason All-America Team. Akron's three representatives were the most from any school. Ampaipitakwong, Nagbe and Sarkodie each achieved All-America status a year ago.
Ampaipitakwong, Nagbe and Sarkodie are on the watch list for the Hermann Trophy, college soccer's version of football's Heisman Trophy.
The Sept. 24 game against Tulsa at Akron's Lee Jackson Field is to be televised on Fox Soccer Channel as its game of the week.
Peek-a-boo: Those wanting a first look at the Akron or Kent State football teams should circle a pair of dates.
KSU is holding its Fan Appreciation Day on Thursday. The free event begins at 5:30 p.m. with a preview of the new tailgate area inside Kent's fieldhouse. That will be followed by a 7 p.m. scrimmage, after which fans will be able to meet the coaches and players and take pictures.
The Zips are holding their event Saturday at 10 a.m. Akron's free open scrimmage will be followed by an autograph session.
In the booth: Akron has lost the services of radio football color analyst Frank Stams, who has moved on to SportsTime Ohio. The school is looking for a replacement.
Akron's regular radio voices, play-by-play man Steve French and sideline reporter Joe Dunn, will remain.
Hoops schedules: Akron has significantly upgraded its nonconference men's basketball schedule, with a four-game stretch against Illinois-Chicago, Temple, Minnesota and Miami (Fla.), all of which are on the road.
While a marked improvement in toughness, that schedule still can't match Miami University's. Duke, Kansas, Xavier, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Ohio State are just some of the teams on the RedHawks' schedule, which boasts two of the past three national champions (Duke and Kansas) and the 2010 NIT champion (Dayton).
"I hope our fans will be as excited about this schedule as I am, because it has a little bit of everything," coach Charlie Coles said in a news release.
New faces: Along with the incoming basketball recruits for this season -- Josh Egner, Dakotah Euton, Alex Abreu, Michael Green and Quincy Diggs -- Akron coach Keith Dambrot already has his eye on the future. Transfers Chauncey Gilliam (Maryland-Baltimore County) and Brian Walsh (Xavier) will practice this season and be eligible for 2011-12.
Also expected to join the Zips are a pair of Cleveland-area walk-ons in 6-7 Nick Harney (Benedictine) and 6-8 Demetrius Treadwell (Euclid).