In claiming the first championship for any NCAA team at Akron, the Zips said Sunday night that they hope it's just the beginning.
View full sizeAkron goaltender David Meves made several acrobatic saves to protect the Zips' championship dreams on Sunday. Here he deflects the ball wide as Zips defender Chad Barson (left) and Louisville's Josh Lipka watch.Kathryn L. Knapp
Special to The Plain Dealer
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- In claiming the first championship for any NCAA team at Akron, the Zips said Sunday night that they hope it's just the beginning.
"Winning means more than anyone could imagine," Zarek Valentin said. "It gives the school hope that we can keep progressing not only in our sport, but also other ones."
No stranger: Akron head coach Caleb Porter has been to the College Cup nine times. Porter played in the tournament in 1994 and 1997 for Indiana, failing to get a title. But he's been back as a graduate assistant (IU 1998), assistant coach (IU 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004) and now head coach (Akron 2009, 2010).
During that span, Indiana won three times (1998, 2003, 2004) and Akron won on Sunday.
He's the first: Anthony Ampaipitakwong finished out his four years at Akron in style.
After the match he said he was exhausted, while smiling from ear to ear. "It's an unbelievable feeling," he said. Ampaipitakwong ended his tenure as one of the nation's top players and 17 goals and 30 assists.
Porter said Ampai was his first blue-chip recruit.
"People told us we wouldn't get the top talent," Porter said. "When I was selling him to come to Akron, he didn't even know where it was. After the game I thanked him because he go the ball rolling."
Score first, win: Akron got the first goal of a game for the 19th time this season. Akron was 19-0-0 record when scoring first, 20-0-0 when holding a team to no more than one goal.
If you will the ball, it will find the net: For the second straight game, the Zips' goals were in net with their faithful Rowdies fans behind it.
"We've often said that they're like a vacuum, sucking the ball into the net," Porter said. "It's ironic that we found the goal with the fans sitting behind it."
What's next? With three seniors on the squad and some of the top players in the nation, it's no surprise that the 2011 Zips will have a different look. But Porter said putting together all the right pieces for next year is a challenge he looks forward to.
"We're going to lose some guys," he said. "The nice thing is we have guys in the wings who are ready. As a coach, you're always preparing for the next year.
"Our culture's there. Our style of play is ingrained in them. Our system will change slightly. Our identity will never change. We will keep playing the way we play."
A moment to remember: "We knew we could win this," Ampaipitakwong said. "This is our time. This is our destiny."
Kathryn Knapp is a freelance writer in Santa Barbara, Calif.