The University of Akron Athletics
Attack Looks Strong in Men's Soccer Intrasquad Scrimmage
August 13 | Men's Soccer
AKRON, Ohio -
The University of Akron men's soccer team took to Lee Jackson
Field for the first time Sunday night in an intrasquad scrimmage as
it prepares for its 2006 Westfield Insurance Cup opener Friday
night vs. Creighton.
Split up into blue and orange squads, the team played a 45-minute
first half, followed by a 30-minute second half. The blue team came
away with the 3-1 victory, with all the goals scored in the first
half of play.
The blue squad dominated play early with senior midfielder
Sinisa Ubiparipovic
(Mentor, Ohio/Mentor/UIC) giving the team a 1-0 lead on a PK after
a handball was called in the box. He added another goal to make it
2-0, but the orange team battled back.
Freshman striker Rostand Erlichman (Scottsdale, Ariz./Chaparral)
struck the ball into the upper right hand corner past an
outstretched
Evan Bush (Concord,
Ohio/Lake Catholic) to bring orange back to within a goal.
The comeback was short-lived as Ubiparipovic nailed a beautiful
goal for his third tally of the night. The All-American scored on a
direct free kick, bending the ball around the wall and into the
upper right.
Head coach
Caleb Porter switched up
the squads a bit in the second half, and the final 10 minutes was
spent practicing situational play with the blue holding a 1-0 lead.
The blue squad ended the game with a commanding 9-3 lead in shots
taken, with seven of the nine attempts on goal.
"I think our attack is really starting to gel," Porter said. "We
are working with two up top right now, which allows for easier
penetration. We are really making a step in the right direction in
that area.
"Our younger players are making great strides. Rostand performed
well tonight, and (Ben) Zemanski continues to show good signs on
the field. The team chemistry continues to come along now that we
have figured out how we want to play."
After five-straight days of workouts, the Zips will take Monday
morning off before returning to preparation for this weekend's
exhibition matches.
"Now we will start to taper off and focus more on the details,"
Porter said. "Our fitness level right now is excellent, so we will
work on fine-tuning other aspects of our game."
