The University of Akron Athletics
Zakuani Tabbed Top Drawer Soccer's Player of the Season
November 21 | Men's Soccer
University of Akron sophomore Steve
Zakuani, the nation's scoring leader and 2008 Mid-American
Conference Player of the Year, was named Player of the Season by Top Drawer Soccer Friday.
Furthermore, first-year UA standouts Darlington
Nagbe and Kofi Sarkodie were also honored by the national
publication, earning first team all-rookie accolades.
Zakuani has exceeded lofty expectations this season as a Hermann
Trophy candidate and preseason Soccer America
All-American. The striker leads the nation in goals scored (20) and
points (47) and has been at his best with the game on the line.
The native of London, England has seven game-winning goals to this
credit for the season, but none may have been bigger than the one
in double overtime to defeat Northern Illinois in the MAC
Tournament championship game last Sunday at Lee Jackson Field.
Hobbled by a sprained ankle, Zakuani battled harsh winter weather
conditions and played through pain that kept him out of the
starting lineup for the first time of his career.
The 2007 MAC Newcomer of the Year found the net in the 104th minute
to lift the Zips (16-1-4) to their second consecutive MAC
Tournament title and sixth overall in the program's heralded
history. Zakuani's 20 goals and 47 points rank him fifth on the
school's single-season list for each category.
Nagbe, the 2008 MAC Newcomer of the Year, recorded a pair of goals
and three assists while firing off 33 shots as a first-year player
for the Zips. The forward excelled as the season progressed and
enjoyed an expanded role in the MAC Tournament title game with
Zakuani limited due to injury.
Nagbe recorded both of his goals in a rout of Florida Atlantic on
Sept. 19 and assisted scores in back-to-back games at Hartwick
(Nov. 1) and at Ohio State (Nov. 7), a potential NCAA Tournament
opponent for UA. Ironically, Nagbe's other assist on the year came
against Akron's other potential opponent, Oakland, on Oct. 8.
Sarkodie hit the ground running, by scoring the game-winning goal
and assisting in a shutout in Akron's 3-0 season-opening victory
against then-ranked No. 3 Notre Dame on Aug. 31. The UA defender
and current captain of his U.S. Youth National team, who also has
two assists to his name in 2008, has been instrumental in the
success of the Akron defense, which is ranked third nationally with
a goals-against-average (GAA) of 0.43 – allowing just nine
scores in 20 games.
As a unit, Zips defenders are amidst one of – if not the best
– seasons in school history. The team's GAA is currently the
lowest ever recorded by Akron team and its 13 shutouts are two shy
of the single-season mark.
Akron, which received a program-best No. 5 seed in the NCAA
Tournament, will face the winner of Saturday's Ohio State vs.
Oakland match-up in the second round Tuesday night at Lee Jackson
Field starting a 7:30 p.m.
TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Season
1st Team
GK: Stefan Frei, California
D: Ike Opara, Wake
Forest
D: Kevin Alston, Indiana
D: Joel Gustafsson, St.
John's
M: Brad Ring, Indiana
M: Baggio Husidic, UIC
M: Mike Stephens, UCLA
M: Jeremy Hall, Maryland
F: Mike Grella, Duke
F: Steve Zakuani, Akron
F: Marcus Tracy, Wake
Forest
F: Chris Pontius, UC
Santa Barbara
Player of the Season: Steve
Zakuani, Akron
2nd Team
GK: Zack Simmons, Massachusetts
D: Brad Rusin, UCLA
D: Yohance Marshall, South Florida
D: Matt Besler, Notre
Dame
D: Omar Gonzalez, Maryland
M: Nelson Becerra, St.
John's
F: O'Brian White, Connecticut
F: Peri Marosevic, Michigan
F: Doug DeMartin, Michigan State
F: Andrew Wiedeman, California
F: Matt Eliason, Northwestern
F: Conor Chinn, San
Francisco
3rd Team
GK: Tyrel Lacey, Tulsa
D: Chris Schuler, Creighton
D: Barry Rice, Kentucky
D: Nick Barclay, Gonzaga
D: David Sias, UC Santa
Barbara
M: Quincy Amarikwa, UC
Davis
M: Bobby Warshaw, Stanford
F: Chris Salvaggione, Charlotte
F: Kyle Christianson, Denver
F: Devan Carroll, UNC
Wilmington
F: Brian Shriver, North
Carolina
F: Jamie Darvill, Loyola (MD)
(Note: Freshmen are not eligible for the Team of the Season –
only the All-Rookie Team)
TopDrawerSoccer.com All-Rookie Team
1st Team
GK: Zac MacMath, Maryland
D: Tony Walls, Wisconsin-Green Bay
D: Kofi Sarkodie, Akron
D: Dan Wenzel, Wake
Forest
M: Matt Kassel, Maryland
M: Darlington Nagbe, Akron
M: Tony Tchani, Virginia
F: Danny Mwanga, Oregon
State
F: Michael Bustamante Boston University
F: Will Bruin, Indiana
F: Brian Ownby, Virginia
F: Casey Townsend, Maryland
Rookie of the Season: Matt Kassel, Maryland
2nd Team
GK: Andrew Fontein, UC
Irvine
D: Sheanon Williams, North Carolina
D: Roger Downes, Loyola
Marymount
M: Julian Serrato, UIC
M: Karol Chorak, Liberty
M: Jarod Stigall, Denver
F: Colin Rolfe, Louisville
F: Steffen Rabben, Old
Dominion
F: Sam Garza, Denver
F: Coleton Hennings, Furman
F: Lucky Mkosana, Dartmouth
F: Austin Neil, Tulsa
