The University of Akron Athletics
Akron Insider: C.J.'s Corner Kicks
November 03 | Men's Soccer
To help chronicle 2009 University of Akron men's soccer season, senior midfielder C.J. Kaufman has agreed to provide Zips' fans, friends and alumni inside access throughout the year on GoZips.com.
What better source to get the scoop on the nation's No.1 team than through the eyes of one of its student-athletes? Check back every week to read the latest journal entry of "C.J.'s Corner Kicks" on GoZips.com!
Kaufman, a native of Tucson, Ariz., has been with the Zips since 2005 after earning first-team all-state honors as a senior at Salpointe Catholic High School. To his teammates and coaches, Kaufman is known as a hard worker with a positive attitude and the perfect example of what a student-athlete should be. In addition to his devotion on the field to the UA men's soccer program, Kaufman owns cumulative GPA of 3.431 as a civil engineering major and currently serves as the president of the University's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
The following is Kaufman's ninth entry for GoZips.com:
The end of the regular season is quickly arriving and with it the pressure of each game increases. Each member of the team is very proud of the position we are in but know that there is still a good amount of work to be done. Each day in training we focus on becoming better individually so that our collective effort can also improve.
This past week provided ample time in practice to do this as we only had one game on the schedule. Last Wednesday night, the Penn State Nittany Lions made the journey to The Pouch for a midweek match-up. PSU has had a very successful season, proven by their current first-place position in the Big Ten Conference.
With almost 1,600 fans in attendance along with the always-rambunctious AK-Rowdies, the environment was set for a quality college soccer match. Wary of Penn State's quality attackers, our defense was put to its toughest test of the season. However, as the saying goes, sometimes the best defense is a great offense. Teal Bunbury was able to continue his hot streak by putting two goals away before halftime.
The Nittany Lions responded well, not letting their deficit get them down. They continued to put pressure on us, forcing keeper Dave Meves into a season high five saves. With a little help from the goal post, our defense was able to post its 13th shutout of the season. Darlington Nagbe finished off the scoring for the night with a goal in the second half.
The rest of the week gave us an opportunity to recover as well as address some issues in practice. We were also blessed with a surprise visit from a couple of alumni. On Friday night, I received a text from Pablo Moreira asking for a ride from the airport. With out hesitation I picked him up and went to dinner to meet up with Steve Zakuani and a few other teammates who had picked up the Seattle Sounder earlier in the night.
They were present on Saturday morning for an intense inter squad scrimmage. In order to keep our fitness as well as a way to stay sharp, the coaches had us scrimmage ourselves in the field house. Our coaches use these scrimmages to prepare us for the upcoming opposition. We try to make the scrimmages so hard that the real games seem easy. The game was both intense and fun, being one that you didn't want to end.
After a much-needed nap after the scrimmage, the team was in the Halloween spirit as many of us dressed up for the occasion. There was a variety of costumes including Buzz Lightyear, Zoolander, Maverick, a lumberjack, Quailman, hula dancers, with the majority of us dressing up as Tetris pieces (see photos). A few of us were also able to take advantage of a Chipotle offer by receiving a free burrito for wearing aluminum foil to the restaurant. College kids love free stuff and this was no exception.
Heading into the last week of the regular season, we are very excited to end on a strong note, with the postseason arriving soon. With big games against Michigan State and Hartwick, we will be tested and have to be on top of our game to be victorious. We appreciate the strong support this season and request that it continue on Wednesday as well as this coming Saturday for Senior Night.
I also would ask that you support a community service project that the team is putting on during halftime of Wednesday's game against MSU titled "Kick It Forward." We will be holding a soccer ball drive that will benefit less fortunate children in the community. Soccer has played a major role in all of our lives and we would like to be able to pass the gift of the beautiful game on to others. You will be able to help by tossing a ball onto the field at half time. Thank you in advance for the support. We will see you on Wednesday!
It's a great time to be a Zip.
Eat your vegetables, God bless.
-C.J. Kaufman, Jr. #8
