The University of Akron Athletics
Limited Spots Remain For Akron Men's Soccer Summer Camps
June 25 | Men's Soccer
AKRON, Ohio – Limited spots remain for the second week of The University of Akron men's soccer Residential and Commuter Camp, which runs from July 15-19, Zips head coach and camp director Caleb Porter said Monday.
The residential and commuter camp is designed for boys, ages 10-18, with the overall goal to educate and challenge players of all levels. Additionally, spots remain for the Zips' Little Stars Program, which is geared towards boys and girls, ages 4-6, and runs from July 23-27.
Early registration is strongly advised for those wanting to secure a place and experience the No. 1 college soccer environment in the country. The first weeks of Day Camp and Residential Camp have already sold out this summer and all camps were completely sold out in advance in 2011. To avoid getting shut out, log on to the Akron Soccer Camps Website, AkronSoccerCamp.com, or contact Oliver Slawson at 330-972-2434 to register.
Akron soccer has a rich tradition, beginning with its inaugural season in 1955. Over the course of 57 years, the Zips have seen the program reach unthinkable heights, culminating with the school's first team national championship in any sport in 2010. Inall, Akron has advanced to the NCAA Tournament 26 times – including each of the last five seasons under Porter. A soccer powerhouse, UA has produced 46 All-America honors, with 13 Zips receiving All–American recognition over the last seven years alone.
In a short amount of time, Porter has built the Akron program into a perennial national championship contender – making back-to-back appearances in the NCAA final in 2009 and 2010. The Zips captured their seventh straight Mid-American Conference regular-season title and made another deep run into the NCAA postseason in 2011, advancing to the Round of 16 for the fourth-straight season, despite losing seven starters to the Major League Soccer SuperDraft in 2011.
Along the way, the Zips rewrote the NCAA's all-time record for longest home unbeaten streak, finished among the top 15 teams in the country for both scoring offense and goals against average, and posted the second-highest team grade-point-average in Division I with an exceptional mark of 3.44. Continuing the long list of lethal UA strikers, sophomore striker Darren Mattocks, who finished second in the country with 21 goals, was a Herman Trophy semifinalist and became the 13th Akron player to be selected in the MLS SuperDraft since 2006 when he was taken with the second overall pick by theVancouver Whitecaps.
Mattocks was an NSCAA All-American in 2011, as was midfielder Scott Caldwell. Caldwell was also one of three Zips (defender Chad Barson and goalkeeper David Meves) to earn Academic All-American honors. Furthermore, the Zips swept the MAC's specialty awards for the fifth straight season as Mattocks was named MAC Player of the Year, Wil Trapp was named MAC Newcomer of the Year and Porter was presented with MAC Coach of the Year honors for the fifth time in as many years.
