Capsules
By Peter Schinkai
pschinkai@themacdaily.com
The hottest part of the summer is fast approaching, which always reminds me of one important thing — soccer teams are heading to camp. Seniors are coming back to campus expecting to improve on last year's run and freshman are heading off to college for the first time, knowing that they'll be the difference makers on their clubs. It certainly is cause for excitement — so, without further ado, here is a breakdown for each Mid-American Conference school.
Akron Zips
2008 Record: 17-2-4, 6-0-0, 1st
Looking Back At 2008: Even for a program that is used to amazing seasons, 2008 will always be one to remember at Akron. The Zips lost just once during the regular season, a 1-0 decision to New Mexico, as they won both the MAC regular season and tournament titles. Twice Akron found itself with the No. 2 ranking in the nation and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament, before bowing out to Northwestern 1-0 in a game that UA dominated. No, 2008 will not be a season that anyone soon forgets.
Akron's Biggest Test Will Be Against: Ohio State on Sept. 30. Forget the fact that these are two great Ohio teams for a minute and just focus on one thing — Akron beat OSU twice last year. On the last day of the regular season, UA went to Columbus and won 4-3. Then, in the NCAA Tournament, the Zips helped Ohio State wrap up its year with a 1-0 double-overtime thriller. The Buckeyes probably have this game circled, and so does Akron.
Honest Outlook: The biggest question mark facing the Zips is how will the team respond to the loss of its best ever keeper, Evan Bush. If you ever saw him play, you'd understand that he was simply a wall. Still, even with that one question mark, Akron is once again loaded. Kofi Sarkodie and Anthony Ampaipitakwong have both been named Preseason All-Americans by College Soccer News, and the surrounding cast is just as impressive. Akron will have to work for it, but should be able to win its 12th MAC title.
Bowling Green Falcons
2008 Record: 4-13-2, 0-6-0, 7th
Looking Back At 2008: When Bowling Green scored, it did all right. The problem was that in Bowling Green's 19 games, the Falcons only scored in eight of them. That's just not good enough. The year began with three shut out losses, and it became apparent that a long season awaited the Falcons. The bright spot was a three-game winning streak in September.
Bowling Green's Biggest Test Will Be Against: Akron on Sept. 26. The Falcons first conference game will be against the reigning champions, and BGSU needs to be prepared. Honorable mentions go to dates with Kentucky (Sept. 6), Michigan (Sept. 23) and Michigan State (Oct. 21). Give Bowling Green credit for one thing, it is not afraid of a challenge.
Honest Outlook: Eric Nichols is inheriting a team that went just 18-69-8 over the past five seasons. He's also facing a brutal non-conference slate. Still, he has a handful of very good players, most notably Jacob Lawrence. The Falcons need to make some baby steps to get back to respectability, but they should be able to steal one or two conference games.
Buffalo Bulls
2008 Record: 12-4-4, 3-1-2, 3rd
Looking Back At 2008: The Bulls roared out to a 10-2-1 start and the year was moving along great. A 6-0-1 stretch in the middle of the year was even better, especially since Buffalo didn't give up a single goal in that span. When the MAC Tournament rolled around, the Bulls were still in the thick of things, and decimated Florida Atlantic in their tournament contest, winning 6-0. In the tournament semifinals, Buffalo bowed out to Northern Illinois, losing a well-played 1-0 decision.
Buffalo's Biggest Test Will Be Against: Northern Illinois on Oct. 11. The Bulls head to DeKalb to play the team that knocked them out of the MAC Tournament last year, and they'll be primed for some revenge.
Honest Outlook: Buffalo is always a contender in the MAC, but can't ever seem to get over the peak that is Akron. The Bulls will need to assess their goalie situation because Bobby Shuttleworth decided to skip his senior year to play in the MLS. Still, this is a very talented and dangerous team that should finish second in the MAC standings and could finally pull off the big upset, and win the MAC Tournament.
Florida Atlantic Owls
2008 Record: 5-13-1, 1-4-1, 6th
Looking Back At 2008: The Owls first year in the MAC would probably best be forgotten. Florida Atlantic lost its first four conference games by a combined score of 16-2 and the team's lone win was a 2-1 overtime decision against Bowling Green in FAU's sixth and final conference game. In the MAC Tournament, Florida Atlantic lost 6-0 to Buffalo.
Florida Atlantic's Biggest Test Will Be Against: Buffalo on Oct. 30. This late-season meeting will be a good measuring stick on FAU's growth. Will they be better than the team that lost 6-0 in the MAC Tournament one year ago?
Honest Outlook: Which Florida Atlantic team will we see this year? The one that won the Atlantic Soccer Conference two years ago, or the team that stumbled through its first MAC season? The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle. Florida Atlantic has six seniors this year, and the Owls now know what it will take to compete in the MAC. Don't expect FAU to compete with the big boys, but it should hold its own against the less talented teams.
Hartwick Hawks
2008 Record: 7-5-7, 2-2-2, 4th
Looking Back At 2008: Scrappy might be the best way to describe Hartwick's season. The Hawks played in 10 overtime games and didn't lose a single game by more than one goal. In the MAC Tournament, Hartwick won its opener 4-0 over Western Michigan, before giving Akron quite a scare. Hartwick carried a 1-0 lead into the 86th minute, before Chris Korb knotted things up for UA. Then, when overtime couldn't separate the two teams, the game went to penalty kicks. Hartwick fought valiantly, but fell 3-0 from the spot.
Hartwick's Biggest Test Will Be Against: Dartmouth on Sept. 26. The talented Ivy League team should be a good measuring stick for the Hawks. A win at Elmore Field would be a sign that this team should not be overlooked in conference play.
Honest Outlook: In each of its two MAC seasons, Hartwick has been the cut-off between the good and bad teams. This year, I see Hartwick doing a little better. It game with NIU might be very important for the final standings and tournament rankings. If Hartwick wins, then it should finish third in the conference.
Northern Illinois Huskies
2008 Record: 11-6-4, 4-1-1, 2nd
Looking Back At 2008: One team stood between Northern Illinois and a MAC Championship — Akron. The Zips were the only MAC team that beat the Huskies in the regular season, and then they repeated the feat by beating NIU in the championship game. Between those two games, NIU went 5-0-1 in the MAC.
Northern Illinois' Biggest Test Will Be Against: Notre Dame on Aug. 20. The Huskies' new head coach, Eric Luzzi, won't get long to settle into his new job because NIU's first game is against one of the nation's best teams. A win would give the new coach mountains of respect.
Honest Outlook: Northern Illinois was dealt a bad blow when Steve Simmons jumped ship on June 26. With the season just around the corner, NIU needed a coach in a hurry, so it hired from within. With how well this team played last year, the expectations are still high in DeKalb. Hopefully, Luzzi can grab the reigns without any bumps. Realistically though, this team should fall back to the middle of the pack.
Western Michigan Broncos
2008 Record: 3-15-1, 2-4-0, 5th
Looking Back At 2008: In 2003, Chris Karwoski gave Western Michigan its only MAC Championship. After the 2008 season, he was let go. That sort of sums up how the year went. The Broncos started 1-0-1 in non-conference play and then lost its last 11 non-MAC games. In the MAC, the Broncos beat Florida Atlantic (2-0) and Bowling Green (3-0).
Western Michigan's Biggest Test Will Be Against: Michigan on Sept. 19. The Wolverines are always a big non-conference game in Kalamazoo, and this year is no different. Michigan should be near the top of the Big Ten this year, and a WMU win would be a huge upset.
Honest Outlook: Stu Riddle's first task as the head coach of Western Michigan is to get this team back to .500. It's been four years since that happened, and the Bronco seniors would like to taste at least one winning season. That might be a lot to ask right now though. The Broncos head into the 2009 season without a single upperclassmen forward, so scoring might be a challenge. Expect WMU to fight with FAU and Bowling Green for fifth place in the MAC.
