The Buchtelite

Issue date: 4/24/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Jeff Harwell / Zips Sports Photography Goalkeeper Evan Bush impressed the Cleveland City Stars with three saves on the way to a 2-0 win.

The loss of former Zips forward and current MLS midfielder Sinisia Ubiparipovic was first considered to be a significant loss for the University of Akron soccer program.

Ubiparipovic scored 24 goals during his final two seasons with the Zips, leading the team in the scoring category both seasons.

What's worse is that scoring was already down significantly last season. The Zips scored 35 goals last season, down from 68 the year before. Without Ubiparipovic, who also tallied 14 assists the past two years, and Ashley Kozicki, who scored a team-high seven goals last season, has also used up his eligibilty.

Enter redshirt freshman Steve Zakuani. Zakuani has scored three goals in the spring this season, including one during Friday's night scrimmage against the Cleveland City Stars, a professional club team playing in their first season in the United Soccer League.

Zakuani's game is much like Ubiparipovic's: explosive.

"Steve is a difference maker," coach Caleb Porter said. "He is going to have a very good career here. He is a freshman and he has a lot to learn, but he also has some things you don't see every day. He's a constant threat."

Porter said Zakuani will be a major part of the Zips scoring threat next season, adding that he's a perfect fit for their offensive system.

"He gives us someone that can stretch a defense and take defenders on and score goals. He's proven that he can score and that he's tough to stop. He makes our team better."

Porter also looks for Zakuani to be a go-to scorer much like Ubiparipovic was last season and Ross McKenzie was in the 2005 campaign.

Zakuani, a London native, will also benefit from the new scheme that Porter has implemented this spring. Porter is trying a 3-5-2 attack, which adds an extra midfielder to the mix. Porter said that the different scheme may not be a permanent one, but they've had considerable success so far with the scheme.

"It may be that we play both (the 4-4-2 and 3-5-2) and we may just play one," Porter said. "I'm not sure yet. The spring gives us a chance to experiment with some things and that's why we wanted to give the 3-5-2 a look."

Continued...

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