All of us here at C.W. Courtney congratulate the University of Akron men’s soccer team on their successful 2015 season.
After defeating Rutgers 6-0 in the second round of the Division 1 Men’s Soccer Championships, they went on to victory against Southern Methodist University in the third round. They followed up with a 3-2 win over Creighton in the quarterfinals when Adam Najem scored in double overtime, clinching their spot in the semifinals. The 0-0 tie against Stanford in the semifinals led to a narrow win by Stanford, this season’s national champions, with a game-winning double-overtime penalty kick. The game marked their second meeting with Stanford, the first being in 2009 when the Zips clinched a 2-0 victory.
The 2015 season is the Akron Zips’ most successful since 2010, when they won the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship for the first time in the team’s history. Third-year head coach Jared Embick, who is in his ninth season as a member of the Zips’ coaching staff, and assistant coaches Olivier Slawson and Carl Capellas led an impressive team, including standout goalkeeper Jake Fenlason. Other team standouts include starter Andrew Souders (senior); tournament goal leader Stuart Holthusen (sophomore); Sean Sepe (senior); and juniors Victor Souto, Richie Laryea, and Goncalo Soares. Although a few senior players will no longer be members of the team next season, Embick has told local press that the support for the team and remaining players are key components in the team’s success, so he has high hopes for its future.
The C.W. Courtney team is especially supportive of our local Zips men’s soccer team because four of our staff are Akron alumni! We’re proud to have such skilled, knowledgeable professionals on board from such a prominent institution. Congratulations again to the University of Akron. We look forward to the 2016 men’s soccer season and wish you the best!
Thanks to faungg’s photos on flickr for the image used in this post.