As morning training before an evening match ended at UC-Santa Barbara on Sept. 25, members of the University of Akron men’s soccer team gathered for a team huddle.
But before they left, one of the assistant coaches had spied something the Zips had to see.
In 17,000-seat Harder Stadium, with the Santa Ynez Mountains to the north and the Pacific Ocean a mile away, is a College Cup room that includes all the Gauchos’ trophies and plaques from two national title game appearances and a 2006 championship. Among the memorabilia is a photo of the 2010 Zips, who captured UA’s first national team championship the only time soccer’s version of the final four has been held there.
“It’s almost chilling,” UA redshirt sophomore Tyler Sanda said recently in describing his reaction. “You see it and you weren’t expecting it. You’re like, ‘This is us. This is Akron.’ ”
UA coach Jared Embick scheduled more games against national opponents like UCSB to boost his team’s RPI and hopefully secure a higher seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament. In doing so, he unintentionally gave the Zips more tangible motivation.
“At least for me, it was a great feeling,” senior defender Andrew Souders said Monday. “I could feel the energy of being a champion in that stadium, a huge stadium. It was really exciting and inspiring.
“We saw Akron’s name over on the West Coast and it really meant something to me.”
The Zips (15-3-2) open NCAA Tournament play Sunday at 4 p.m. at FirstEnergy Stadium when they host the winner of Thursday’s first-round game between Rutgers and LIU Brooklyn.
The Zips went 4-3 against nationally ranked teams this season, but Embick’s plan of boosting their RPI worked. UA finished the regular season sixth in the RPI poll and were seeded fourth in the NCAA bracket, giving them the possibility of playing three home games.
UA went 4-2-1 against teams that made the NCAA field of 48.
Redshirt junior Brad Ruhaak, a Copley High School graduate and UA co-captain, still recalls details of the Zips photo he saw. Eleven players in the picture were drafted by Major League Soccer and two others signed through the MLS Homegrown program. Darlington Nagbe of the Portland Timbers is a member of the U.S. national team.
“The guys that were there, we know a handful of them, we’ve been in touch of some of them and some of them we like from afar because we’re fans of theirs,” Ruhaak said of the 2010 team. “In the background you could see Jared on the bench. It was cool to see that and know the history of where we were actually playing.”
Embick, who spent six seasons as UA’s associate head coach and recruiting coordinator under current Timbers coach Caleb Porter, was named 2010 national assistant coach of the year. What Embick appreciated most about the picture was that it was of the Zips in the huddle.
“That picture was even better because it didn’t show an individual,” Embick said recently. “[Our] guys seeing that was a big boost to say, ‘At the end of the day it’s about the team and what the team can accomplish if we stick together.’ ”
Junior co-captain Adam Najem said players carried the image with them throughout the season as they try to reach the College Cup Dec. 11 and 13 at Sporting Park in Kansas City.
“We have signs and pictures all over campus, in our locker room, everything is motivation to get back to that national championship and win it again,” Najem said.
Embick didn’t know more would come of the Zips’ trip to Santa Barbara than their 2-0 victory. But he’s glad the unexpected photo made an impression.
“When it hits home with a couple leaders, then it’s definitely going to hit home with the rest of the guys,” Embick said.
Sanda, a North Royalton native and Cleveland St. Ignatius graduate who has endured five surgeries, said the picture reinforces the goal he had when he came to UA.
“The whole team, what we’ve been through is unbelievable,” Sanda said. “It would be the ultimate reward.”
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.