There are no early-season cupcake matches for the Bluejays this year, who begin their season facing the defending champion Akron Zips.
Though it’s only a preseason exhibition, this game is sure to be a marquee matchup as both teams will want to test their mettle against a quality opponent. Creighton traveled to Akron last October and lost in a close game, 2-1, after half of the Bluejay squad was forced to spend the night in an airport thanks to travel problems. It was a showcase of both teams’ brands of attractive and aggressive soccer, and many Jays fans are anxious to see if new head coach Elmar Bolowich will maintain that attacking style this season.
Following their 2010 NCAA championship, Akron lost seven starters — in fact, seven Zips were drafted into the MLS, and five of them were taken in the first eight picks. It appears Akron is ready to contend again this season, having scored the best recruiting class in the nation.
Even previewing Akron is difficult because the list of honors and accolades for their players is so long. Their recruiting class is headlined by midfielder Wil Trapp, the country’s top-rated prospect and National Player of the Year. The Zips return four starters, all of whom have experience with their respective national soccer teams.
Their offense is anchored by forward Darren Mattocks, the Jamaican national who was the nation’s third-highest scorer last season. Chad Barson, a senior with experience playing on the US National Team, is the lone returning defender, and any question marks surrounding this year’s Akron team seem to concern their inexperienced defense.
Exhibition game or not, you can be sure Creighton would love nothing more than to open the 2011 campaign with a win over the defending national champs. If the Bluejays can exploit the Akron defense’s youth and relative inexperience, they have a good shot of doing just that.