Courtesy: Jeff Harwell-Zips Sports Photography UA announced the extension of men's soccer head coach Caleb Porter's contract Thursday.

AKRON, Ohio – After guiding the University of Akron men’s soccer program to consecutive league titles and national prominence, Caleb Porter – the 2007 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year – has been rewarded with a two-year contract extension, UA Athletics Director Mack Rhoades announced Thursday.

Porter’s current contract will now run through the 2011 season.

“Caleb has done a tremendous job his first two years, leading our men’s soccer program in all facets,” Rhoades said. “He is committed to the total development of our student-athletes on the field, in the classroom and through service to the Akron communities.

“Caleb is a wonderful asset to the University and is well deserving of this contract extension. We look forward to the continued progress of our program under his guidance and are thrilled Caleb and his wife, Andrea, are members of the UA Athletics family.”

During Porter’s tenure, the Zips have posted league-best records of 28-9-3 (.738) overall and 8-1-1 (.850) in MAC play. Moreover, since 2005 UA has logged the best winning percentage in the nation, going 45-10-7 (.782) despite playing many of the best programs in the country and finishing with an NCAA RPI of 10 in 2007 and 46 in 2006.

“I appreciate the commitment from the administration to extend my contract,” Porter said. “My family and I feel at home in the Akron community and are excited to be a part the special things happening at the University for many years to come. My staff and I look forward to the challenges ahead and will continue our efforts to elevate the program in the form of conference and national success.”

Akron claimed both the regular season and league tournament titles in 2007 and finished as the 23rd-ranked team in the nation in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll. The Zips were also awarded the 14th seed for the 2007 NCAA tournament, earning a first-round bye, and hosted No. 17 South Florida in the second round.

“Our mission is to be considered one of best programs in the country year in and year out while the ultimate goal is to achieve the program’s first national championship,” Porter added. “With the momentum of our University as a whole, the commitment from the administration and support from the community, there is no reason why this vision can’t be a reality for Akron soccer.”

Under Porter's guidance, the Zips have produced the MAC Player of the Year in each of his first two seasons (Corey Sipos in 2007 and Sinisa Ubiparipovic in 2006) and lead the league with 17 all-conference honorees, including 14 first-teamers. In 2007, Akron swept the league postseason awards by claiming Coach of the Year, Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year (Steve Zakuani) honors.

National accolades have also come in abundance during Porter's regime as the third-year coach has yielded two All-American honorees and six NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region performers. In addition, Ubiparipovic was a third-round selection of the New York Red Bull in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft, becoming the first Akron player taken in the SuperDraft.

In two full years of recruiting at Akron, Porter and his staff have produced some of the best classes in the nation with a No. 5 overall ranking in 2007 and another national designation expected in 2008. The impact of Porter's first class was immense as two members, Zakuani and Anthony Ampaipitakwong, were named to the Freshman All-American team, Blair Gavin was selected for the US U20 National Team and Michael Nanchoff was a high school All-American.

The Zips have also excelled in the classroom under Porter as six players have been named to the all-conference academic team, including Elliot Bradbrook, who was named to the Academic All-America second team in 2007. Overall through the 2008 spring semester, the team has posted an impressive cumulative GPA of 3.119.

The 2008 Zips will open the regular season at the IU Classic in Bloomington, Ind., where it will face nationally-ranked programs Notre Dame (No. 6 in 2007) and Indiana (No. 14) on Aug. 29 and 31 before kicking off its home schedule against West Virginia on Sept. 5 in the first game of its annual Akron soccer tournament.

Winningest Men’s Soccer Programs in the NCAA Since 2005
1. Akron, 45-10-7 (.782)
2. Wake Forest, 53-13-6 (.778)
3. New Mexico, 44-11-8 (.762)
4. Connecticut, 46-13-5 (.758)
5. Southern Methodist, 45-13-9 (.739)
6. Indiana, 40-11-13 (.727)
7. Maryland, 45-15-8 (.721)