Men's Soccer Travels to Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky for Weekend Matches
10/15/2003 3:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Creighton at Vanderbilt
Friday, Oct. 17 ? Vanderbilt Soccer Complex ? Nashville, Tenn. ? 7 p.m.
Creighton at Western Kentucky
Sunday, Oct. 19 ? WKU Soccer Field ? Bowling Green, Ky. ? 3 p.m.
This Week: Creighton travels to Missouri Valley Conference affiliate members Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky for weekend matches. The Jays face Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., on Friday at 7 p.m., before heading to WKU for a Sunday match at 3 p.m. Follow live stats at Vanderbilt by clicking here.
Last Week: Creighton snapped out of its Friday funk and notched consecutive victories for the first time this season, defeating Evansville 1-0 last Friday and then knocking off Southwest Missouri State, 2-0, on Sunday at the Creighton Soccer Field. The goal on Friday was CU's first on a Friday this season in over 90 shot attempts. The win over SMS on Sunday was head coach Bob Warming's 300th career victory.
Scouting the Opponents:
Vanderbilt (3-5-4, 0-2-1): The Commodores are a reverse of the Bluejays in MVC play, as VU has yet to score in Valley action, while the Bluejays have not allowed a goal in conference play. Vandy has lost to both Bradley and Western Kentucky by 4-0 scores and tied Eastern Illinois, 0-0. They have scored nine goals this fall, three coming from Jimmy Stone. Goalkeeping duties are split between Conor Ellinger and Jamie Burns, combined they own a 1.32 goals against average, allowing 17 goals through 12 matches.
Western Kentucky (5-6-1, 2-1-0): The Hilltoppers have won three of their last four matches and are 2-1-0 in the MVC with shutout wins over Eastern Illinois and Vanderbilt. Sophomore Daniel Payne leads the offensive attack for WKU, with six goals and 14 points. Steven Medlock (four goals) is one of five other Hilltoppers with multiple goals on the year. Senior goalkeeper Daryl Sattler is working his way back in net after missing the start of the season with injuries. Sattler has played three matches and owns a 1.08 goals against average, while defender-turned-keeper Wade Roepke filled in at goal for 10 matches with a 1.30 GAA.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea College, 1975) is in his second stint as the Jays' head coach with a 106-35-13 (.731) record in his eighth season at CU. His overall mark is 300-151-43 (.651) in his 26th year of coaching. Warming, the all-time winningest head coach at CU, has guided his teams to nine NCAA Tournament appearances, is a four-time finalist for National Coach of the Year and was the MVC Coach of the Year in 1992 and 1993.
Creighton-Vanderbilt Series: The Bluejays have never lost to the Commodores in six all-time meetings, with CU holding a 5-0-1 lead in the series. The Jays have held VU scoreless in four matches and have out-scored the Commodores 22-2 in their six meetings. The Jays have shut out the Commodores both of the last two seasons, including a 3-0 blanking in Nashville on Oct. 21, 2001.
Creighton-WKU Series: Creighton is a perfect 7-0-0 all-time against the Hilltoppers. The last three meetings have been decided by one goal, including a 2-1 overtime win in Omaha last year and a 3-2 win at the MVC tournament in 2000. CU has out-scored WKU 16-3 in their seven meetings.
Milestone Victory: With two wins at the Creighton Soccer Field last weekend, Head Coach Bob Warming moved into some exclusive company by notching his 300th career victory. Warming, now in his 26th year of head coaching at the collegiate level has enjoyed stints at Transylvania, Berry, Charlotte, Old Dominion, Saint Louis and Creighton in accumulating his victories. He is now one of 20 Division I coaches all-time with at least 300 victories and ranks 15th among active coaching wins in Division I.
Shutout Streak: Creighton is the lone MVC team to not allow a goal in conference play this season. The Jays have played 290 minutes in Valley action without allowing a score. CU has put together a string of 362 minutes and 10 seconds of shutout soccer, with the last goal against the Jays coming by Yale in the first half on Sept. 21.
For Starters: Creighton used the same starting line up for its games with Evansville and SMS last weekend. It marked the first time this fall the Jays had used the same 11 starters in consecutive matches. The Jays have used 19 different players in the starting line up this fall.
Tenacious D: Creighton's defense has made senior goalkeeper Guido Leon's first year as a starter an easy transition. The Jays' goals against average of 0.67 leads the MVC, as does their eight goals allowed through 11 matches. CU has made a league-low 46 saves however, meaning the Bluejay defense is limiting opponent's scoring opportunities well before they get near the net.
Aced: The Bluejays shut down Evansville's offense last Friday, allowing only five shots in their 1-0 win over UE. The CU defense also did not allow any UE shots on goal. The Jays out-shot the Purple Aces 20-5, including an 11-1 edge in the first half.
Shots on Goal: Creighton's offense was on target in its 2-0 win over SMS last Sunday. The Jays put a season-high 84.6 percent (11-of-13) shots on goal. On the season, 46.0 of the Jays shots have been on net. Conversely, the Bears managed to put only four of their 24 shots on goal in the loss.
New Happenings: Creighton's goal last Friday in its 1-0 victory over Evansville was the first score the Bluejays have netted on a Friday this season. The Jays had attempted over 90 shots on Fridays before Jarod Tarver found the back of the net in the shutout win. Also a new occurrence for the Jays last weekend was their first back-to-back wins of the year, defeating Evansville and SMS at home.
Attendance Figures: The Bluejays are averaging 1,508 fans per home match this fall. That attendance figure is the highest since CU averaged 1,550 fans during the 1998 season. The Jays have drawn two crowds of more than 2,000 this season for the first time since 1998.
Fit to be Tied: With their third 0-0 tie in the 2003 season against Drake (Oct. 3), the Bluejays have now tied three matches in a season for the first time since 1990, Bob Warming's first season at Creighton. The Jays were 3-3-3 through nine matches this fall, while the 1990 squad which tied three times, opened the season 9-0-0.
Ten in Ten: The Bluejays netted their 10th goal of the season in their 10th game last Friday against Evansville. This season marks the longest it has taken CU to score its 10th goal of the season. See below.
Year Game Scored 10th Goal
2003 10th
2002 6th
2001 5th
2000 4th
1999 3rd
1998 4th
1997 5th
1996 4th
1995 4th
1994 5th
1993 5th
1992 2nd
1991 3rd
1990 4th
Volunteer State: Freshman Michael Kraus returns to his home state of Tennessee this weekend when the Jays play at Vanderbilt. Kraus attended Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, where he led his prep team to three state titles and was honored as the state tournament MVP as a junior and senior.
Ties, Ties I Tell You: With three ties this year, the Jays are just one deadlock away from establishing a school record. The 1990 and 1981 teams also tied three times. The Jays are now 4-1-2 at home this fall, the 1981 squad is the only other CU team to record two ties in Omaha. From 1996 through 2002, CU only tied twice in Omaha.
Dog Catchers: After a 0-0 tie with Drake on Oct. 3, Creighton has still never lost to Drake in 22 all-time meetings. The Jays have dominated the series to the tune of a 17-0-5 mark against the Bulldogs. CU has now tied the Bulldogs in consecutive meetings for the first time since 1990, also tying the 2002 MVC opener.
Strange Happenings: Creighton's tie with Drake on Oct. 3 was just the second time in school history the Jays ended a home MVC match even. CU's only other home MVC tie came on Oct. 22, 1995 against Tulsa - also a 0-0 final.
Working Overtime: Of CU's first 10 matches this season, the Jays have played in four double overtime affairs. With their 0-1-3 overtime record this season, the Bluejays are 7-4-6 in overtime contests since 2000.
Spreading Out: Creighton's scoring has been spread out this fall, with 10 Bluejays scoring at least one goal this season. Only senior Zach Piercy and freshman Jarod Tarver - with two - have more than one goal on the year. Of the 10 players who have scored, five of the goals were the individual's first career tally - Piercy, Tarver, Matt Wieland, Michael Kraus, and Vince Odorisio.
Fresh Faces: Redshirt sophomore forward Brian Biggerstaff made his first career start in CU's win over Yale (Sept. 21). His assist on Zach Piercy's goal was the first point of his career. Freshmen Michael Kraus and Jarod Tarver also helped guide the Jays to victory, netting their first collegiate goals in the match - just 28 seconds apart. For their play at the Yale Classic, Biggerstaff and Tarver were tabbed to the All-Tournament Team.
Out of the Gates: The Jays have been slow out of the gates in recent years, mainly due to a strong non-conference slate. With a 3-3-2 prior to MVC play this year, the Jays are 11-9-4 in their pre-conference portion of the schedule since 2001. Nine of those 24 matches were against Top 25 opponents and 16-of-24 matches were against teams that were ranked at some point in the season. This fall, six of CU's first eight matches came against one-time nationally-ranked foes.
Well Traveled: CU's non-conference schedule this fall included trips to both coasts . On Sept. 5-7 the Bluejays played in Los Angeles at the Loyola Marymount Fall Classic. The Jays then played at the Yale Classic in New Haven, Conn., on Sept. 19-21.
MAC Hermann Trophy: Senior David Wagenfuhr has been named to the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy “Watch List”. He is one of 15 candidates for collegiate soccer's version of the Heisman Trophy. The midfielder/defender has earned first-team all-Midwest region honors and first-team all-MVC honors over the past two campaigns. Other Bluejays who have been finalists for the National Player of the Year: Ross Paule (1996), Richard Mulrooney (1998), Mike Tranchilla (2001, 2002), while Johnny Torres won the honor in 1997.
Battling the Best: The Jays have battled two teams while they've been ranked in the top-25 this season. They defeated No. 15 Furman on Aug. 31 and lost to 17th-ranked Brown on Sept. 19, moving their all-time record against Top 25 opponents to 34-31-6, including a 5-3-1 record against ranked opponents in 2002.
Welcome Matts: Matt Jewett and Matt Wieland scored CU's goals in its win over Portland on Sept. 14. Wieland's goal was the first of his career, coming off of a header. Matt Thomas joined the other two Matts in excelling at the Ameritas Classic, being named to the all-tournament team, along with Jewett and David Wagenfuhr.
Milestone Goal: Sophomore Matt Wieland tallied the game-winning goal in CU's 2-1 win over Portland (Sept. 14), the first goal of his career. Feeding Wieland the assist was senior David Wagenfuhr. The assist for Wagenfuhr was the 23rd of his career. With his next assist, Wagenfuhr will tie current MLS star Brian Kamler (New England Revolution) for seventh place.
Climbing the Charts: David Wagenfuhr's assist in CU's win over Portland on Sept. 14 was the 23rd of his CU career. The assist tied him with Brian Adams (1991-94) and Ray Nikodem (1980-82) for eighth-place on the CU career charts.
Sibling Rivalry: Matt Wieland's first career goal came in his 29th career match, against Portland on Sept. 14. His older brother Joe played at CU from 1999 through 2002 and scored his only career goal in his 84th match. Both Wieland goals served as game-winners, with Joe's coming against UW-Milwaukee in the second round of the NCAA last Nov. 27.
Jays Open New Field: CU's 0-0 tie against Butler on Aug. 31 was witnessed by 3,483 fans at the new Creighton Soccer Field. The attendance was the fourth largest home crowd in CU history and the largest since Sept. 1994.
Forward Tandom Honored: Senior Damien Westfield and junior Julian Nash have been tabbed as one of the top 15 forward duos in the NCAA by College Soccer News. The two combined for 16 goals, 12 assists and 44 points last season for the Bluejays.
MVC Predictions: For the fourth consecutive season, the Jays have been tabbed for a second-place finish in the Valley, trailing nationally-ranked SMU, which received eight of nine first-place votes this fall.
Preseason Honors: David Wagenfuhr and Julian Nash have been named to the preseason all-Missouri Valley Conference first-team, while Damien Westfield earned honorable mention preseason notice.
Numerology 101: All-American Mike Tranchilla has departed the Jays, but his jersey number will still be on the pitch this fall, as sophomore Zach Kinney has claimed No. 14 in blue. Kinney led the Jays in scoring this spring and in exhibition play, perhaps Tranch left some magic in the jersey. Other notable number changes this fall include Matt Wieland and Jered Turner. Wieland, who wore No. 24 as a freshman, will wear No. 16 this fall, the same number his older brother Joe wore during his four seasons as a Bluejay. Turner switches from No. 23 to No. 7, formerly worn by Luiz Del Monte.
