Bluejays Face Braves in MVC Battle for First Place
10/22/2003 3:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
#22 Bradley at Creighton
Friday, Oct. 24 ? Creighton Soccer Field ? Omaha, Neb. ? 7:05 p.m.
Eastern Illinois at Creighton
Sunday, Oct. 26 ? Creighton Soccer Field ? Omaha, Neb. ? 1:05 p.m.
This Week: The Bluejays play host to Bradley and Eastern Illinois in the final regular-season home weekend at the Creighton Soccer Field. The Jays will face first-place and 22nd-ranked Bradley on Friday at 7:05 p.m., and then battle EIU on senior day, Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
Last Week: Creighton upped its winning streak to four games and its undefeated streak to six, with wins on the road at MVC affiliates Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky. Brian Biggerstaff's first collegiate goal lifted CU to a 2-1 double overtime victory at Vandy last Friday night. CU then kept its perfect record against WKU alive, with a 2-1 win last Sunday.
Scouting the Opponents:
#22 Bradley (9-5-2, 4-0-2): The Braves are the only team in the MVC on a longer current unbeaten streak than Creighton, as BU is 5-0-2 over its last seven games. BU is winning games with its offense, ranking second in the MVC in points (103) and goals (34) and leading the Valley with 35 assists. The Brave defense has allowed 22 goals for a 1.33 goals against average, with last year's MVC Newcomer of the Year Chris Dunsheath in goal. Preston Good leads the BU offense with 23 points (9 goals, 5 assists), while Luke Kreamalmeyer adds 18 points (7 goals, 4 assists).
Eastern Illinois (5-8-2, 0-5-1): The Panthers entered their match at Drake Friday without a win in the MVC, having gone six matches without a victory. EIU scored just one goal in its first six Valley matches this fall, in a 4-1 loss to SMS last weekend. The Panthers have been out-scored 15-1 in conference play, including a 7-0 loss to Tulsa. Jimmy Klatter guides the EIU offense with six goals and 14 points. Casey DeCaluwe has played every minute in net for EIU, notching a 1.94 goals against average, while allowing 30 goals and making 68 saves.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea College, 1975) is in his second stint as the Jays' head coach with a 108-35-13 (.734) record in his eighth season at CU. His overall mark is 302-151-43 (.652) 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-Bradley Series: Despite Bradley's recent rise on the national soccer scene, the Bluejays own a dominating 13-3-0 all-time series edge over the Braves, including 6-0-0 in Omaha. The Jays have won four consecutive meetings with the Braves, including two of the last three MVC Tournament Championship matches. CU knocked off BU, 1-0, in the 2002 MVC Championship match, with Matt Jewett scoring the game-winning goal. A Bradley own goal and a Julian Nash tally led CU to a 2-1 win at 19th-ranked Bradley last Oct. 27.
Creighton-EIU Series: CU leads the all-time series with EIU, 8-4-1. Since EIU joined the MVC in 1996, the Jays have gone 8-0-1 against the Panthers. The last time the Jays lost to EIU, was Sept. 8, 1985.
Climbing the Charts: David Wagenfuhr's assist in CU's win over Western Kentucky last Sunday was the 24th of his CU career. The assist tied him with Brian Kamler (1990-93) for seventh place on the CU career charts.
Less From More: The Bluejay offense hasn't received many goals this season, but there have been many goal scorers. Twelve different players have scored for the Jays this season, and the Jays only have 16 goals through 13 games. There are three players with more than one goal scored for CU this year - Jarod Tarver (3), Zach Piercy (2), Matt Wieland (2) - each of whom had not scored a collegiate goal prior to this season.
Quick Strikes: In three of CU's last four matches, the Bluejays have scored a goal within the first six minutes of play. Matt Wieland's goal 5:55 into Sunday's match against Western Kentucky is the latest quick strike for CU. CU also scored just under two minutes into the second half against WKU in its 2-1 win over the Hilltoppers.
That's a Winner: Freshman Jarod Tarver has scored three goals in his rookie campaign, all of which have proved to be the game-winner for the Bluejays. He's the only Jay with more than one game-winning goal this season. Two of his three scores have come via the penalty kick.
Memorable First: Sophomore Brian Biggerstaff's first career goal was an important one, serving as the game-winner in double overtime at Vanderbilt last Friday.
Working Overtime: Of CU's first 13 matches this season, the Jays have played in five double overtime affairs. With their 1-1-3 overtime record this season, the Bluejays are 8-4-6 in overtime contests since 2000.
Continued Dominance: With wins over Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky last weekend, the Bluejays continued their dominance over the MVC affiliate members. CU improved to 6-0-1 all-time against VU with a 2-1 win last Friday, having out-scored the Commodores 24-3 in seven meetings. CU's 2-1 win over Western Kentucky kept the Jays perfect against the Hilltoppers, improving to 8-0-0 all-time against WKU. CU's last four meetings with WKU have all been decided by one goal.
Brown Starts: Junior Andrew Brown started his first match of the season in goal against Western Kentucky last Sunday. Brown, who started CU's final 17 games of the 2001 season, did not appear in a match last year, redshirting with a knee injury. Brown has now played 180 minutes in three games this year, making seven saves and owning a 0.50 goals against average.
Then There Was One: With Andrew Peterson and Guido Leon not starting last Sunday's game at Western Kentucky, there is now just one Bluejay to start every match this season. Senior All-America candidate David Wagenfuhr has started all 13 games for the Jays this year.
Ranked Valley Foes: Bradley is ranked No. 22 in this week's NSCAA/adidas Top 25. The Bluejays are 4-7-1 when playing MVC teams ranked in the Top 25. The Jays defeated Bradley 2-1 last year on Oct. 27 in Peoria, when the Braves were ranked 19th. CU is 2-2-0 when playing ranked MVC opponents at home.
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.
Shutout Streak: Prior to last weekend's games, the Bluejays had not allowed a goal in MVC play. When Vanderbilt scored in the first half last Friday, it snapped CU's shut out streak at 374 minutes and 20 seconds. The Jays top the MVC with a 0.71 goals against average, 0.37 in conference play.
Milestone Victory: With his win over Southwest Missouri State on Oct. 12, 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.
For Starters: When Creighton used the same starting line up for its games with Evansville and SMS on Oct 10 and 12, respectively, it marked the first time this fall the Jays had used the same 11 starters in consecutive matches. The Jays have used 20 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 0.71 leads the MVC, as does their 10 goals allowed through 13 matches. CU has made a league-low 54 saves however, meaning the Bluejay defense is limiting opponent's scoring opportunities well before they get near the net. CU owns a miniscule 0.37 GAA in Valley play.
Aced: The Bluejays shut down Evansville's offense on Oct. 10, 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 (Oct. 12). The Jays put a season-high 84.6 percent (11-of-13) shots on goal. On the season, 46.3 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: The Jays' goal in their 1-0 victory over Evansville (Oct. 10) 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.
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.
10-10-10: The Bluejays netted their 10th goal of the season in their 10th game on Oct. 10 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
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.
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 once nationally-ranked foes this season.
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.
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.
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 Tandem 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.
