Bluejays Look To Clinch MVC Men's Soccer Title
10/30/2003 2:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
#16 Creighton at SMU
Friday, Oct. 31 ? Westcott Field ? Dallas, Texas ? 7:30 p.m.
#16 Creighton at Tulsa
Sunday, Nov. 2 ? Hurricane Soccer & Track Stadium ? Tulsa, Okla. ? 1:35 p.m.
This Week: The Bluejays will be looking to secure their first Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title since 1996 when they travel to Southern Methodist and Tulsa this weekend to conclude the regular-season. The Jays need to tie one of their final two matches to clinch at least a share of first-place, while a win in either match will produce a championship.
Last Week: Creighton upped its winning streak to six games and its undefeated streak to eight, concluding its home regular-season slate with wins over No. 22 Bradley and Eastern Illinois. CU logged two more shutouts, blanking the Braves 1-0 and blowing out the Panthers 4-0. Michael Kraus scored three goals with an assist and was named the MVC Offensive Player of the Week and Matt Wieland was named MVC Defensive Player of the Week.
Scouting the Opponents:
SMU (10-5-1, 3-4-0): After dominating the league (26-1-2) their first three seasons in the MVC, the Mustangs have struggled to a 3-4-0 mark in the MVC this season. SMU has been out-scored in Valley play, 12-11, with five SMU goals coming in a 5-3 win over Western Kentucky last Sunday. Ryan Latham tops the team with seven goals, while Ramon Nunez leads the way with eight assists and 16 points. Goalkeeper T.J. Tomasso carries a 1.04 goals against average, with 56 saves in 15 games played.
Tulsa (10-4-2, 4-1-2): The Golden Hurricane have stormed into the upper tier of the MVC and college soccer world this season with a high-powered offense led by Ryan Pore (15 G, 7 A) and Kyle Brown (10 G, 9 A). Spending much of the season in the Top 25, Tulsa dropped out of the rankings after losing 1-0 at Western Kentucky and tying Vanderbilt 2-2 last weekend. Justin Durst has started the last three matches in goal for TU and tallied a 0.84 GAA after Terry Boss was in net with a 1.20 GAA for the first 13 contests this fall.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea College, 1975) is in his second stint as the Jays' head coach with a 110-35-13 (.737) record in his eighth season at CU. His overall mark is 304-151-43 (.654) 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-SMU Series: SMU is one of just four teams with an all-time winning record against the Bluejays (minimum five games), as the Jays own a 4-15-0 mark against the Mustangs. SMU has won the last three meetings with the Jays, with the last CU win over SMU coming on Oct. 27, 2000, a 2-1 win in Omaha. CU is 2-7-0 all-time against SMU in Dallas.
Creighton-Tulsa Series: The Bluejays lead the all-time series with Tulsa, 12-5-1, with CU winning six of the last seven meetings. The last time CU played in Tulsa, the Jays were shutout in a 2-0 loss on Oct. 12, 2001. Since CU's soccer reinception in 1990, the Jays are 10-2-1 against the Hurricane.
National Recognition: Freshman Michael Kraus was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week after his three goals and one assist last weekend against Bradley and Eastern Illinois. Sophomore Matt Wieland was honored by Soccer America on its National Team of the Week for his game-winner goal and two assists and his defensive efforts against BU and EIU last week.
Back in Top 25: For the first time since early September, the Bluejays returned to the NSCAA/adidas Top 25 this week after posting two more shutout victories last weekend. The Jays are ranked 16th by the NSCAA and cracked three more polls; Soccer America (23), Soccer Times (25), College Soccer News (27).
NCAA Top 10: Creighton has allowed only two goals in MVC play this fall, topping the league with a 0.27 goals against average in conference play. CU's overall GAA of 0.62 ranks ninth in the NCAA this week. CU has recorded five shutouts in seven MVC games this season, seven shutouts total.
500 Club: Creighton's regular-season finale at Tulsa will be the 500th career match for Head Coach Bob Warming. Warming's 304 career wins rank 15th among active Division I head coaches.
Rookie Sensation: Freshman Michael Kraus is starting to remind people of another talented Bluejay forward from the banks of the Mississippi River. The Memphis native leads the team with four goals and 11 points after scoring three goals in CU's two wins last week. He is the first CU rookie with four goals and double digit point totals since All-American Mike Tranchilla (Barnhart, Mo.) scored five goals and totaled 15 points in his debut season in 1999. Tranchilla went on to establish MVC records with 55 goals and 140 career points.
Final Countdown: The final weekend of the 2003 regular-season is shaping up much like the end of the 2002 regular-season for the Bluejays. After tying their first MVC match with Drake in 2002, the Jays rattled off seven consecutive wins and played for the conference title on the final day of the season. The Jays opened the 2003 Valley season by tying Drake and have since won six consecutive games entering the final weekend with a 6-0-1 record and the conference title on the line.
Senior Day: Creighton honored its nine seniors before last Sunday's home regular-season finale with Eastern Illinois. Of its nine seniors, seven started on Sunday; Guido Leon, Dave Minges, David Wagenfuhr, Damien Westfield, Shane Havens, Matt Thomas and Nic Wilson were each in the starting line up. Zach Piercy (injury) and Matt Jewett (yellow card accumulation) were unable to play, while Wilson's start was the first of his career in just his fourth appearance as a Bluejay.
Attendance Figures: The Bluejays are averaging 1,467 fans per home match this fall. That attendance figure is the highest since CU averaged 1,488 fans during the 1999 season. The Jays have drawn two crowds of more than 2,000 this season for the first time since 1998.
Double Digits: Michael Kraus' offensive explosion last weekend moved him into double digits point totals. His enters the weekend as the only Bluejay with at least 10 points (4 G, 3 A, 11 pts).
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. 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 (Oct. 17).
Ranked Valley Foes: After CU's 1-0 win over No. 22 Bradley last week, the Jays are 5-7-1 when playing MVC teams ranked in the Top 25. CU is 3-2-0 when playing ranked MVC opponents at home.
Battling the Best: The Jays have battled three teams while they've been ranked in the top-25 this season. CU has defeated No. 15 Furman and 22nd-ranked Bradley, and lost to 17th-ranked Brown this fall, moving their all-time record against Top 25 opponents to 35-31-6, including a 5-3-1 record against ranked opponents in 2002.
Climbing the Charts: David Wagenfuhr's assist in CU's win over Western Kentucky (Oct. 19) was the 24th of his CU career. The assist tied him with Brian Kamler (1990-93) for seventh place on the CU career charts.
Working Overtime: Of CU's first 13 matches this season, the Jays played in five double overtime affairs. With their 1-1-3 overtime record this season, the Bluejays are now 8-4-6 in overtime contests since 2000.
Brown Starts: Junior Andrew Brown started his first match of the season in goal against Western Kentucky (Oct. 19). 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 at Western Kentucky (Oct. 19), there is now just one Bluejay to start every match this season. Senior All-America candidate David Wagenfuhr has started all 15 games for the Jays this year.
Shutout Streak: Prior to CU's games at Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky, the Bluejays had not allowed a goal in MVC play. When Vanderbilt scored in the first half, it snapped CU's shut out streak at 374 minutes and 20 seconds.
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 21 different players in the starting line up this fall.
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.
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.
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 scoreless final.
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.
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.
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.
