Bluejays Host UMKC Saturday in NCAA Soccer Match
11/19/2003 2:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
UMKC at Creighton ? NCAA Tournament First-Round
Saturday, Nov. 22 ? Creighton Soccer Field ? Omaha, Neb. ? 1:05 p.m.
This Week: The Bluejays play host to UMKC in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Jays and Kangaroos will kickoff at 1:05 p.m. Saturday for the first NCAA postseason match played at the new Creighton Soccer Field. The match is the fifth NCAA contest hosted by the Bluejays, who are appearing in their 12th consecutive NCAA Tournament.
Last Time Out: After winning the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title (7-1-1) for the first time since 1996, the Bluejays were upset in the quarterfinals of the MVC Tournament. The eighth-seeded Southwest Missouri State Bears defeated the Bluejays, 1-0, on Nov. 8, in a match played at the Creighton Soccer Field. Andrew Brown started in goal for the Bluejays, just his second start of the season.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea College, 1975) is in his second stint as the Jays' head coach with a 111-37-13 (.730) record in his eighth season at CU. His overall mark is 305-153-43 (.652) in his 26th year of coaching. Warming, the all-time winningest head coach at CU, has guided his teams to 10 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.
Scouting UMKC (10-6-3): The Kangaroos are making their second NCAA Tournament appearance in the last three seasons after winning the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament to earn the league's automatic berth. UMKC defeated Oakland, 1-0, in the title game last Sunday to advance to its second NCAA Tournament in school history. The Roos are one of the hottest teams in the nation, having gone 9-1-2 over their last 12 matches. They defeated fifth-ranked Santa Clara, 2-1, on Sept. 28 to begin their hot-streak after beginning the season 0-4-1. The Kangaroo offense is spread out, with six players tallying at least four goals and three with more than six assists. UMKC is led on offense by Drew Perkins who has 19 points on six goals and seven assists. Dan Hilson tops the team with 10 assists, while Geoff Miles has added nine helpers for the Roos. UMKC has surrendered at least three goals in a match on six occasions this year, but not once since Sept. 26. Todd Dohlman owns a 1.54 goals against average, while making 86 saves in goal for UMKC. UMKC lost to two MVC opponents this season, 4-0 to Tulsa and 4-1 to Drake.
Creighton-UMKC Series: The Bluejays own a 6-1-0 series advantage all-time against the Kangaroos, but the teams have not met in the regular-season since 1998. The last six meetings between the teams have been in Omaha, with CU defeating UMKC 3-1 on Sept. 18, 1998 in the last clash. CU has outscored UMKC 37-6 in the teams' seven meetings, as CU set a school record with 11 assists against UMKC on Sept. 5, 1992. CU and UMKC met in an exhibition game at Tranquility Park on Aug. 24, 2001, with the Jays prevailing 3-1. Dave Minges and David Wagenfuhr started and six other current Jays played that day, with none contributing to the scoring. Current Kangaroo Dan Hilson netted UMKC's lone goal.
NCAA Tournament History: The Bluejays are appearing in their 12th consecutive NCAA Tournament, where they own an all-time record of 13-11-1 (advancing on PKs after tying CS-Fullerton in 1996). The Jays have advanced to three College Cup Final Fours, 1996, 2000 and 2002. (See notes page 5 for complete NCAA history).
NCAA Tournament at Home: CU's match with UMKC marks just the fifth NCAA Tournament match the Jays have hosted. The Jays are 1-3-0 at home in the NCAA tourney, with their first win coming last year against UW-Milwaukee on Nov. 27. Two of the four previous home matches have gone into four overtimes. (See notes page 5 for complete NCAA history).
Against the Field: Creighton is 2-3-1 against teams in this season's NCAA Tournament field. The Jays defeated Portland and SMU, tied Santa Clara and lost at Loyola Marymount, at Tulsa and against Brown in the Yale Classic.
High Five: Creighton remains one of five teams in the nation to have appeared in each of the past 12 NCAA Tournaments. The Bluejays are joined by Indiana, St. John's, UCLA and Virginia.
Home Sweet Home: Since Bob Warming restarted the CU soccer program in 1990, the Bluejays have not lost two consecutive home matches. The last time the Bluejays lost two consecutive matches at home was November, 1985.
More Home Dominance: Since 1990 the Bluejays are 108-18-6 (.841) at home, including a 6-2-2 mark in their debut season at the Creighton Soccer Field this year. The Jays have not lost more than two matches at home since going 7-3-0 in 1996.
Warming Trends: Bob Warming is appearing in his 10th NCAA Tournament as a head coach; six with Creighton, four with Saint Louis. He's led two teams to the College Cup Final Four; Saint Louis 1997, Creighton 2002. The Bluejays are 61-9-6 at home under Warming and have never lost more than two home matches in a season with Warming at the helm.
Trio of Losses: The Bluejays enter their match with UMKC on a two-match losing streak. The Jays have not lost three consecutive matches since Sept. 2001 and have not ended the season with three straight losses since the pre-Bob Warming era (before 1990). CU did end 1990 on a four match winless streak (0-3-1).
Championship U: Perhaps CU should stand for Championship University in Omaha, as the Bluejays claimed their sixth MVC regular-season championship and first since 1996 this fall. Since the MVC began sponsoring a men's soccer championship in 1991, Creighton has claimed 14 of the 26 Valley regular-season and tournament titles.
Same, but Different: Creighton's 7-1-1 MVC record this year marks the second consecutive season the Jays have finished with 22 points in the Valley. In each of the last two seasons the Jays tied their first Valley match with Drake, then notched seven consecutive wins before losing 2-1 in the season finale. This season's 22 points were good for the regular-season championship however, while last year CU settled for a second-place finish.
Perfect October: For the second consecutive season the Bluejays recorded an undefeated October in MVC play. Creighton went 7-0-1 this October, while the Jays logged a 6-0-1 mark in October 2002. With six shutouts in October this season, the Jays have held opponents scoreless in nine of their last 15 matches in October. The Jays have now gone unbeaten in October on six occasions (1992, 93, 95, 97, 02, 03).
Good Trend: The last two times Creighton went undefeated in a single month, the Jays have gone on to appear in the College Cup. CU went undefeated in November 2000 en route to a Final Four appearance and then went unbeaten last October prior to appearing in their third NCAA Final Four. CU went 7-0-1 this October.
NCAA Ranks: CU's overall goals against average of 0.68 ranks 15th in the NCAA this week. Creighton allowed only four goals in MVC play this fall, topping the league with a 0.43 GAA in conference play. CU recorded six shutouts in nine MVC games this season, eight shutouts total.
Leon the Lion: Senior goalkeeper Guido Leon had not appeared in a match at CU prior to earning the starting role this fall. This year, Leon's 0.68 GAA ranks 19th in the NCAA and he has posted seven solo shutouts and has stopped 86 percent of the shots he's faced.
Brown Starts: Junior goalkeeper Andrew Brown made the start for the Bluejays in their MVC Tournament quarterfinal loss to SMS. It was just his second start of the year, also playing the entire match of a 2-1 win at Western Kentucky. He has played 270 minutes this fall with a 0.67 goals against average.
500 Club: Creighton's regular-season finale at Tulsa (Nov. 2) was the 500th career match for Head Coach Bob Warming. Warming's 305 career wins rank 15th among active Division I head coaches.
Freaky Fridays: The Jays' goal in their 1-0 victory over Evansville (Oct. 10) was the first score the Bluejays netted on a Friday this season. The Jays had attempted over 90 shots and had been shut out in their first five Friday matches, before Jarod Tarver found the back of the net in the shutout win.
My Cousin Vinny: Bluejay cousins Vince and Tony Odorisio have made a strong impact on the 2003 squad. Tony has started 13 of CU's 18 matches on CU's MVC-leading defense and was named to the MVC All-Freshman team, while Vince is second on the squad with three goals.
Youth Movement: Creighton's four leading scorers are underclassmen. Freshman Michael Kraus tops the team with five goals and 13 points, while rookie Jarod Tarver adds seven points (3 G, 1 A). Sophomores Matt Wieland (3 G, 2 A) and Vince Odorisio (3 G, 1 A) also give the Jays a solid future on the offensive end.
Shutout Streaks: The Bluejays notched two streaks of three consecutive shutouts this year. The first streak lasted more than 374 minutes, before being snapped at Vanderbilt (Oct. 17) and the second streak lasted nearly 296 minutes before Tulsa broke the streak on Nov. 2.
National Recognition: Freshman Michael Kraus was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week on Oct. 27 after his three goals and one assist against Bradley and Eastern Illinois. Sophomore Matt Wieland was honored by Soccer America on its National Team of the Week for his game-winning goal and two assists and his defensive efforts against BU and EIU during the same span.
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).
Attendance Figures: The Bluejays are averaging 1,360 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.
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 five goals and 13 points. He is the first CU rookie with five 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.
Double Digits: Michael Kraus' offensive explosion against Eastern Illinois and Bradley moved him into double digits point totals. He enters the NCAA tournament as the only Bluejay with at least 10 points (5 G, 3 A, 13 pts).
Battling the Best: Of CU's 18 matches this year, 10 opponents have been ranked in the NSCAA/adidas Top-25 at one point in 2003, including four of nine MVC opponents. 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 at SMU (Oct. 31) was the 25th of his CU career. The assist moved him into sole possession of seventh place on the CU career charts, surpassing Brian Kamler (1990-93).
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.
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 18 games for the Jays this year.
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.
On Target: 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, 47.8 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.
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 tie was just the second home MVC tie in school history, the other coming 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 6-2-2 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 mark 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.
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.
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.
MVC Honors: Seven men's soccer players were honored by the Missouri Valley Conference when the postseason awards were handed out last week. Senior midfielder David Wagenfuhr and sophomore defender Matt Wieland were named to the all-MVC First-Team. Seniors Shane Havens, Matt Jewett and Matt Thomas were each tabbed to the honorable mention squad. Rookies Michael Kraus and Tony Odorisio were named to the MVC All-Freshman Team.
Wieland is Top MVC Defender: Sophomore Matt Wieland has been named the MVC Defensive Player of the Year after helping the Jays to six shutouts in nine MVC games and a MVC best 0.43 goals against average in conference play. He is the first CU defender to win the honor since All-American David Wright in 1997. He joins current CU assistant coach Kevin Doyle (1992), Ira Philson (1993), and Jay Fitzgerald (1995) as past Bluejay recipients.
Wags' Honors: David Wagenfuhr became the eighth Bluejay to earn first-team all-MVC honors three times in a career. He's the first Jay to appear on the first-team three times in a career since Brian Mullan (1998-2000).
Jewett is Tournament Tested: Last season Matt Jewett scored three of his four goals and nine of his 12 points in the postseason. This season he has been named to the Diadora Challenge, Ameritas Classic and MVC All-Tournament Teams. The Overland Park, Kan. native is the only Bluejay from the Kansas City metro.
