Creighton University
UMKC
Biggerstaff's Hat Trick Leads Creighton Over UMKC 6-0 in NCAA Tournament
11/22/2003 2:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
OMAHA, Neb. - Sophomore forward Brian Biggerstaff recorded a hat trick, the first by a Creighton player since Mike Tranchilla in 2001, to lead the Creighton men's soccer team to a 6-0 win over Missouri-Kansas City in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon at the Creighton Soccer Field.
After a scoreless first half, Damien Westfield netted what would be the eventual game winner just under three minutes into the second half. He took a pass from Michael Kraus from the right side and his first shot was saved by UMKC keeper Todd Dohlman. But Westfield pounced on the rebound and shot it past Dohlman and into the bottom left corner of the goal.
Biggerstaff, who had entered the game with just one goal on the year, scored his first goal at 60:12 when Matt Jewett fed him a through ball in the box and Biggerstaff beat Dohlman to the bottom left again. Kraus then scored his team-leading sixth goal of the year when he took a short corner kick from Vince Odorisio on the left side of the box, turned around and freed himself from his defender, and hit a blast just inside the upper far post for a 3-0 CU lead at 64:27.
Biggerstaff then netted his second goal of the afternoon when he put back a rebound after a save from a Julian Nash shot at 79:24. A little more than two minutes later, Biggerstaff stole a ball in the box near the endline on the right side. He then dribbled further in and chipped a shot over Dohlman and inside the far post for his third goal. Shane Havens wrapped up the scoring for the Bluejays at 86:22 when he shot a ball into an empty net. The ball had come loose in the box after being batted around several times by players on both teams.
Both teams had opportunities to score in the first half but neither capitalized. David Wagenfuhr, Kraus, and Matt Thomas all had clear shots at the goal but Dohlman made three saves in the half. UMKC hit the crossbar off a free kick and hit the post off a corner kick within a minute of each other.
The Jays outshot the Kangaroos 23-6, while Creighton put 12 shots on goal to none for UMKC. Andrew Brown picked up the win for CU after playing the second half, while Guido Leon played the first half. The game a physical one as well, as 47 fouls were called and six yellow card assessed.
Biggerstaff set a school record for most individual goals in an NCAA game, while the Jays tied the mark for most goals in an NCAA game. It was CU's largest margin of victory ever in an NCAA game. Creighton advances to play at San Diego in the second round next Wednesday, a team they also beat on the road in the second round on their way to the College Cup in 2000.
