Bluejays Ready For MVC First-Round Match With SMS
11/5/2003 2:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
SMS at #19 Creighton ? MVC Tournament First-Round
Saturday, Nov. 8 ? Creighton Soccer Field ? Omaha, Neb. ? 1:05 p.m.
This Week: The Bluejays play host to Southwest Missouri State in the first round of the 2003 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The regular-season champion and top seeded Jays will play the eighth-seeded Bears on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. at the Creighton Soccer Field. CU will be in search of its ninth MVC tournament title. The winner of the CU-SMS match will move on to face the winner of the Drake-Bradley contest in the MVC tournament semifinals next weekend at SportPort in St. Louis.
Last Week: Creighton clinched its sixth MVC regular-season title and its first since 1996 with a 2-0 win at SMU last Friday night. The Jays then had their seven-game winning streak snapped in a 2-1 loss at Tulsa last Sunday to conclude the MVC regular season at 7-1-1.
Scouting SMS (8-7-2, 3-5-1): The Bears finished the regular season on a high note last Sunday, defeating Vanderbilt 4-1 behind a three-goal performance from Doug Lascody. Two of SMS' three MVC wins came against the two teams which did not qualify for the tournament, and the third came over No. 7-seed SMU. Lascody tops the team with 10 goals and 22 points, while all-conference performer Jamal Sutton adds 16 points (6 G, 4 A). Matt Pickens patrols the net for SMS, owning a 1.42 goals against average, while making 71 saves for a 74.7 save percentage. The Bears have appeared in eight MVC tournaments and have won eight matches in tournament play, while capturing the 1999 MVC tournament title.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea College, 1975) is in his second stint as the Jays' head coach with a 111-36-13 (.734) record in his eighth season at CU. His overall mark is 305-152-43 (.653) 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-SMS Series: CU owns an all-time mark of 15-4-1 against the Bears, including four consecutive victories over SMS. The Jays will be looking to end the Bears season in the MVC tournament for the third consecutive season. CU is 5-0-0 against SMS in the MVC Tournament and 7-1-0 against the Bears in Omaha. CU defeated SMS, 2-0, this season on Oct. 12 at the Creighton Soccer Field with Damien Westfield and Vince Odorisio scoring CU's goals and Michael Kraus assisting on each tally.
MVC Tournament History: The Bluejays will bring a 21-4-0 all-time MVC tournament record into the 2003 tourney, easily the most tournament victories in league history (SMS is next with eight). CU has won more tournament titles, eight, than any other MVC team, including earning the tournament title last year. The Jays have lost twice in the semifinals, lost twice in the championship match and won the other eight tournaments in which they've appeared. The Jays are the only team in league history with more than one tournament title.
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 with a win last Friday at SMU. Since the MVC began sponsoring a men's soccer championship in 1991, Creighton has claimed 14 of the 25 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. CU's win at SMU last Friday moved the Jays to 7-0-1 in 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.
Bad News Bears: The Creighton Soccer Field has been bad news for the SMS Bears this season. The Bears have lost three matches in Omaha this year, two in the Ameritas Classic tournament and one against CU in the regular-season. The Bluejays have lost just once in Omaha all season.
Back in Top 25: For the first time since early September, the Bluejays returned to the NSCAA/adidas Top 25 on Oct. 27. This week, the Jays are ranked 19th by the NSCAA and cracked three more polls; Soccer America (21), Soccer Times (24), College Soccer News (27).
NCAA Ranks: Creighton has allowed only four goals in MVC play this fall, topping the league with a 0.43 goals against average in conference play. CU's overall GAA of 0.66 ranks 11th in the NCAA this week. CU recorded six shutouts in nine MVC games this season, eight shutouts total.
My Cousin Vinny: Bluejay cousins Vince and Tony Odorisio have made a strong impact on the 2003 squad. Tony has started 12 of CU's 17 matches on CU's MVC-leading defense, while Vince is second on the squad with three goals, including two goals in the last three games.
Youth Movement: Creighton's four leading scorers entering this weekend 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.
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.
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.
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.
500 Club: Creighton's regular-season finale at Tulsa last Sunday was the 500th career match for Head Coach Bob Warming. Warming's 305 career wins rank 15th among active Division I head coaches.
Senior Day: Creighton honored its nine seniors before its home regular-season finale with Eastern Illinois (Oct. 26). Of its nine seniors, seven started; 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 against Eastern Illinois and Bradley two weeks ago moved him into double digits point totals. He enters the weekend as the only Bluejay with at least 10 points (5 G, 3 A, 13 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).
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 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.
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 17 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.
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.
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 6-1-2 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. Now in postseason play, CU cannot log another tie due to new NCAA rules regarding postseason ties. Shootout victories are no longer considered ties, but the winning team is awarded a victory.
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.
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.
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.
