Eighth-Ranked Men's Soccer Opens New Stadium Friday
8/28/2003 3:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
#8 Creighton Plays Host to the Diadora Challenge
Friday & Sunday ? Aug. 29 and Aug. 31 ? Creighton Soccer Complex
vs. Butler, Aug. 29, 7:05 p.m. ? #2 Maryland vs. #15 Furman, 4:30 p.m.
vs. Maryland/Furman, 2:00 p.m. ? Butler vs. Maryland/Furman, 11:30 a.m.
This Week: The Bluejays open the Creighton Soccer Complex for its first regular-season action this weekend when they play host to the seventh annual Diadora Challenge. No. 2-ranked Maryland and 15th-ranked Furman join the eighth-ranked Bluejays and Butler Bulldogs to fill the impressive tournament field. The Jays battle Butler on Friday at 7:05 p.m. to open the season and will then play at 2 p.m. on Sunday against either Maryland or Furman.
Special Blessing: The President of Creighton University, The Rev. John P. Schlegel, S.J., will bless the new Creighton Soccer Complex prior to the Creighton-Butler match on Friday night. Fr. Schlegel, an avid supporter of CU athletics, will perform the blessing in the center circle just prior to kickoff at approximately 7:05 p.m.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea College, 1975) is in his second stint as the Jays' head coach with a 101-32-10 (.741) record in his seven seasons at CU. His overall mark is 295-148-40 (.652) in 25 years 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.
Scouting the Opponents: Butler notched a 9-10-3 record last year, including a 4-3-0 mark in the Horizon League. The Bulldogs return seven starters, but lose their two leading scorers and goalkeeper from a year ago. Furman is ranked 15th in the NSCAA preseason poll, after recording a 19-3-1 mark last season and ending its year in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The Paladins return All-American midfielder Clint Dempsey and goalkeeper Alex Maslow to head up the talented team. Maryland is tabbed as the preseason No. 1 team by College Soccer News after joining the Jays in the 2002 College Cup, where they were eliminated in the semifinals by UCLA. The Terrapins finished with a nation-leading 20-5-0 record in 2002 and welcome back All-Americans Scott Buete and Sumed Ibrahim, while returning all 11 starters from last season's College Cup team.
Season Openers: The Bluejays have never lost a season-opener under Head Coach Bob Warming. CU has tallied a 6-0-1 mark in Warming's seven season-openers at the helm. Since 1990 the Bluejays have lost just one debut, falling to No. 20 Duke in Bret Simon's first game as head coach, Sept. 2, 1995. Only once since 1990 have the Bluejays opened the season away from Tranquility Park. On Aug. 29, 1997, the Bluejays traveled to take on Saint Louis (then under Warming's tutelage). The Jays and Billikens played to a 1-1 tie that day, with current CU assistant coach Jason Mims in uniform for the Billikens.
Home Sweet Home: The Jays welcome in a new era of soccer this fall with their move to the on-campus Creighton Soccer Complex. The state-of-the-art facility is scheduled for completion next year, when the stadium will include locker rooms, offices, chairback seating, luxury suites, picnic areas and several other amenities.
Home Away From Home: Prior to this season, the Jays have called two other fields home. From 1990 through 2002, the Bluejays played matches at Tranquility Park (120th and Maple). In the early days of CU soccer, the Jays played at Rosenblatt Stadium (1979-85).
Home Again: Since its reinception in 1990, CU men soccer's home record is 102-16-4, for a winning percentage of .852.
Welcome Back: The Bluejays return seven starters from last year's College Cup team, including all-Missouri Valley Conference honorees senior David Wagenfuhr (First-Team), junior Julian Nash (Second-Team) and senior Damien Westfield (All-Newcomer Team). Wagenfuhr and Westfield are two of nine seniors on this year's roster.
Saying Goodbye: After the 2002 season, the Jays said good bye to the MVC's all-time leader in points and goals, All-American Mike Tranchilla. They also lost all-conference performers in Luiz Del Monte, Joe Wieland and Mehdi Ballouchy. Goalkeeper Mike Gabb also is gone after a record-setting CU career.
All-America Candidate: Senior David Wagenfuhr begins his final season at CU as an All-America candidate. The midfielder/defender has earned first-team all-Midwest region honors and first-team all-MVC honors over the past two campaigns and his 21 career assists rank him in the Top 10 in school history.
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.
Exhibition Notes: The Bluejays swept through their exhibition slate with wins over Western Nebraska Community College and Hastings (Neb.) College. The Jays outscored their opponents 8-1, led by Zach Kinney's three goals in the two matches.
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.
Fit to be Tied: Following each of their previous two College Cup appearances, the Bluejays have opened the next season with a tie. After their 1996 appearance, the Jays tied Saint Louis, 1-1, to open the 1997 season. Following their 2000 appearance in the NCAA championship match, the Jays tied Memphis, 0-0, to begin the 2001 campaign.
Last Year at Furman: Last year, Creighton faced off with No. 23 Furman in Greenville, S.C., on Sept. 8. The Paladins defeated the Bluejays 4-2 as part of the Furman Invitational, with Julian Nash and Jered Turner scoring for the Jays.
Furman-Stanford-Creighton: A link between these teams was formed in the NCAA tournament last year. Both the Paladins and the Bluejays lost to Stanford in double overtime by a score of 2-1 to conclude their 2002 seasons. Furman was eliminated in the third round, while the Jays ended their season in the semifinals.
Against the Field: The Bluejays own a combined 4-2-0 all-time record against teams this year's Diadora Challenge.
vs. Butler: 2-0-0
vs. Furman: 1-1-0
vs. Maryland: 1-1-0
Pulling Rank: The Jays are ranked in the top 10 in all four major preseason soccer polls; NSCAA/adidas (8) Soccer America (9), Soccer Times (7) and College Soccer News (8).
It's All Relative: Sophomore Matt Wieland returns to the CU squad this year, with older brother Joe departed, but a pair of relatives are on the 2003 roster. Brothers Aaron and Jonathan Welsh of Sugarland, Texas join the team and cousins Tony and Vince Odorisio from Omaha Skutt Catholic also join forces for the Jays this fall.
Battling the Best: Creighton will battle a Top 25 opponent on Sunday at the Diadora Challenge. CU's all-time record against Top 25 opponents is 33-30-6, including a 5-3-1 record against ranked opponents last year.
Rule Changes: One noticeable rule change in effect for the 2003 season is in regards to substitutions. The clock will now continue to run during all substitutions, except for the final five minutes of the second half.
Numerology 101: All-American Mike Tranchilla has departed the Jays, but his jersey number will still be on the pitch this fall, as sophomore Zach Kinney has claimed No. 14 in blue. Kinney led the Jays in scoring this spring and in exhibition play, perhaps Tranch left some magic in the jersey. Other notable number changes this fall include Matt Wieland and Jered Turner. Wieland, who wore No. 24 as a freshman, will wear No. 16 this fall, the same number older brother Joe wore his four seasons as a Jay. Turner switches from No. 23 to No. 7, formerly worn by Luiz Del Monte.
Diadora Challenge: Creighton plays host to the seventh annual Diadora Challenge this weekend. The Bluejays have never lost at the Challenge, recording an all-time mark of 9-0-2. Despite having never lost a match at the tournament, the Bluejays have not won the event since 1999, when they played only one match in the tournament. CU defeated North Carolina, 3-0, that season. CU then knocked off No. 12 Washington and Bowling Green in the 2000 Diadora Challenge, but finished as the runner-up (to SMS) due to goals allowed. In 2001, the Jays played to a scoreless tie with Memphis in the season-opener and then defeated Oregon State, 4-2, to once again claim the runner-up spot. The Jays also went 1-0-1 in 2002, but finished as the runner-up due to the tournament's fourth tie breaker with Notre Dame.
1) Tourney Record (CU and ND both 1-0-1)
2) Head-to-Head Record (Creighton and Notre Dame tied 1-1)
3) Goal differential (Creighton and Notre Dame both ended +1)
4) Most Goals For (Notre Dame had 4 goals, Creighton had 2)
2002 Diadora Challenge
All-Tournament Team
Erich Braun, Notre Dame (MVP)
Greg Martin, Notre Dame
Jack Stewart, Notre Dame
Luke Boughen, Notre Dame
Matt Thomas, Creighton
Joe Wieland, Creighton
Kama Bennah, Creighton
Jed Hohlbein, SMS
Nick Pollard, SMS
Phillip Braathen, Oakland
Jason Perry, Oakland
BLUEJAY SOCCER QUICK KICKS:
? The Jays are one of five programs in the nation to appear in each of the last 11 NCAA Tournaments (Indiana, St. John's, UCLA, Virginia).
? The Jays have won a record eight MVC Tournament Titles in 12 years, while winning a combined 13 of 24 MVC regular-season and tournament championships.
? CU has appeared in three of the last seven NCAA College Cups (Final Fours), 1996, 2000 and 2002.
? Creighton's .755 winning percentage since 1990 (197-58-18) ranks fifth-best in the NCAA during that span.
? Butler, Furman and Maryland have never played against the Bluejays in Omaha.
? Next weekend the Bluejays will travel to Los Angeles to participate in the Loyola Marymount Fall Classic. CU will face Santa Clara on Friday and No. 22 LMU on Sunday on the west coast.
