No. 7 Bluejays Travel to Drake for MVC Match Saturday
10/20/2004 3:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
#7 Creighton at Drake
Saturday, Oct. 23 Cownie Soccer Complex Des Moines, Iowa 7 p.m.
This Week: The seventh-ranked Bluejays play just one Missouri Valley Conference contest this week, traveling to Des Moines to take on Drake Saturday night. The Bluejays and Bulldogs will kick off at Cownie Soccer Complex at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Creighton concluded its home regular-season schedule with wins over Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky. Brian Biggerstaff scored twice and added an assist in a 3-1 victory over VU last Friday night. Biggerstaff then scored the game-winning goal against Western Kentucky in a 2-1 triumph last Sunday afternoon on Senior Day. For his efforts last weekend, Biggerstaff was named the MVC Offensive Player of the Week and to the CollegeSoccerNews.com National Team of the Week.
Scouting Drake (7-6-1, 3-2-1 MVC): The Bulldogs have had an up and down season, starting the year with a 3-0 record and earning a place in the national rankings. DU then dropped four straight, including a 1-0 loss to NAIA Grand View. The Bulldogs tied then 23rd-ranked Tulsa, 1-1, to open the MVC season and have lost two shutout decisions in MVC play. Last weekend, DU blanked Western Kentucky 1-0 and Vanderbilt 3-0 at home. Ryan Samuelson leads the team with seven goals and 17 points, while all-MVC performer Matt Nickell tops the squad with six assists and adds 14 points. Three goalkeepers have seen time in net for the Bulldogs, with Phillip Breuer claiming most of the minutes. Breuer owns a 1.08 goals against average and has made 37 saves in 830 minutes, recording three shutouts on the year.
The CU-DU Series: The series between Creighton and Drake has been completely dominated by the Bluejays, as the Jays own a 17-0-5 record all-time against the Bulldogs. While the Jays have owned the series, eight of the 17 wins have come by just one goal and the two teams have tied in their last two meetings. CU and DU opened the 2002 MVC season with a 1-1 tie and played to a scoreless draw to open the Valley slate last year in Omaha. The last three meetings have gone into overtime, and eight all-time get-togethers with Drake have gone beyond regulation.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea College, 1975) is in his second stint as the Jays' head coach with a 124-40-14 (.736) record in his ninth season at CU. His overall mark is 318-156-44 (.656) in 27 years of coaching. His 318 wins rank among the top-15 active men's soccer coaches in the NCAA. Warming, the all-time winningest soccer 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.
Top-10 Team: The Bluejays moved up one spot in the NSCAA/adidas poll this week, moving to seventh in the coaches poll. CU is also ranked in the top-10 in the three other soccer polls released this week, ranking fourth in both the Soccer Times and CollegeSoccerNews.com polls. Soccer America ranks the Bluejays sixth this week.
Brown is Back: Senior Andrew Brown returned to start in goal for the Bluejays against Western Kentucky last Sunday on Senior Day. Brown had been side-lined with a groin injury since leaving the SMU match on Oct. 1. He made three saves and improved to 6-2-0, while playing the first half against WKU.
Crowded Net: With an injury to senior Andrew Brown and one of the deepest and most talented goalkeeper corps in school history, the Bluejays have had new experiences in net this year. Never in CU's history have three different goalkeepers ever started at least two matches in one season, nor have three different keepers appeared in four or more matches in one year. Freshmen Zac Gibbens and Matt Allen have proved to be capable replacements for Brown, combining to record a 0.33 goals against average.
Biggs Comes Up Big: Junior Brian Biggerstaff has recorded at least one point in CU's last five matches, including a stretch of four straight games with an assist. Over the last five matches, the forward has scored 12 of his 16 points. Last weekend, Biggerstaff scored two game-winning goals and added an assist while being named the MVC Player of the Week and honored on the CollegeSoccerNews.com National Team of the Week. His recent success earned him his first two starts of the season.
Winning Streak: Creighton is currently on its longest winning streak of the year, having won its last five contests. All five wins have come in MVC play, marking the third straight year CU has won at least five consecutive matches in conference action. In both 2002 and 2003, CU had season-long seven game winning streaks inside of Valley play.
On the Road: This Saturday's match in Des Moines will mark only the fifth time CU has played away from home this season. CU is 2-0-0 in road contests and 1-1-0 in neutral site affairs, losing to No. 18 Washington, 2-1, in Las Vegas (Sept. 12).
The End: Sunday was Creighton's final regular-season home match of the year, as CU improved to 8-1-0 at home this season. While the match was the final home contest on the CU schedule, the Bluejays could play as many as seven more matches at Morrison Stadium this fall. CU is on pace to host the first round of the State Farm MVC Tournament on Nov. 5 and is also host to the semifinals and championship matches of the tournament. The Bluejays have also bid to host the first four rounds of the NCAA Tournament this fall.
National Rankings: The Bluejays continue to climb the national statistical rankings, moving up to 18th in the NCAA in offense, averaging 2.23 goals per game. The Bluejay defense also ranks in the NCAA top-30 with a 0.85 goals against average to rank 29th. CU's .846 winning percentage ranks sixth in the nation. Julian Nash ranks 27th in the NCAA with his seven assists in 13 matches.
Continued Success: Creighton's wins over Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky last weekend kept the Bluejays undefeated against each opponent in the all-time series. CU is now 7-0-1 against VU, out-scoring the Commodores 27-5 in the eight meetings. The Jays are 9-0-0 all-time against WKU.
October Success: With a 5-1-0 record this October, the Bluejays are now 18-1-2 during October since 2002. CU lost to SMU on Oct. 1 snapping a 15 match unbeaten streak in October. The last CU loss in October before the SMU match came on Oct. 26, 2001, a 2-1 overtime defeat to Southwest Missouri State.
Morrison Stadium: Last Friday night the new Creighton soccer facility received a name. In between games of the men's and women's doubleheader, Creighton officials named the stadium in honor of the Rev. Michael G. Morrison, S.J., who served as Creighton's president from 1981 until 2000. Morrison served longer than any other Creighton president. The Bluejays opened play in the $13 million Morrison Stadium in 2003, while further construction has been completed for this season.
Tournament Tix on Sale: Tickets for the State Farm MVC Soccer Championship are on sale now at the Morrison Stadium ticket office or by calling 402-280-JAYS. Prices are $15 for adult all-session tickets and $10 for youth all-session tickets. Ticket windows are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The tournament semifinals on Nov. 12 will be played at 5 and 7:30 p.m., while the championship will be played at 1 p.m. on Nov. 14. Morrison Stadium is located at 19th and California in downtown Omaha.
Tournament Hosts: Creighton and Morrison Stadium will serve as host to the 2004 State Farm Missouri Valley Soccer Championship on Nov. 12 and 14. Semifinal matches will be played on Friday night and the championship match will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday. It marks the first time in five years the championship will be held on a campus.
Welcome Matt: Freshman Matt Allen's 14-save contest against Bradley on Oct. 8 ranks as the fourth-best single-game save performance in school history. The 14 saves are the most by a Bluejay keeper since Tom Zawislan made 15 stops against Air Force on Nov. 23, 1997. The save total was also the second-best performance ever turned in by a Bradley opponent.
CU Single-Game Saves Records
1. 18, Kevin Doyle at Notre Dame, 10-7-90
2. 16, Jim Dalla Riva vs. Tulsa, 10-31-81
3. 15, Tom Zawislan at Air Force, 11-23-97
4. 14, Matt Allen at Bradley, 10-8-04
14, Jim Dalla Riva at E. Illinois, 9-17-82
Home Sweet Home: With an 8-1-0 record at home this season, Creighton's home record since 1990 is now an impressive 117-19-6 (.845). Last year the Bluejays were 7-2-2 in their first season at the CU Soccer Field.
Big Wins: Creighton's 4-0 win over No. 23 Tulsa (Oct. 3) matched the Jays' largest margin of victory over a ranked team in school history. CU also won by four, 6-2, over No. 6 Boston College on Dec. 8, 2002 in the NCAA quarterfinals. The 4-0 victory was the largest shutout margin over a ranked team in CU history.
Nash's Trick: Senior Julian Nash logged his first career hat trick against No. 23 Tulsa on Oct. 3. It is the first time in 77 all-time games against the top-25 in Creighton history a Bluejay has scored three goals against a ranked foe. Nash now leads the team with four goals, six assists and 14 points, while moving his career point total to 51.
Fantastic Fanatics: Creighton is on pace to shatter its single-season home attendance record, bringing in 19,372 fans to its nine regular-season home contests this year. Last year, in eleven home dates, CU welcomed 14,273 fans to Morrison Stadium in its first season. CU is averaging 2,152 fans this season, a mark that would far surpass the current home attendance record of 1,745 set in 1994.
Quick Score: Vince Odorisio raced to the net and scored the second-fastest goal from the start of a game in school history against UCLA (Sept. 10). Odorisio took a pass from Julian Nash and scored just 26 seconds into the game. The fastest CU goal came in 16 seconds, by All-American Brian Kamler on Oct. 9, 1992 against Bradley.
Fastest goal from the start of the game in Creighton History
1. 0:16, B. Kamler, vs. Bradley, 10-9-92
2. 0:26, V. Odorisio, vs. UCLA, 9-10-04
3. 0:30, L. Hill, vs. SMS, 11-5-94
Memphis Blues: Michael Kraus, a sophomore from Memphis, Tenn., and the Bluejays leading scorer in 2003 will miss the remainder of the 2004 season after undergoing surgery on an injured ankle the second week of September. The forward injured the ankle in CU's final exhibition match, but made a brief appearance in the Jays' 2-1 win over Loyola Marymount during the regular-season.
Watch These Guys: Senior Julian Nash has been named to the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy Watch List. The MAC Hermann Trophy is annually awarded to the top player in collegiate soccer. Nash is the active CU career leader in goals (16), assists (18) and points (50). Rookie Joan Carvajal has been tabbed as one of 100 freshmen in the nation to watch this season by CollegeSoccerNews.com.
Preseason Picks: Matt Wieland and Michael Kraus have been named to the preseason all-MVC Team and Julian Nash earned an honorable mention preseason nod. The Bluejays have been selected to finish second in the Valley, behind perennial national power and 2003 tournament champion, SMU. The Jays have now been the No. 2 preseason pick for five consecutive seasons.
