Men's Soccer at Maryland in NCAA Third Round Sunday
11/24/2004 2:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
#16 Creighton at #7 Maryland NCAA Tournament Third Round
Sunday, Nov. 28 Ludwig Field College Park, Md. Noon (CST)
This Week: The 16th-ranked and No. 14-seeded Bluejays hit the road for the third round of the NCAA Tournament, when they play at seventh-ranked and No. 3-seeded Maryland on Sunday. Kickoff between the Terrapins and Bluejays will be noon (CST) at Ludwig Field in College Park, Md. The winner of this match will move on to face the winner of UCLA vs. St. John's in the quarterfinals next weekend.
Last Game: The Bluejays returned to action after an eleven day layoff, defeating 23rd-ranked Northwestern, 3-2, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Freshmen were the story on Tuesday night in Omaha. Rookie David Roth scored both goals for NU. CU's rookie Joan Carvajal answered Roth's goals both times as the Bluejays overcame a one-goal deficit twice for the win. The match was tied 1-1 at the half, and NU scored the go-ahead goal in the 62nd minute, but CU answered quickly with a tally in the 66th minute. NU missed a penalty kick in the 83rd minute and CU took that momentum to net the game-winner just minutes later. Brian Biggerstaff redirected Jarod Tarver's shot at the 85:06 mark with a spectacular flip of his heal behind his back. Omaha native and freshman Matt Allen earned the start in net, making three saves for the win.
Scouting Creighton (14-4-1): The Bluejays are competing in their 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament and as one of 16 seeded teams in the tournament received a first-round bye. CU owns a 16-12-2 all-time record in the NCAA postseason. This season marks the fifth time CU has received an at-large bid into the NCAA field and is the second time in three seasons it was awarded a first-round bye. The Jays finished second in the MVC with a 6-3-0 conference record. CU's offense is well-balanced, as seven players have at least three goals and six have at least 10 points. National Player of the Year Candidate and MVC first-teamer Julian Nash leads the team with nine assists and 21 points, while adding six goals. Brian Biggerstaff tops the team with eight goals, Vince Odorisio and Jarod Tarver also have six goals apiece. The defense is led by MVC first-team performer, Brett Rodriguez, and 2003 MVC Defensive Player of the Year Matt Wieland. The Jays have used a trio of goalkeepers this season with senior Andrew Brown (1.23 GAA) seeing a majority of minutes and true freshman Matt Allen (0.83 GAA) leading the way with 39 saves in 540 minutes.
Scouting Maryland (16-5-1): The seventh-ranked Terrapins earned the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament with one of the top offenses in the NCAA. The Terps score 2.7 goals per game, with a 4-0 win over Hofstra in the second round their latest scoring outburst. National Player of the Year Candidate Jason Garey is the leading goal-scorer in the country, with 21 goals. Garey adds nine assists for 51 points. Abe Thompson is also a player of the year candidate with 11 goals and seven assists. Domenic Mediate joined both Garey and Thompson on the ACC First-Team, he has nine goals and eight assists. Noah Palmer has started every match in net for the Terps, with a 1.09 goals against average in nearly 1900 minutes. UM is appearing in its 24th NCAA Tournament, while earning a top three seed for the third straight year.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea College, 1975) is in his second stint as the Jays' head coach with a 127-42-15 (.731) record in his ninth season at CU. His overall mark is 321-158-45 (.656) in 27 years of coaching. His 321 wins rank 12th among active men's soccer coaches in the NCAA. Warming, the all-time winningest soccer coach at CU, has guided his teams to 11 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.
The CU-Maryland Series: National powers Creighton and Maryland have only met on the pitch twice, splitting the two contests. One meeting came in the 1998 NCAA Tournament. The Terps topped the Bluejays 3-2 in Maryland on Dec. 5, 1998 in the quarterfinals of the tournament. CU defeated then No. 5 UM on Sept. 7, 2001 in the team's last meeting. The Jays won 2-1 in Maryland to even the all-time series 1-1.
NCAA Tournament History: The Bluejays are appearing in their 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament, where they own an all-time mark of 16-12-2. The Jays have advanced to three College Cup Final Fours - 1996, 2000, 2002. CU played in the National Championship match in 2000. CU's 5-2-1 record in the NCAA tournament over the previous two years marks the most successful two-year span in CU history. With their win on Tuesday, CU evened its record at 3-3-0 in home NCAA matches, including three straight wins. See notes page 4 for complete NCAA history.
Against the Field: Creighton has faced six of the participants in this year's NCAA tournament, going 4-2-1 in seven contests. CU went 1-0-1 against Tulsa and also topped UCLA, Loyola Marymount and Northwestern.. The Jays lost to SMU and Washington this season.
Battling the Best: Creighton is now 3-2 against top-25 opponents this year, moving CU's all-time record against nationally-ranked foes to 38-34-6. The Jays defeated #6 UCLA on Sept. 10, marking their highest-ranked victory since defeating #6 Boston College on Dec. 8, 2002.
Pulling Rank: The Bluejays remain in the top-20 of all four major polls released this week. The NSCAA/adidas top-25 ranks the Bluejays 16th this week. Other ranks include 12th by Soccer Times, 13th by College Soccer News and 16th by Soccer America. For a list of CU's weekly ranking throughout the season, see page 4.
Maryland Connections: Last year due to heavy snowfall in New York during the NCAA Tournament, Creighton and St. John's had to move their match to Ludwig Field in Maryland as part of a quarterfinal doubleheader with Saint Louis and Maryland. CU lost to SJU 3-2 after owning a 2-0 lead late in the second half. The Terrapins also played in the Diadora Challenge at Morrison Stadium in Omaha to open the 2003 season. The Terps won the tournament (not facing CU) and actually participated in the first ever regular-season match at the new facility.
All-Conference: Seniors Julian Nash and Brett Rodriguez have been named to the Missouri Valley Conference first team this season, marking the first time either player has earned first-team recognition. Matt Wieland was named second-team all-conference, while Tony Odorisio and Joan Carvajal were both named to the honorable mention squad. Rookies and Omaha natives Matt Allen and Tim Bohnenkamp were both honored on the MVC All-Freshman team.
Academic Honors: Four Bluejays have been honored for their academic excellence. Seniors Andrew Brown and Brett Rodriguez and juniors Matt Wieland and Brian Biggerstaff were each named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District VII First-Team for their classroom efforts. To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must carry at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average. Biggerstaff has also been named the MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week three times this year. Wieland and Biggerstaff earned first-team all-MVC scholar-athlete honors while Brown and Rodriguez earned honorable mention academic honors from the conference.
It's Jo-AHN: Freshman Joan (pronounced Joe-AHN) Carjaval made a name for himself in his first career NCAA match on Tuesday, scoring CU's first two goals of the night. The tallies were just the second and third of the year for the Miami native, and his first since Sept. 25.
Matt's Back: Freshman Matt Allen earned the starting nod in goal for the Bluejays in their second round match. The Omaha native was making his first start since Oct. 23 and just his fourth of the season. Not bad for a guy who should still be in high school this November - graduating a year early to start his collegiate soccer career.
Home Field Advantage: Creighton is now 10-1-1 at home this season. Since 1990, the Bluejays have gone 119-19-7 (.845) in home games and own a 17-3-3 (.804) record at the Morrison Stadium since its opening last year.
Home Cooking: According to the numbers, Creighton's offense prefers playing at Morrison Stadium this season. The Bluejays are scoring twice as many goals at home than on the road. CU averages 2.4 goals per game at home and just 1.2 goals on the road. Freshman and Omaha native Tim Bohnenkamp has scored all four of his goals this year at Morrison Stadium and Julian Nash has not scored any of his six goals away from Omaha.
Fantastic Fanatics: Creighton established a single-season home attendance record this year season. The Jays brought in over 24,000 fans to 12 home contests this year. Last year, in eleven home dates, CU welcomed 14,273 fans to Morrison Stadium in its first season. CU averaging 2,015 fans this season, far surpassing the former home attendance record of 1,745 set in 1994.
Attendance Analysis: Attendance figures are not released until the end of the season, so lets compare CU's home attendance to 2003 leaders. Six schools brought in over 20,000 fans to home contests last year. CU's current average of 2,015 fans would have ranked sixth in the country in 2003.
Kraus Returns: Michael Kraus, CU's leading scorer in 2003 as a freshman, returned to play in only his second match of the season against Tulsa in the MVC semifinals and then cracked the starting lineup in CU's second round NCAA match on Tuesday. The sophomore was expected to redshirt due to a broken foot suffered during the exhibition season, but instead came off the bench to score CU's lone goal and unload four shots, while earning MVC all-tournament honors.
Kudos to Kraus: While Michael Kraus may have missed the majority of the season, he has proven he can make the postseason all he needs. Last year as a rookie, Kraus tied the CU career record for assists in the NCAA tournament, dishing six helpers in four matches.
Biggs' Big Year: Junior Brian Biggerstaff scored the game-winning goal against Drake (Oct. 23) in a 2-1 CU victory. The goal gave him at least one point in six consecutive matches. During those six contests, the forward scored 14 of his 18 points on the year, including five goals and four assists. He scored the game-winning goal in each of his first three starts of the season and leads the team with four game-winners this fall.
Spreading the Wealth: While Brian Biggerstaff leads the Bluejays with eight goals, three of his teammates are on his heals for the scoring lead. Four CU players have at least six goals this year, marking the first time that has happened at CU since the 1998 squad also had four Jays with six or more goals. Julian Nash, Vince Odorisio and Jarod Tarver all have six goals for CU this fall.
Player of the Year Candidate: Senior Julian Nash has been named a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, college soccer's top honor. He leads the team with nine assists and 21 points this season, inching closer to the CU career top-10 in goals, assists and points. Nash has 18 goals, 22 assists and 58 career points. Nash joins a long list of Bluejays named National Player of the Year candidates.
CU National Player of the Year Candidates
Year Player
2004 Julian Nash
2003 David Wagenfuhr
2002 Mike Tranchilla
2001 Mike Tranchilla
1997 Johnny Torres (Won)
1996 Ross Paule
1993 Keith DeFini & Brian Kamler
Carded: Brian Biggerstaff was given the first Creighton red card of the season in CU's 3-1 win over Evansville on Nov. 5. Not known for rough play, Biggerstaff does not even have a yellow card on the season. CU's leading goal-scorer sat out the Jays' MVC semifinal match against Tulsa and returned to the pitch on Tuesday to score the game-winning goal against Northwestern. Biggerstaff led the team in goals (5), assists (4) and points (14) in conference action.
The Big Birds: Brian Biggerstaff, Julian Nash and Vince Odorisio carried the Bluejay offense through MVC play this year. The trio combined for 14 of CU's 15 goals in MVC play and contributed 38 of the 49 Bluejay points in Valley action. Biggerstaff had three game-winning goals and Odorisio two in MVC play, while Jarod Tarver added the sixth game-winner.
Crowded Net: With an injury to senior Andrew Brown and one of the deepest and most talented goalkeeper corps in CU 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 combined with Brown for a 0..99 goals against average this season.
November Nights: Appearing in 13 consecutive NCAA appearances, the Bluejays have played many November matches in their history. Since the program was re-started in 1990, the Jays are 44-20-5 (.674) in November. The Jays are 18-5-2 in Nov. since 2000, including an 9-3-2 mark over the last three years.
My Cousin Vinny: Cousins and Omaha natives, Vince and Tony Odorisio, worked their family connection for CU's first goal against Tulsa on Oct. 3. Tony set up Vince for the game-winning tally in the first half. The assist was Tony's first career helper.
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 BU 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 Boys: Five of Creighton's usual starters this year are from Omaha. Last year's MVC Defensive Player of the Year, Matt Wieland, cousins, Tony and Vince Odorisio, and newcomers Ryan Junge and Tim Bohnenkamp have demonstrated the growth and excellence of soccer in the Omaha area. Omaha freshmen Tony Schmitz and Matt Allen have also started during the season and Lincoln, Neb. native Brian Biggerstaff leads the team with a career-high seven goals.
Blue Fan Group: The 4,029 fans that showed up for CU's only exhibition home match of the season (Aug. 27) marked the third largest home crowd in school history and just the third crowd of more than 4,000. Two of CU's three largest all-time crowds have witnessed exhibition matches and four of the five largest crowds have come in August.
Top Three CU Home Crowds
1 4,407 vs. Saint Louis, Aug. 31, 1997
2 4,345 vs. Virginia (Exh.), Aug. 28, 1993
3 4,029 vs. UMKC (Exh.), Aug. 27, 2004
Top Three Morrison Stadium Crowds
1 4,029 vs. UMKC (Exh.), Aug. 27, 2004
2 3,483 vs. Butler, Aug. 29, 2003
3 2,925 vs. Air Force, Sept. 25, 2004
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.
Morrison Stadium: On October 15 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 facility in 2003, while further construction has been completed this season.
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
National Recognition: Freshman Tim Bohnenkamp scored two goals and added an assist in CU's wins over Wisconsin and Marquette on Sept. 17 and 19. For his efforts, the rookie midfielder was named to the CollegeSoccerNews.com and Soccer America National Teams of the Week. Brian Biggerstaff and Jarod Tarver have also been named to the CollegeSoccerNews.com National Team of the Week, on Oct. 18 and Nov. 8 respectively.
Bye High School: Freshman goalkeeper Matt Allen is breaking ground in Creighton soccer. Allen should be a senior at Burke High School this fall, but graduated a year early in order to come to Creighton. He is the first player in CU soccer history to come to campus a year early. Allen made his collegiate debut in CU's 4-0 win over Western Michigan in the season-opener. Allen led the team with 33 saves in MVC play.
Watch These Guys: 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. Joan Carvajal has been tabbed as one of 100 freshmen in the nation to watch this season by CollegeSoccerNews.com.
