Bluejays Host Loyola Saturday in Men's Soccer
9/7/2005 3:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
#16 Creighton hosts Loyola
Saturday, Sept. 10, 7:00 p.m. Morrison Stadium
This Week: The 16th-ranked Bluejays return to Omaha to open their home schedule with a match against Loyola (Chicago). The Jays and Ramblers will kick off at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Last Week: Creighton opened the season by winning the Portland Nike Invitational. The Jays tied Portland 1-1 to open the season, on an unlikely goal from senior and newcomer Brian Kallman. CU then topped Washington 3-2 on Sunday to win the tournament. Freshman Byron Dacy scored a goal and added an assist in the victory and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
The Bluejays in Brief: Creighton is one of five schools in the nation to appear in the last 13 NCAA tournaments and the Bluejays are picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference this season, after finishing 14-4-2 in the third round of the NCAA postseason in 2004. The Jays return eight starters, including 2003 MVC Defensive Player of the Year, Matt Wieland. Five players who scored at least 10 points last year are back in the fold on what should be a powerful offense. Senior Brian Biggerstaff led the team with eight goals last year, while Wieland, Michael Kraus and Tim Bohnenkamp are each on the preseason all-MVC team. Matt Allen has claimed starting goalkeeper duties and played all 200 minutes in the opening weekend, stopping five shots.
Scouting Loyola (1-1-0): The Ramblers split a pair of matches in their opening weekend of play, losing 3-2 to Gonzaga before defeating Xavier 2-1. Both Dino Melitas and Joe Nierzwicki scored one goal and had one assist in Loyola's opening weekend, while two other Ramblers scored a goal. Junior Sean Bond played all 180 minutes in net, allowing four goals and making five saves for a 2.00 goals against average. The Ramblers went 3-14-1 last season and are picked to finish seventh (of eight) in the Horizon League this fall.
The CU-Loyola Series: Creighton and Loyola have met just once before, with CU prevailing 3-1 on Sept. 23, 1993 in Omaha. That match was part of CU's 19-game winning streak which propelled CU to its national number-one ranking that season.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea College, 1975) is in his second stint as the Jays' head coach with a 128-42-17 (.730) record in his 10 seasons at CU. His overall mark is 322-158-47 (.655) in 28 years of coaching. 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. He began the year ranked 12th among active NCAA Division I coaches in career winning percentage.
Opening Act: The Bluejays have still never lost a season-opener under Head Coach Bob Warming. CU has now tallied a 7-0-3 mark in Warming's 10 season-openers at the helm. The Jays will look to continue their home-opening shutout streak this weekend. CU has not allowed a goal in a home opener since a 3-1 loss to Duke in 1995. In home-openers under Warming, the Jays have out-scored their opponents 25-1, including a 4-0 win over Western Michigan last season.
Welcome to Creighton: Bluejay newcomers contributed greatly in CU's opening weekend at the Portland Nike Invitational. The Jays' lone goal in Friday's 1-1 tie with Portland was scored by Brian Kallman. The senior played his first three seasons at Jacksonville University, scoring just two goals in that span. Omaha native, freshman Byron Dacy was named the tournament MVP after scoring a goal and adding an assist in CU's 3-2 win over Washington on Sunday. The Bluejays won the tournament title due to a goals-scored tiebreaker over Portland.
Homeward Bound: The Jays went 10-1-1 at home in Morrison Stadium last year and own an overall mark of 17-3-3 at the facility since its opening in 2003. Since 1990, the Bluejays are 119-19-7 (.845) at home. The Jays ranked in the top-five in the nation in attendance last year, up from a top-10 ranking in 2003.
Carvajal's Kicks: Sophomore Joan Carvajal has resumed a trend he started last year. The midfielder from Miami led CU rookies with four assists last year, including a helper in each of his first three collegiate games. Carvajal assisted two goals, including the game-winner in CU's triumph over Washington last Sunday. He was the only Bluejay with more than one assist in CU's opening weekend.
Schmitz Plays: Sophomore Tony Schmitz cracked the starting lineup in both matches last weekend after playing in 13 matches with three starts last year. The Omaha Skutt graduate collected his first career point with an assist on Jarod Tarver's goal against Washington.
Seeing Yellow: Eight yellow cards were issued in CU's 3-2 win over Washington last Sunday, including six to the Bluejays. The Jays were also issued a red card as head coach Bob Warming was ejected for arguing a call in the 74th minute.
Local Flavor: The Jays have a record 13 Nebraska natives on the roster this fall, while seven Nebraskans have started in both of the Bluejays' matches this season. CU had three Nebraskans on its first team in 1990 and the 1996 team did not list one Nebraska native on its roster.
Road Trip: CU's trip to Portland to open this season was a rare one, as only once since 1990 had the Jays opened the year away from home prior to last weekend. The only other time in the last 15 years the Jays opened on the road was Aug. 29, 1997. CU tied Saint Louis 1-1 that day. Since 1990, the Jays are now 11-1-4 in road openers, with their only loss coming at No. 11 SMU in 1998. The Bluejays had not allowed a goal in any season opener since a 1-1 tie with SLU in 1997.
For Starters: The Bluejays return eight starters from last year's 14-4-2 team, including the 2003 MVC Defensive Player of the Year, senior Matt Wieland. Sophomores Matt Allen and Tim Bohnenkamp were both named to the MVC All-Freshman Team as rookies last year, while Joan Carvajal earned honorable-mention all-freshman accolades. Junior defender Tony Odorisio was tabbed to all-MVC honorable-mention. Senior Vince Odorisio, and juniors Jarod Tarver and Andrew Peterson all started every match for CU last year. Junior Ryan Junge is CU's eighth returning starter.
Four Gone: The Bluejays lost only four seniors from last year's team,including two MLS draft picks and three starters. Julian Nash and Brett Rodriguez were both first-team all-MVC picks last year before being taken in the MLS draft, while Andrew Brown started 12 matches in goal and Kama Bennah made six starts while appearing in every match.
Preseason Favorites: The Bluejays are the Missouri Valley Conference preseason pick to win their record seventh regular-season title. CU received seven of eight first-place votes, while Bradley picked up the other first-place nod. Matt Wieland, Michael Kraus and Tim Bohnenkamp have each been named to the preseason all-MVC Team, while Brian Biggerstaff and Tony Odorisio earned honorable mention preseason notice.
Go West Young Men: Creighton's trip to Portland marked the fourth straight year the Jays have played in a tournament in the Pacific Time Zone. CU is now 3-2-4 on the West Coast since 2002, and the Jays are 11-4-6 all-time in the Pacific Time Zone.
Record Crowds: A CU home record crowd of 5,743 fans came out to the Jays' exhibition match against Stanford (Aug. 26). The record shattered the former mark by more than 1,300. Five of the top six home attended games in CU history have now come in the month of August, while three of the top four crows have come to exhibition matches. Listed below are the top three home crowds and top three crowds in Morrison Stadium history:
Top Three CU Home Crowds
1 5,743 vs. Stanford (Exh.), Aug. 26, 2005
2 4,407 vs. SLU, Aug. 31, 1997
3 4,345 vs. Virginia (Exh.), Aug. 28, 1993
Top Three CU Morrison Stadium Crowds
1 5,743 vs. Stanford (Exh.), Aug. 26, 2005
2 4,029 vs. UMKC (Exh.), Aug. 27, 2004
3 3,483 vs. Butler, Aug., 29, 2003
MVC Trims Down: Valley affiliates SMU and Tulsa have departed to join Conference USA in all sports. Both squads made the NCAA tournament last season and both remain on CU's schedule this fall. The Jays play the pair as part of Tulsa's tournament in late September.
Schedule Notes: With the departure of SMU and Tulsa from the MVC, there now remain eight teams in MVC soccer. With that change, the conference office has opted to alter the league scheduling from Friday-Sunday matched to Wednesday-Saturday contests. There will no longer be ?travel partners? and this format will allow for easier travel and better recovery for teams.
Tournament Format: The Valley has changed its men's soccer tournament format this season, moving from an eight-team to a six-team bracket. The top six teams will now qualify and all matches will be played at one site. The top two teams will earn a bye into the semifinals, while the first round of play will have 3-6 and 4-5 seed match ups. Shea Stadium and Bradley University will host the event in Peoria, Ill., this November.
Global Bluejays: Fans can now watch all home matches for both Creighton soccer programs live on the internet. Live video streaming of both men's and women's home soccer matches is available this season. The video streaming schedule includes all remaining men's and women's home matches which gives Creighton fans across the globe the ultimate chance to see some of the best soccer, in one the finest facilities in the nation right on their desktops. The season pass is just $21.95, less than $2.00 per webcast. For more information on system requirements in order to view the webcasts and how to register for your season pass, go to www.gocreighton.tv or click on the video webcast button on www.gocreighton.com.
