Wednesday, October 10
Morrison Stadium
7:00 PM
Creighton University
2
vs
2
Bradley
Bluejays and Braves Tie 2-2 in MVC Men's Soccer Opener
10/10/2007 5:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer
OMAHA, Neb. ? Despite falling behind 2-0 in the span of 35 seconds in the first half, the 12th-ranked Creighton men's soccer team fought its way back to earn a 2-2 draw against Bradley in the Missouri Valley Conference opener Wednesday night at Morrison Stadium. The Bluejays, playing in their sixth overtime match in 10 contests this year, moved to 5-1-4 on the season, while Bradley goes to 6-3-2 overall.
The Braves opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, when Drew DeGurian cleaned up a mess in front of the Bluejay net. After shot attempts by Stephen Brust and Justin Bigelow were deflected, DeGurian scored his fourth goal of the season at the 22:29 mark.
Just 35 seconds later, the Braves were the beneficiary of an own goal, as Creighton's Andrei Gotsmanov flicked the ball into the back of his own goal when attempting to clear the ball over the net. The BU goals marked the shortest span between goals allowed in Creighton history and they served as the second-shortest span between goals scored in Bradley history.
“It was a disappointing minute of play,” said Bluejay head coach Bob Warming after his 11th MVC opener at Creighton. “The next 66 minutes of regulation and overtime as well, we looked like a great Creighton team. For having played three matches in six days, I think we came out a little bit asleep, but it was the character of this team to fight back.”
Gotsmanov would help atone for his misplay just minutes later when, after having his own shot blocked, he maintained possession and sent a crossing pass to the middle. Redshirt freshman Jeremy Wittig got his head on the ball for his first career goal in the 29th minute.
The score remained 2-1 at the half, as the Bluejays trailed at halftime for the second straight home match. Creighton came out of the locker room in the second half and established control, out-shooting the Braves 13-3 in the second 45 minutes.
The Bluejays scored the equalizer in the 57th minute when Tony Schmitz finished off a remarkable play. What started as a golden scoring opportunity for Bigelow deep inside the CU 18-yard box, was broken up by CU keeper Matt Allen. His quick distribution led to a length of the field counter attack, which Schmitz tucked into the lower left 90 off a feed from Wittig.
The Jays would attempt 10 more shots after the equalizer, but to no avail, with BU keeper Mike Haynes stopping three shots in the second half. And for the sixth time in 10 matches this season, the Bluejays played extra time. The Jays managed four shots in the second overtime period, including Gotsmanov's shot on goal in the final minute of play. The blast by Gotsmanov in the 110th minute, was his 10th of the match, establishing a school record for shots at Morrison Stadium and tying the overall stadium record.
Creighton finished with a 28-10 edge in shots, with Haynes making seven saves and Allen stopping three shots to go along with a team save by the Jays. CU's 28 shots established a school record for shots at Morrison Stadium and fell just one shy of the stadium record held by Fairleigh Dickson (vs. Missouri State, Sept. 1, 2006).
Creighton returns to action when it plays host to Eastern Illinois (8-2-3, 0-0-1 MVC) Saturday at 7 p.m.
NOTES: The Bluejays improved to 18-4-1 all-time against the Braves, including 8-0-1 in Omaha ... Creighton, which drew 2,271 fans for the match, entered the night leading the NCAA in average attendance at 3,681 ... CU is now 11-2-4 all-time in Valley openers, including 7-1-3 under Bob Warming ... CU's four ties on the season equals the school single-season mark for draws, established by the 2003 team ... The Jays have now recorded 10 ties at Morrison Stadium since the venue opened in 2003, following five total home draws between 1990-2002 ... The match was televised nationally on Fox Soccer Channel.
The Braves opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, when Drew DeGurian cleaned up a mess in front of the Bluejay net. After shot attempts by Stephen Brust and Justin Bigelow were deflected, DeGurian scored his fourth goal of the season at the 22:29 mark.
Just 35 seconds later, the Braves were the beneficiary of an own goal, as Creighton's Andrei Gotsmanov flicked the ball into the back of his own goal when attempting to clear the ball over the net. The BU goals marked the shortest span between goals allowed in Creighton history and they served as the second-shortest span between goals scored in Bradley history.
“It was a disappointing minute of play,” said Bluejay head coach Bob Warming after his 11th MVC opener at Creighton. “The next 66 minutes of regulation and overtime as well, we looked like a great Creighton team. For having played three matches in six days, I think we came out a little bit asleep, but it was the character of this team to fight back.”
Gotsmanov would help atone for his misplay just minutes later when, after having his own shot blocked, he maintained possession and sent a crossing pass to the middle. Redshirt freshman Jeremy Wittig got his head on the ball for his first career goal in the 29th minute.
The score remained 2-1 at the half, as the Bluejays trailed at halftime for the second straight home match. Creighton came out of the locker room in the second half and established control, out-shooting the Braves 13-3 in the second 45 minutes.
The Bluejays scored the equalizer in the 57th minute when Tony Schmitz finished off a remarkable play. What started as a golden scoring opportunity for Bigelow deep inside the CU 18-yard box, was broken up by CU keeper Matt Allen. His quick distribution led to a length of the field counter attack, which Schmitz tucked into the lower left 90 off a feed from Wittig.
The Jays would attempt 10 more shots after the equalizer, but to no avail, with BU keeper Mike Haynes stopping three shots in the second half. And for the sixth time in 10 matches this season, the Bluejays played extra time. The Jays managed four shots in the second overtime period, including Gotsmanov's shot on goal in the final minute of play. The blast by Gotsmanov in the 110th minute, was his 10th of the match, establishing a school record for shots at Morrison Stadium and tying the overall stadium record.
Creighton finished with a 28-10 edge in shots, with Haynes making seven saves and Allen stopping three shots to go along with a team save by the Jays. CU's 28 shots established a school record for shots at Morrison Stadium and fell just one shy of the stadium record held by Fairleigh Dickson (vs. Missouri State, Sept. 1, 2006).
Creighton returns to action when it plays host to Eastern Illinois (8-2-3, 0-0-1 MVC) Saturday at 7 p.m.
NOTES: The Bluejays improved to 18-4-1 all-time against the Braves, including 8-0-1 in Omaha ... Creighton, which drew 2,271 fans for the match, entered the night leading the NCAA in average attendance at 3,681 ... CU is now 11-2-4 all-time in Valley openers, including 7-1-3 under Bob Warming ... CU's four ties on the season equals the school single-season mark for draws, established by the 2003 team ... The Jays have now recorded 10 ties at Morrison Stadium since the venue opened in 2003, following five total home draws between 1990-2002 ... The match was televised nationally on Fox Soccer Channel.
Players Mentioned
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