Men's Soccer Hosts Eastern Illinois Saturday
10/11/2007 12:45:00 PM | Men's Soccer
#12 Creighton hosts Eastern Illinois
Saturday, Oct. 13, 7:00 p.m. ? Morrison Stadium ? Omaha, Neb.
Following the Jays: Every Creighton home match this season can be followed on the internet via live stats, live video and audio. Live stats for all home matches can be viewed free with gametracker by clicking on the live stats link and fans can subscribe to listen to Peter Della Penna's play-by-play broadcast and watch a live video stream of the Bluejays' home matches via the links at the newly designed www.gocreighton.com.
This Week: The Bluejays opened Missouri Valley Conference play on national television with a 2-2 draw against Bradley on Wednesday night. Jeremy Wittig and Tony Schmitz scored for the Jays, while Andrei Gotsmanov assisted both scores and Wittig also added an assist. The Bluejays next play host to Eastern Illinois, Saturday at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Creighton played to a 1-1 tie against Western Illinois and earned a 3-1 victory at Memphis in the Jays' first true road match of the season. CU's draw with WIU was its fifth overtime match in its first nine contests this season, with Andrei Gotsmanov's penalty kick serving as CU's lone score in the match. Seth Sinovic, Mo Travis and Thomas Gjoesund scored in the first 30 minutes at Memphis, as the Bluejays topped the Tigers. Sinovic was named MVC Defensive Player of the Week for his play in the two matches.
Scouting Creighton (5-1-4, 0-0-1 MVC): Creighton has played overtime in six of its 10 matches this season, already equalling the school record for draws in a season with four. All four ties have come at home, including an MVC opening 2-2 tie with Bradley on Wednesday. CU's offense is led by Andrei Gotsmanov's team-leading three goals, four assists and 10 points. Tony Schmitz also has three goals, while both he and Tim Walters have three assists as well. CU leads the league in shots per game with 18.2, while Gotsmanov tops the MVC with 4.3 per contest. Freshman Tucker Sindlinger returned to play against Bradley, after a bout with mono, which fellow rookie Andrew Duran is still recovering from, while preseason MAC Hermann Trophy candidate Byron Dacy is out for the year with a torn ACL. The CU defense is anchored by sophomores Chris Schuler and Jeff Thayer, along with junior Seth Sinovic. Senior Matt Allen, the only goalkeeper on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, has played every minute in net, stopping 28 shots with a 1.00 goals against average.
Scouting Eastern Illinois (8-2-3, 0-0-1 MVC): The Panthers posted the best non-conference record of any Valley team, before opening conference play with a 2-2 draw against Drake on Wednesday. EIU boasts the league's leading goal-scorer in Brad Peters and leading distributors in Mick Galeski and Adam Gartner. Peters leads the MVC with seven goals and 19 points, while Galeski and Gartner are tied for the team-lead with seven assists each. The Panthers enter the weekend on a four-match unbeaten streak, and they started the season 4-0-1 as well. Mark Hansen has earned the majority of minutes in net for EIU, playing 852 minutes. He has made 37 saves and allowed eight goals for a 0.84 goals against average. While CU is averaging 3,480 fans per home game, the Panthers have yet to play in front of that many fans TOTAL in eight away/neutral contests this season.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea, 1975) is in his second stint as the Bluejays' head coach with a 160-53-26 (.724) record in his 12th season at CU. His overall record is 353-172-56 (.656) in his 30th year of coaching. Warming, the MVC All-Centennial Coach and the all-time winningest soccer coach at CU, has guided teams to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, is a five-time finalist for National Coach of the Year and is a two-time MVC Coach of the Year. He was named the NSCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2005 and ranked eighth among active Division I coaches in career victories to open the year.
CU-EIU Series: The Bluejays have not lost to Eastern Illinois since the Panthers became an MVC affiliate member, posting a 13-0-1 mark against EIU since 1996. The Bluejays have won 11 straight meetings with the Panthers and out-scored EIU 20-0 in their last six meetings. The last time EIU played at Morrison Stadium, the Bluejays led 4-0 at halftime of a 5-0 victory in 2005. CU ended EIU's season in the MVC Tournament semifinals last year with a 2-0 victory. All-time against EIU, the Bluejays are 13-4-1, with the four losses coming between 1981-85.
Tie Me Up: Four of Creighton's seven home matches this season have ended in draws. Compare four home ties this season to the fact the Bluejays had just five home ties combined between 1990-2002. Since moving into Morrison Stadium, the Bluejays have played in 10 draws since 2003, meaning more than one out of every five matches at the venue have ended in ties.
Oh Shoot!: Andrei Gotsmanov led a record-setting night against Bradley on Wednesday. The junior unleashed 10 shots to set the CU record for shots at Morrison Stadium and tie the venue record set by Alejandro Bedoya of Fairleigh Dickinson (vs. Missouri State on Sept. 1, 2006). CU's 28 shots against BU also established a school record for shots at Morrison Stadium and fell one shy FDU's record set against MSU that same day. Gotsmanov has already set the single-season Morrison Stadium record for shots in a season, with 35 shots attempted at home this year.
Home Sweet Morrison: The Bluejays will play their 50th match at Morrison Stadium on Saturday, where they are 33-6-10 (.775) all-time, including 2-1-4 this year. Since 1990, the Bluejays are 135-22-15 at home. The Bluejays are 49-4-3 at home all-time in Missouri Valley Conference play, including 14-1-2 at Morrison Stadium. CU's lone MVC loss at Morrison Stadium was a 1-0 defeat to No. 17 SMU on Oct. 1, 2004. Since then, the Bluejays have gone unbeaten in their last 11 MVC regular-season home matches. The Jays have ranked in the top-10 in the nation in attendance in all four years that Morrison Stadium has been open.
Attendance Figures: Creighton is on pace to shatter its average home attendance record of 2,015 set in 2004. The Jays are averaging 3,480 fans through their first seven home matches this season. While the NCAA does not release attendance figures until the end of the season, an unofficial look around the country shows that Creighton currently leads the nation in attendance.
NCAA Attendance Leaders (as of 10/8)
1. Creighton - 3,681
2. Saint Louis - 3,281
3. Virginia - 3,116
4. Connecticut - 3,055
5. Duke - 2,984
Fun with Numbers: Creighton's average of 3,681 fans at the begininning of the week were more than 202 NCAA Division I basketball teams averaged in 2006-07. The official 2007 average baseball attendance has not been released, but CU is currently drawing more than all but 13 of the 282 Division I baseball teams did during 2006 season.
Fantastic Fanatics: Bluejay soccer fans continue to turn out in record numbers, as CU's match with Tulsa on Sept. 22 drew 4,023. The 4,023 fans ranked as the sixth-highest game attendance in school history and it follows up CU's last home match which drew a record 5,812 to see UCLA on Sept. 8.
Top Six Creighton Home Crowds
1 ? 5,812 vs. UCLA, Sept. 8, 2007
2 ? 5,743 vs. Stanford (Exh.), Aug. 26, 2005
3 ? 4,407 vs. Saint Louis, Aug. 31, 1997
4 ? 4,345 vs. Virginia (Exh.), Aug. 28, 1993
5 ? 4,029 vs. UMKC (Exh.), Aug. 27, 2004
6 ? 4,023 vs. Tulsa, Sept. 22, 2007
Top Five Morrison Stadium Crowds
1 ? 5,812 vs. UCLA, Sept. 8, 2007
2 ? 5,743 vs. Stanford (Exh.), Aug. 26, 2005
3 ? 4,029 vs. UMKC (Exh.), Aug. 27, 2004
4 ? 4,023 vs. Tulsa, Sept. 22, 2007
5 ? 3,746 vs. Georgetown, Sept. 1, 2006
League Leaders: Creighton tops the MVC with 18.2 shots per game, despite only being credited with five shots in its win at Memphis. The Jays' 7.7 corner kicks per game are also tops in the MVC, far more than Eastern Illinois' 5.9 per game. Andrei Gotsmanov's 4.3 shots per game is also most in the league.
Working OT: Six of Creighton's 10 matches this season have gone to overtime, where the Bluejays are 2-0-4 on the season. Last year's squad played in a school record eight overtime matches, going 3-2-3 in extra time. The Jays are now 16-10-26 all-time under Bob Warming in overtime games.
Conference Openers: The Bluejays moved to 11-2-4 all-time in MVC openers. Prior to Wednesday's 2-2 tie with Bradley, the Bluejays had out-scored their opponents 9-0 in their previous two Valley openers, topping Western Kentucky 4-0 in Omaha last year and crushing Eastern Illinois 5-0 in 2005. The Jays are 7-1-3 in MVC openers under Bob Warming.
Sinovic Honored Again: For the second time this season, junior Seth Sinovic has been named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week for his play against Western Illinois and Memphis last week. The defender moved forward to help the CU attack against WIU, launching four shots, while also holding the Leathernecks without a second-half shot until the 87th minute. He then scored his first goal of the season and added an assist in CU's 3-1 at Memphis, while helping hold off a hard-charging Tiger attack.
Everyone's a Winner: In each of CU's five wins this season, a different player has scored the game-winning goal ? Andrei Gotsmanov vs. Green Bay (Sept. 2), Tim Walters vs. Indiana (Sept. 13), Byron Dacy vs. LMU (Sept. 15), Thomas Gjoesund vs. Washington (Sept. 29) and Mo Travis at Memphis (Oct. 7).
Pulling Rank: Creighton has been ranked in the NSCAA/adidas top 25 poll every week this season and is ranked 12th by the coaches this week. CU's highest ranking is eighth in the Soccer Times poll, while the Jays come in at No. 15 in the College Soccer News poll and No. 16 by Soccer America.
Matt's Marks: Senior goalkeeper Matt Allen continues to move up the Creighton career goalkeeper charts. This year, he became the fourth keeper to play at least 5,000 minutes in his career and ranks third in total minutes with 5,591. Allen's career win total is 36, which ranks third, while his 213 career saves rank fourth on the CU charts. His 22 shutouts are just two shy of the school record, while his 0.87 career goals against average ranks second, while it is also tops among active goalkeeper in the MVC.
Battling the Best: Creighton's win over second-ranked Indiana (Sept. 13) was the Bluejays' best win against a top 25 team since topping No. 2 SMU in 2000. The win improved the Bluejays to 5-5-1 all-time against teams ranked in the top-five of the coaches poll. CU is 2-0-1 against NSCAA top 25 teams this year, while also playing to a scoreless draw with No. 11 UCLA (Sept. 8) and defeating No. 24 Washington 2-1 on Sept. 29. The Bluejays are now 8-1-1 against NSCAA top 25 teams at Morrison Stadium and 18-8-2 against top 25 teams at home all-time. CU owns a 46-37-9 mark all-time against the coaches top 25.
Cornered In: Creighton has twice tied the Morrison Stadium record with 13 corner kicks this season, doing so against Western Illinois (Oct. 5) and against San Diego State (Aug. 31). The Jays tied the record which was established against Illinois-Chicago on Oct. 5, 2005. CU has out-worked its opponents 77-39 on corner kicks this season.
Dacy to Have Surgery: Junior forward Byron Dacy will undergo surgery to repair his torn left ACL. Dacy suffered the injury in the 13th minutes of CU's exhibition match with Ohio State on Aug. 18. He attempted to rehabilitate the knee and played in two regular-season matches - two minutes against UCLA (Sept. 8) and 19 minutes against Loyola Marymount (Sept. 15). He scored the game-winning goal in overtime against LMU. His surgery will take place this week.
Go Gjoesund: Thomas Gjoesund's first career goal was a memorable one against No. 24 Washington (Sept. 29). The defender-turned-attacker scored the game-winning goal in overtime, as his direct free kick was blasted past the UW keeper to give CU a 2-1 win in the 98th minute. The sophomore had played just 18 minutes off the bench in the match, while playing out of position due to several Bluejay injuries. It was just his 10th career shot in his 22nd career game.
Write the Script: Junior forward Tim Walters enjoyed an outstanding homecoming at the Saint Louis Nike Classic (Sept. 13-15). The St. Louis native scored the game-winning goal against No. 2 Indiana in a 2-1 win (Sept. 13). Making the homecoming all the more special, Tim's father played soccer at IU from 1976-79. Walters was rewarded with his first start as a Bluejay on Sept. 15 and he assisted the game-winning goal in overtime of CU's 1-0 victory over Loyola Marymount. For his efforts in leading CU to the co-championship of the tournament, he was named co-MVP, MVC Offensive Player of the Week and to three national teams of the week.
Three of a Kind: CU's backline of Chris Schuler, Seth Sinovic and Jeff Thayer were each named to the Saint Louis Nike Classic All-Tournament Team (Sept. 13-15) for their efforts in shutting down No. 2 Indiana, 2-1, and shutting out Loyola Marymount. 1-0. Sinovic also earned MVC Defensive Player of the Week honors, one week after Schuler earned the award.
Third Time's a Charm: Sophomore Chris Schuler was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week for the third time in his career when he earned the honor after anchoring the Bluejays' shutout of 11th-ranked UCLA (Sept. 8). He used his 6-foot-4 frame to clear balls in the air and also had outstanding challenges on the ground to limit the Bruins to just three shots on goal in CU's second straight shutout.
Andrei the Giant: Junior Andrei Gotsmanov paid immediate dividends in his first weekend at Creighton, scoring CU's first game-winning goal of the year and notching a multiple goal match in the Jays' 3-0 win over Green Bay. The multiple goal match was the fourth of Gotsmanov's career, after recording two hat tricks and a two-goal match at St. John's as a freshman in 2004 (his only other year of collegiate competition).
Preseason Favorites: The Bluejays are the Missouri Valley Conference preseason favorites for the third straight year, according to a vote of league coaches. The Jays received five of the seven first-place votes and 47 of the possible 49 points in the poll. CU will be aiming for back-to-back regular-season titles for the first time since winning five straight from 1992-96.
Rookie Watch: Freshmen Andrew Duran and Tucker Sindlinger have been named among the Top 100 Freshmen to Watch by CollegeSoccerNews.com. Duran, a two-time prep All-American, was named the NSCAA National Player of the Year last season as a midfielder at Lincoln-Way (Ill.) East High. Sindlinger, a forward from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has extensive international playing experience as part of the Region II Olympic Development Program.
National Player of the Year Candidates: Senior goalkeeper Matt Allen and junior forward Byron Dacy have been named to the preseason watch list for the MAC Hermann Trophy, annually given to the top soccer player in Division I. Allen enters this season on pace to set CU career records for shutouts and minutes played. Dacy has led the team in scoring in each of his first two seasons, but will miss the remainder of this year due to a torn ACL suffered in the preseason. Allen joins Dacy on the long list of National Player of the Year candidates from Creighton, including the 1997 winner and current manager, Johnny Torres.
CU National Player of the Year Candidates
Year Player
2007 Byron Dacy & Matt Allen
2006 Byron Dacy
2004 Julian Nash
2003 David Wagenfuhr
2002 Mike Tranchilla
2001 Mike Tranchilla
1997 Johnny Torres (Won)
1996 Ross Paule
1993 Keith DeFini & Brian Kamler
Homecoming: Two former Bluejay standouts have returned to the Bluejay bench this season. Mike Gabb, a two-time College Cup participant and CU goalkeeper from 1998-2002, has returned as an assistant coach working with the keepers. Two-time National Player of the Year and CU Athletics Hall of Famer Johnny Torres is back as an undergraduate manager as he finishes his degree. Torres, arguably the greatest player in school and league history, played at CU from 1994-97 and played professionally for the past 10 years.
