Women's Soccer Set to Open MVC Play Against Missouri State on Friday
10/2/2007 1:30:00 PM | Women's Soccer
This Week - The Creighton women's soccer team will open Missouri Valley Conference play with a match against the Missouri State Bears on Friday at 5 p.m. at Morrison Stadium. The match is the first half of a doubleheader, with the Creighton men's soccer team taking on Western Illinois at 7:30.
Follow Along - Creighton's athletics website, www.gocreighton.com, offers live stats for each home match. Fans can access the live stats by clicking on the “Live Stats” link under the Multimedia tab on the left side of the homepage. For $29.95, fans can watch the video broadcast of each home match during the season, or at a price of $4.95 per match. Peter Della Penna will provide play-by-play for the video webcast.
Last Week - Creighton had a tough weekend, dropping two matches to Pac-10 Conference teams on the road. Arizona beat Creighton, 2-0, on Friday, Sept. 28, and the Bluejays fell to Arizona State, 4-0, on Sunday, Sept. 30. Goalkeeper Kristen Casey recorded six saves in both matches, equaling a season high. The two shutout losses marked the first time since 2004 that Creighton has been held scoreless in consecutive matches.
Scouting Creighton (5-5-0) - After leading the MVC in shots heading into last weekend's action, the Bluejays registered only nine shots combined against Arizona and Arizona State. In four of the Jays' five losses, the team has been shut out. Despite being held without a shot for the first time all season against Arizona State, junior Marcy Gans maintains the MVC lead in shots, with 42. She leads the team in every offensive statistical category, including goals, with four, and points, with 10. Goalkeeper Kristen Casey has a 1.40 goals-against average with 38 saves.
Scouting Missouri State (4-7-0) - The Bears enter the match on a five-game losing streak, during which they haven't scored a goal. After winning their first three matches of the season, the Bears are 1-7 in their last eight. Last weekend, Missouri State lost 1-0 at home to Oral Roberts on Friday and 2-0 at Memphis Sunday afternoon. The Bears also have losses to Nebraska, Saint Louis, Kansas, Arkansas, and Tulsa this season.
Despite the team's struggles, junior goalkeeper Jackie Jasper leads the MVC with a 0.90 goals-against average. The 2006 first team All-MVC performer has 42 saves this season with two shutouts. Sophomore Jenna Laughlin leads the team with three goals, while senior Lauren Heck has two of the team's six assists. Sophomore Samantha Aguilar, the MVC Freshman of the Year in 2006, has a goal and an assist this season.
Series History - Creighton can tie the all-time series with a win over Missouri State; the Bears currently hold a 4-3-3 edge. The two teams tied 1-1 in Springfield last season, with Creighton winning 4-0 in Omaha in 2005. Creighton head coach Bruce Erickson is 2-3-3 against Missouri State in his career, but has not lost to the Bears since 2003. MSU head coach Rob Brewer has coached the Bears in all 10 previous meetings and is the only coach in school history.
Bluejay Boss - Head coach Bruce Erickson is in his ninth season as the Creighton women's soccer coach and has an 86-73-16 (.537) record with the Jays. Erickson is the winningest coach in school history and was the 2002 Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year. He has guided Creighton to MVC Tournament championships in 2002, 2004, and 2005 and three NCAA Tournament appearances in the same years. In 2002, the Jays won both the regular season and tournament championships. Creighton has qualified for the MVC Tournament in eight straight seasons, and has reached the championship match in four of the past five years. Erickson has a 29-16-6 record in conference matches at Creighton.
2006 MVC Recap - Creighton finished second in the conference during the regular season last year with a 3-2-1 record. The Jays defeated Illinois State, Indiana State, and Evansville while losing to Drake and Northern Iowa, with the tie coming against Missouri State. Creighton was defeated in the semifinals of the MVC Tournament by Evansville. Missouri State finished tied for fourth in the MVC with a 2-3-1 mark last season.
Offensive Offense - Missouri State and Creighton come into the match ranked one-two in the MVC in shots. The Bears lead the league with 140 shots, but have only scored 10 goals. Creighton has 12 goals on 133 shots. Neither team has scored in its last two games, and MSU hasn't found the back of the net since Sept. 12 against Murray State.
Sister Act - Friday's match will feature Creighton senior Sam Russell competing against her younger sister, Shannon, a freshman defender for Missouri State. Shannon has played in 10 matches during her first season with the Bears, while Sam has started all 10 for the Jays.
Morrison Magic - Creighton is 27-10-5 (.702) at Morrison Stadium since it opened in 2003, including a 9-1-2 (.833) record in MVC play. The Jays are 3-2-0 so far at Morrison this season, and 2007 has featured two of the eight largest attendance totals is school history. The Sept. 21 match against Iowa drew a school-record 1,547 fans and the season opener against Northern Colorado on Aug. 31 was attended by 1,077 patrons. Creighton leads the MVC so far this season in home attendance with an average of 803 fans, which is over 550 more than the average of the next closest school.
MVC Leaders - With only nine shots combined in last weekend's two losses, Creighton was passed by Missouri State for the league lead in shots. The Jays now rank second with 133 shots. Individually, junior Marcy Gans leads the Valley with 42 shots and three game-winning goals. She is also tied for third with four goals and is fourth with 10 points. Gans, along with seniors Sam Russell and Katy Peetz and juniors Nicole DeLue and Lindsay Vaught each have two assists to tie for fourth in the MVC. Goalkeeper Kristen Casey is tied for the league lead with three shutouts.
Record-Breaking Assist - In Creighton's last match at home on Sept. 23 against Weber State, Marcy Gans scored her 23rd career point at Morrison Stadium when she assisted on Emily Orbell's game-winning goal, to set the stadium career points record. Gans surpassed the previous total of 22 set by Kristine Willrett.
Two-Goal Advantage - Creighton's 3-2 loss to North Dakota State on Sept. 14 marked only the ninth time in school history the Jays have lost when scoring at least two goals in a match. With its 2-0 win over Weber State on Sept. 23, Creighton is now 160-9-7 all-time when reaching the two-goal mark in a match.
Record Watch - Senior Sam Russell remains two assists away from cracking the top-five in career assists at Creighton, and she is also two home assists shy of tying the Morrison Stadium career mark. Goalkeeper Kristen Casey is now one shutout, two victories, and four saves (all at home) shy of tying the Morrison Stadium career records in each category. Casey is also one shutout away from a tie for fifth on the all-time career shutouts list.
Marcy's Playground - Junior forward Marcy Gans is the team's most potent offensive threat, and leads all current players with 14 career goals and 38 career points. She leads the team this season with four goals, 10 points, 42 shots, and 15 shots on goal. Gans has scored the game-winning goal in three of Creighton's five wins and has assisted on another. She holds Morrison Stadium career records for goals (8), points (23), shots (83), and shots on goal (38). Gans is a two-time MVC All-Tournament team pick and was the tourney's MVP as a freshman. She has also been named an All-MVC honorable mention twice in her career.
More on Marcy - Creighton is 5-0-0 when Gans scores a point this season and 0-5-0 when she does not. She registered more game-winning goals (3) in the first six matches of the 2007 season than she had in her first two seasons combined (2). The 10 points Gans scored in the first eight matches this season matched Toch Ihemelu?s team-leading point total from last season. The number of goals, points, shots, and shots on goal Gans has compiled this season account for 25 percent or more of the team total in each category.
Reliable Russell - Senior defender/midfielder Sam Russell has become a rare four-year starter for the Bluejays this fall. The Stilwell, Kan., native has made 66 career starts, more than any other player on the Creighton roster. Russell is currently tied for the team lead with two assists, and also has the game-winning goal in the Jays' 3-0 win over South Dakota on Sept. 11. Her 16 career assists are two shy of fifth place on the school's career charts. Twelve of Russell's 16 assists have come at Morrison Stadium, which is two away from the stadium's career mark of 14 set by Kristine Willrett.
All Over the Field - Junior Nicole DeLue has been the definition of versatility. The Littleton, Colo., native is listed at all three positions on the roster and has played all three this season. She picked up the game-winning assist on Marcy Gans' goal in the Jays' 2-1 win over Northern Colorado in the season opener and added another in a win over South Dakota on Sept. 11. DeLue has started all 10 matches and her two assists are tied for the team lead.
Neighbors to the North - Minnesota natives Emily Orbell (White Bear Lake) and Brittni Deeb (Lake Elmo) have played big roles early in their freshmen seasons. Orbell, who has started all 10 matches, is second on the team with three goals. She scored a goal in her first collegiate match against Northern Colorado in the season opener and tallied the game-winning goal against Weber State on Sept. 23. Deeb has started on the backline in eight of Creighton's first 10 contests of the season. Senior Tristan Moser-Bleil (Minneapolis) gives Creighton three contributors from the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Moser-Bleil has been a regular in the lineup since arriving as a freshman and has played in more matches (71) than any other player on the Jays' roster. Head coach Bruce Erickson (Brooklyn Park) also originally hails from the state.
Seniority Rules - The 2007 Creighton squad features six seniors, all of whom have contributed significantly already this season. The six seniors have played in a combined 366 matches and accumulated 210 starts throughout their careers. Tristan Moser-Bleil, Ally Peetz, Katy Peetz, and Sam Russell each have started at least 30 matches at Creighton. Toch Ihemelu led the Jays in scoring last season with five goals and 10 points. Heather Duncan has made 22 career starts, including all 10 matches this season, and was an All-MVC honorable mention last season. Ihemelu and Russell each have a goal in 2007, while Russell and Katy Peetz both have two assists to tie for the team lead.
The Newcomers - The Jays have five newcomers in 2007: D Brittni Deeb, M/F Grace Kwon, M Emily Orbell, M/F Claire Zach, and M Mary Zapapas. Zapapas is a sophomore transfer from Middle Tennessee, where she was named the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year after scoring 11 goals and assisting on four last year. So far this season, the newcomers have combined to play in 36 matches, including 25 starts. Orbell has started all 10 matches and has three goals, Deeb has made eight starts, Zapapas five starts, and Kwon two.
Lineup Flexibility - Exactly half of the players on the Creighton roster are listed at multiple positions, giving head coach Bruce Erickson the ability to mix and match lineups for various situations. This strategy also is critical for developing team depth at each position.
International Experience - Three members of the women's soccer program have or will represent their countries on the field. Sophomore Eden Hingwing played with the Canadian National Team last fall at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Championships in Russia. First-year assistant coach Ileana Moschos was a goalkeeper for the Greek Women's National Team from 2002-04 and participated in the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Volunteer assistant coach and former CU player Ivonne Valentin will begin training with the Puerto Rican National Team early this fall.
Up Next - Creighton goes on the road for two critical MVC match-ups next week. The Bluejays will play at defending MVC regular season and tournament champion Drake on Thursday, Oct. 11, and at Illinois State on Sunday, Oct. 14.
