Creighton University
San Diego State
Bluejays, Aztecs Play to 2-2 Draw in Men's Soccer Opener
8/31/2007 6:15:00 PM | Men's Soccer
OMAHA, Neb. ? Senior captain Tony Schmitz scored the equalizer in the 77th minute to help secure a 2-2 draw for the Creighton men's soccer team against San Diego State in the 2007 season opener for both squads. The Bluejays out-shot the Aztecs 22-10, including the only two shots in overtime, but could not come away with a victory.
“Tony Schmitz really took the game on his shoulders and for our captain to come through with that equalizer ? and then almost score the game-winner in overtime ? was huge for this team,” said head coach Bob Warming after his 12th season opener as Creighton's leader.
The Bluejays took a 1-0 lead just 1:28 into the season when Seth Sinovic's throw-in was headed into the net by a SDSU defender for an own goal.
The nationally-ranked Aztecs tied the match in the 20th minute when Kraig Chiles bombed a free kick past a diving Matt Allen.
The match was tied at 1-1 going into the half, despite the Bluejays' aggressive attack which produced a 10-3 shot advantage over SDSU in the first 45 minutes. CU would also earn a break in the 41st minute when Myles Davis was given a red card, putting the Bluejays at a man advantage for the final 70 minutes of the match.
San Diego State went on top in the 68th minute when Nick Cardenas sent a header past Allen off of a free kick from Evan Toft.
The Bluejays answered when Schmitz scored just his third career goal at the 76:46 mark. He sent a low blast to the bottom left corner from beyond the 18-yard box for an unassisted score.
Creighton held SDSU without a shot in overtime, while the Jays managed a shot in each of the extra 10 minutes. Tim Bohnenkamp sent a looping shot on goal in the first overtime, while Schmitz sent another low drive just wide of the goal in the second extra frame.
The Bluejays tied a Morrison Stadium record with 13 corner kicks, owning a 13-3 edge in that category. While the CU attack out-worked SDSU, the Bluejay defense allowed only four shots on goal.
Newcomers Tucker Sindlinger and Andrei Gotsmanov tied for the team-lead with four shots each, while Schmitz and Bohnenkamp each unloaded three shots.
The match featured five yellow cards in addition to the Aztec red card, with SDSU whistled for three yellows. The Aztecs had 18 fouls to the Bluejays 12 in the physical match.
"I really thought we had the match in the final 25 minutes," said Warming. "And to do what we did at that point with only two field players who were playing regular minutes at the end of last season on the field at that point says a lot about this team. It was primarily a new group of players and we controlled the play."
Creighton continues its opening weekend when it plays host to Green Bay on Sunday at 7 p.m. as part of the Diadora Challenge.
