Women's Soccer to Host Two Matches as Part of Alumni Weekend
9/19/2007 11:15:00 AM | Women's Soccer
This Week - Creighton will host two home matches as part of Alumni Weekend at Morrison Stadium. The Bluejays will challenge Iowa on Friday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m. and Weber State on Sunday, Sept. 23, at 12 p.m. Prior to Friday's match, fans are invited to attend “Getting Blue” from 4:30-7:00 p.m., which will include a barbeque and music outside Morrison Stadium.
Last Week - Creighton split two matches over the weekend, falling 3-2 at North Dakota State on Friday, Sept. 14, and winning at South Dakota State, 2-1 on Sunday, Sept. 16. The Jays held a 2-0 second-half lead at North Dakota State before the Bison scored three unanswered goals in a 13-minute time span to steal away the win. Senior Toch Ihemelu and freshman Emily Orbell scored goals against NDSU. Creighton also held a 2-0 lead at South Dakota State before surrendering a late goal, as Lindsay Vaught and Marcy Gans scored for the Jays.
Scouting Creighton (4-2-0) - The Bluejays lead the Missouri Valley Conference with 98 shots, which is 42 more than their opponents this season. The team has seven goals in their last three matches after scoring only three in the first three contests of the season. Marcy Gans leads the team offensively with four goals, nine points, 31 shots, and 12 shots on goal. Three of Gans' four goals have been game winners and she's scored in all four Creighton wins. She leads the MVC in game winners and shots and is second in goals and points. Goalkeeper Kristen Casey has two shutouts for the Jays, with 19 saves in six starts.
Scouting Iowa (2-1-3) - The Hawkeyes will be facing their third consecutive Missouri Valley Conference opponent when they travel to Omaha. Iowa defeated Drake, 1-0, on Friday, Sept. 14 and blew out Northern Iowa, 4-0, on Tuesday night. The Hawkeyes doubled their season goal total in the win over UNI, as Iowa had scored only two goals in its first five matches.
Iowa started the season with three straight ties before falling to nationally-ranked Missouri. The victory over Drake was their first of the season. The Hawkeyes are led offensively by junior Kelsey Shaw, who scored the team's first two goals of the season, including the game winner against Drake. The Iowa defense has been solid, limiting opponents to only three goals in six matches. Goalkeeper Lindsey Boldt has 23 saves on the season.
Scouting Weber State - The Wildcats will be playing their third match in six days when they travel to Omaha. Weber State plays at home against Brigham Young on Wednesday and will travel to play South Dakota State on Friday before taking on the Bluejays Sunday afternoon. Weber State enters the week with a 3-2-0 record, which includes wins over North Florida, UTEP, and Boise State and losses to USC and Utah State.
Sophomore Kelsie Ehlers was named the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after recording three assists last week. Ehlers leads the team with seven points on two goals and three assists heading into the Wildcats' match at BYU.
Follow Along - Creighton's athletics website, www.gocreighton.com, offers live stats for each home match. Click on the “Live Stats” link on the right side of the page in the “Schedules” tab. 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.
Series History - Iowa holds a 3-1 edge in the all-time series against the Bluejays. The Hawkeyes took wins in 2001, 2002, and 2004 with the lone Creighton victory coming in 2003. The Bluejay victory over Iowa was the first win for the program at Morrison Stadium. Creighton and Weber State have met twice previously, with the Bluejays winning on the road in 2000 and the Wildcats winning in Omaha in 1998. The scores and dates of each meeting:
10/24/04: Iowa 3, CU 1 (Iowa City, Iowa) 9/9/00: CU 4, WSU 2 (Ogden, Utah)
9/7/03: CU 2, Iowa 1 (Omaha, Neb.) 9/18/98: WSU 1, CU 0 (Omaha, Neb.)
10/31/02: Iowa 1, CU 0 (Omaha, Neb.)
11/1/01: Iowa 4, CU 1 (Iowa City, Iowa)
Bluejay Boss - Head coach Bruce Erickson is in his ninth season as the Creighton women's soccer coach and has an 85-70-16 (.544) 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.
Morrison Magic - Creighton is 26-9-5 (.713) at Morrison Stadium since it opened in 2003, including a 9-1-2 (.833) record in MVC play. The Jays are 2-1-0 so far at Morrison this season with wins over South Dakota and Northern Colorado and a loss to San Diego State. Creighton has led the Missouri Valley Conference in attendance every year since moving to the on-campus venue. The Aug. 31 match against Northern Colorado drew 1,077 fans, the seventh-largest attendance in school history.
MVC Leaders - After last weekend's action, Creighton led the Missouri Valley Conference as a team in shots (98), assists (11), and corner kicks (36). Individually, junior Marcy Gans leads the league in shots (32) and game-winning goals (3) and is second in goals (4) and points (9). Seniors Sam Russell and Katy Peetz and juniors Nicole DeLue and Lindsay Vaught are among eight players tied for third in the MVC with two assists each. Goalkeeper Kristen Casey is tied for the Valley lead with two shutouts, is third with a 1.17 goals-against average and fourth with 19 saves.
Two-Goal Advantage - Creighton's 3-2 loss to North Dakota State last Friday marked only the eighth time in school history the Jays have lost when scoring at least two goals in a match.
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 37 career points. She leads the team this season with four goals, nine points, 31 shots, and 12 shots on goal. Gans has scored the game-winning goal in three of Creighton's four wins, including the game winner in last Sunday's 2-1 win over South Dakota State. She holds Morrison Stadium career records for goals (8), shots (74), and shots on goal (36). Her goal against USD on Sept. 11 gives her 22 career points at Morrison, which ties for the stadium record. 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 4-0-0 when Gans scores a goal and 0-2-0 when she does not this season, and she has three of the four game-winning goals. She has more game winners (3) in the first six matches of the 2007 season than she had in her first two seasons combined (2). Gans leads the MVC in game winners and in shots (31), and is second in the conference with four goals and nine points.
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 62 career starts, more than any other player on the Creighton roster. Russell is currently tied for second on the team with four points, including two assists and the game-winning goal against South Dakota on Sept. 11. The goal was only the second of Russell's career and first since her freshman campaign. 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. DeLue has three career goals and four career assists on the offensive end, while also helping anchor the Jays' backline. 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. 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 a big role early in their freshmen seasons. Orbell, who has started all six matches, is second on the team with two goals. She scored a goal in her first collegiate match against Northern Colorado in the season opener and in the Jays' 3-2 loss to North Dakota State last Friday. Deeb has started on the backline in four of Creighton's early-season contests. Senior Tristan Moser-Bleil (Minneapolis) gives Creighton three starters 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 (67) 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 should have a significant impact on the Jays' success this season. The six seniors have played in a combined 347 matches and accumulated 202 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, while Heather Duncan made 12 starts as a junior 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. The 2007 recruiting class was ranked second in the MVC by Soccer Buzz Magazine. So far this season, the newcomers have combined to play in 18 matches, which includes 13 starts. Orbell has started all six matches and has two goals, Deeb has made four starts, Kwon two starts, and Zapapas drew her first start against South Dakota State last Sunday.
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.
Seeing Double - Senior twins Ally and Katy Peetz will look to finish their Creighton careers with a bang. The pair has combined to start 71 matches in their careers and appeared in a total of 120. Younger sister, Anne, is a sophomore on the team and made seven starts during her freshman season. Anne also has a twin, Carly, who plays soccer at the University of Nebraska. Katy and Anne both had assists in the Jays' win over South Dakota on Sept. 11.
Exhibition Recap - The Jays finished 1-1-1 during exhibition play this preseason. Creighton fell 2-0 at Iowa State on Aug. 18, before reversing the fortunes with a 2-0 victory at Valparaiso on Aug. 21. Marcy Gans scored a goal and assisted on the other in the win over the Crusaders. Creighton and the University of Mary played to a 0-0 draw Aug. 26 at Morrison Stadium. The Jays out-shot Mary, 26-1, in the match but could not capitalize.
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 volunteer assistant coach and former Jay player Ivonne Valentin will begin training with the Puerto Rican National Team in September.
Up Next - Creighton will travel to the state of Arizona for two nonconference matches before the start of MVC play. The Bluejays will play at Arizona on Friday, Sept. 28, at 9 p.m. and at Arizona State on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 2 p.m.
