Women's Soccer Looks to Stay Unbeaten Friday Against San Diego State
9/5/2007 3:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
This Week - Creighton hosts San Diego State from the Mountain West Conference on Friday, Sept. 7, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. at Morrison Stadium.
Last Week - Creighton began the 2007 season with two victories for the first time since 1999, with a 2-1 victory in the home opener over Northern Colorado Friday, Aug. 31, and a 1-0 road win over Stephen F. Austin on Sunday, Sept. 2. Marcy Gans scored the game-winning goal in both matches and also assisted on freshman Emily Orbell's tying goal against Northern Colorado. Nicole DeLue, Sam Russell, and Katy Peetz also added assists for the Bluejays.
Scouting Creighton (2-0-0) - The Bluejay defense has allowed only four shots on goal through its first two matches. Goalkeeper Kristen Casey has not been tested much in goal, recording only two saves in three chances. The offense, meanwhile, has outshot its first two opponents by a combined 35-15. Marcy Gans has came out on fire offensively, leading the team with two goals and 12 shots. Gans outshot the entire Northern Colorado team, 8-6, in Friday's victory. Her two game-winning goals over the weekend matched her career total coming into the season. Freshman Emily Orbell has been impressive, scoring a goal in her first match last Friday.
Scouting San Diego State (0-1-1) - The Aztecs opened their season last weekend with two home matches and will play on the road for the first time this weekend. San Diego State tied Toledo, 1-1, Friday, Aug. 31, and then fell 1-0 to Florida Atlantic on Sunday, Sept. 2. Freshman Katie Tribbey scored 24 seconds into the Aztecs' opening match against Toledo for the only goal of the season thus far for SDSU.
San Diego State lost its top two scorers and starting goalkeeper from last season's 6-11-3 team. The Aztecs will also be without sophomore forward Cat Walker this season after she suffered a preseason knee injury. Walker scored three goals in 2006 as a freshman starter for SDSU. The Aztecs also played without injured starters Jessica Gordon and Lisa Nielsen over the weekend, and starting forward Heather Vandevanter received a red card against Toledo and was ineligible to play against Florida Atlantic.
Series History - The Aztecs won the only previous meeting between the two teams, a 2-0 decision on Sept. 15 of last season in San Diego. Jessica Gridner and Becky Ryan scored first-half goals for San Diego State and the Aztecs outshot Creighton, 14-10, in the match.
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.
Free Video - Creighton's match against San Diego State can also be seen free of charge by accessing the MVC website at www.mvc-sports.com. The Jays-Aztecs matchup is featured as the Free Video Game of the Week in the Valley.
Bluejay Boss - Head coach Bruce Erickson is in his ninth season as the Creighton women's soccer coach and has an 83-68-16 (.545) 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.
This Day in History - Creighton women's soccer is 2-2 on Sept. 7 in the program's 18-year history. The Jays beat Iowa, 2-1, on this date in 2003, defeated Georgia Southern, 3-0, in 1998, and lost in 1991 and 1992 to Wisconsin, 3-0 and 2-1, respectively.
California Curse - Creighton is 3-8-0 all-time in matches against teams from California. The only team from the Golden State to ever play at Morrison Stadium was Long Beach State in 2004, a 1-0 overtime loss for the Bluejays. Last season, Creighton made a trip to California and came home 1-1-0 -- a 2-0 loss to Friday's opponent San Diego State on Sept. 15 and a 2-1 overtime victory over UC-Riverside on Sept. 17.
Starting Strong - Creighton won its season-opener for the first time since 2001, when the Jays beat Alabama-Birmingham, 2-1. The two weekend victories mark the first time since 1999 that Creighton has started a season 2-0-0. The school record for consecutive victories to open a season is five, set by the 1993 team that finished with a school-record 14 wins.
Morrison Magic - Creighton is 25-8-5 (.724) at Morrison Stadium, which opened in 2003, including a 9-1-2 (.833) record in MVC play. The Jays had a down year last season at home, posting a 6-5-0 record in 2006, but led the Valley in attendance for the fourth straight season. Last Friday's match against Northern Colorado drew 1,077 fans, the seventh-highest attendance in school history.
Neighbors to the North - Minnesota natives Emily Orbell (White Bear Lake) and Brittni Deeb (Lake Elmo) both started the first two matches of the season as true freshmen. Orbell scored a goal in her first collegiate match against Northern Colorado last Friday, the Jays' first of the season, to tie the match at 1-1. Deeb has started on the backline in both 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 (63) than any other player on the Jays' roster. Head coach Bruce Erickson (Brooklyn Park) also originally hails from the state.
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 58 career starts, more than any other player on the Creighton roster. In last Friday's season opener against Northern Colorado, Russell assisted on Emily Orbell's game-tying goal with one of her patented flip throw-ins. The helper was the 15th of Russell's career, two shy of a tie for fifth on the school's career charts. Twelve of Russell's 15 assists have come at Morrison Stadium, which is two away from the stadium's career mark of 14 set by Kristine Willrett.
Marcy's Playground - Junior forward Marcy Gans is the team's most potent offensive threat, and leads all current players with 12 career goals and 33 career points. Gans scored the game-winning goal in both Creighton victories to open the season, and assisted on the other. She holds Morrison Stadium career records for goals (8), shots (71), and shots on goal (35). 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.
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 325 matches and accumulated 190 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 named an All-MVC honorable mention.
The Newcomers - The Jays have five newcomers: 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. The 2007 recruiting class was ranked second in the MVC by Soccer Buzz Magazine.
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.
All Over the Field - Junior Nicole DeLue is the definition of versatility. The Littleton, Colo., native is listed at all three positions on the roster and will play all three throughout the course of the season. DeLue has three career goals and three 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.
Seeing Double - Senior twins Ally and Katy Peetz will look to finish their Creighton careers with a bang. The pair has combined to start 69 matches and played in a total of 114 so far in their careers at Creighton. 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.
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. Creighton out-shot Mary, 26-1, in the match but could not capitalize on the scoreboard.
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 host South Dakota on Tuesday, Sept. 11, one of three Dakota schools on the schedule next week. The Jays will then travel to Fargo, N.D., to take on North Dakota State on Fri., Sept. 14 and to Brookings, S.D., to face South Dakota State on Sun., Sept. 16.
