No. 3 Men's Soccer Hosts No. 24 Drake in Home Finale
10/30/2008 9:45:00 AM | Men's Soccer
#3 Creighton hosts #24 Drake on Senior Day
Saturday, Nov. 1, 2:00 p.m. ? Morrison Stadium ? Omaha, Neb.
Following the Jays: Every Creighton home match this season can be followed on the internet via live stats and live video at www.gocreighton.com. Live stats for all home matches can be viewed free with gametracker by clicking on the ?Live Stats' link. Fans can subscribe to watch a live video stream of the Bluejays' home matches via the ?Live Video' link.
This Week: The third-ranked Bluejays conclude their regular-season home schedule Saturday and look to improve on their 9-1-1 mark at Morrison Stadium against top-25 opponents. The Jays play host to first-place and 24th-ranked Drake at 2 p.m. on Senior Day.
Last Week: Creighton played to its second scoreless draw of the season at Missouri State on Oct. 21. The Jays out-shot the Bears 21-6 in the match, including a season-high 12 shots on goals from the Jays, but they could not find the back of the net.
Scouting Creighton (10-1-2, 2-0-1 MVC): The Bluejays, the consensus number-three ranked team in the nation this week, are on a nine match unbeaten streak (7-0-2) entering play this weekend. Included in the streak was a school-record six straight shutouts and school-record 722:12 consecutive scoreless minutes. Creighton leads the NCAA with a .769 shutout percentage (10 shutouts in 13 matches). The CU defense ranks second in the NCAA with a 0.29 goals against average and fourth in the nation with a 89.2 save percentage. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Brian Holt has played over 1114 minutes and allowed just four goals this year for a 0.32 goals against average. His GAA ranks third in the nation this week, while his 87.9 save percentage ranks 10 in the NCAA. The Jays have out-scored their opponents 21-4 this season, led by seven goals and 15 points from senior MAC Hermann Trophy candidate Andrei Gotsmanov. Junior Jeff Thayer and freshman Ethan Finlay each have three goals, as Finlay leads the MVC with three game-winners. Five different Bluejays are tied for the team-lead with three assists this season, including junior forward Byron Dacy, who is also on the preseason MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. Preseason All-American junior defender Chris Schuler and senior captain Seth Sinovic help anchor a back line which has allowed an average of just 7.2 shots per game.
Scouting Drake (11-3-0, 3-0-0 MVC): The Bulldogs, who were picked to finish fourth in the six-team MVC this year, have surprised this year by landing in the top-25 for a majority of the season, including a No. 24 ranking in the coaches poll this week. Drake has the top offense in the MVC and ranks 16th in the NCAA this week, scoring 2.07 goals per game. After starting the year with six straight shutouts, the Bulldogs have allowed 14 goals in their last eight contests. Saturday serves as DU's first MVC road match of the year. Garrett Webb and Hunter Kennedy are tied for the team-lead with five goals, while Webb tops the club with five assists and 15 points. In addition to their two leading scorers, four other Bulldogs have scored at least three goals this season. Michael Drozd has started all but one match for DU in goal, owning a 0.97 goals against average, to go along with 35 saves and five shutouts.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea, 1975) is in his second stint as the Bluejays' head coach with a 177-56-29 (.731) record in his 13th season at CU. His overall record is 370-175-59 (.661) in his 31st year of coaching. Warming, the MVC All-Centennial Coach and the all-time winningest soccer coach at CU, has guided teams to 14 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 sixth among active Division I coaches in career victories to open this season.
CU-DU Series: The Bluejays are 19-1-6 all-time against the Bulldogs, with the loss coming after a 18-0-5 start to the series. CU is 11-0-2 against Drake in Omaha, including a 1-0 win over DU on Oct. 11, 2006, on the Bulldogs last trip to Omaha. Three of the last six meetings between the teams have resulted in ties, including a 1-1 draw last year in Des Moines.
Senior Day: Creighton will honor its three seniors following Saturday's game. Seth Sinovic is the only of the three to have spent four years on campus, while Tim Walters and Andrei Gotsmanov transferred in. Walters played three years at CU after one year at Kentucky, while Gotsmanov started his career at St. John's and has played at CU for two years. The three have combined for 21 goals, 22 assists and 64 points in their careers.
Give Me a Break: When Creighton returns to action this Saturday, it will be following a 10-day break. The Jays had a nine-day break last year between the MVC Tournament championship game and their first game in the NCAA Tournament, a second-round match with SMU. CU appeared well rested after the long break last year, knocking of fifth-ranked SMU 3-0.
Show Me Nothing: Creighton is winless in its three games with the three Division I men's soccer programs from Missouri this season. CU's only loss this season came against UMKC (Sept. 13), while the Jays played to scoreless draws at both Saint Louis (Oct. 4) and Missouri State (Oct. 21). Those are the only three matches this season the Jays did not win, and in fact, CU did not score a single goal against a Missouri-based team this season.
Unbeaten Streak: With a win or tie on Saturday, the Bluejays would push their unbeaten streak to 10 matches, marking the second straight season CU would log at least a 10-match unbeaten streak. The Jays put together an 11-match unbeaten streak, concluding the regular-season on a 10-match unbeaten streak. Prior to last year, the last time CU had gone at least 10 matches without a loss was in 2000, when that squad won 11 straight leading up to the NCAA title match.
Several Streaks: Creighton is currently on a nine-match unbeaten streak (7-0-2), but that's not their only streak to watch. With a 2-0-1 mark in Valley play, CU is now unbeaten in its last nine MVC matches (6-0-3). The Jays posted a 4-0-2 mark in October, their second straight undefeated October, having gone 9-0-4 in that month over the last two years. The Jays are also undefeated in their last 12 matches away from Omaha (9-0-3), including 7-0-3 in true road games.
More Streaking: The Jays have gone undefeated in their last nine MVC matches, dating back to the start of last year. The Jays were 4-0-2 in the MVC last year and are 2-0-1 this fall. It is their longest MVC unbeaten streak since going 16 regular-season conference matches without a loss between 1994 and 1997.
After a Tie: Creighton has followed its last nine draws with wins, including a 1-0 win over Memphis following a 0-0 draw with Saint Louis this year. In each of CU's five ties last year and three ties in 2006, CU was victorious. The Jays have not followed a tie with a loss since Oct. 5, 2005 when it lost 2-1 to Illinois-Chicago after a 0-0 draw with UMKC.
NCAA Leader: Creighton began the week ranked first in the NCAA in shutout percentage at 76.9 ? 10 shutouts in 13 matches. The Jays rank second in the NCAA with a 0.29 goals against average and fourth in the nation with a 89.2 save percentage. The Jays are taking aim at the record-setting 1999 team, which led the NCAA and set a school record with a 0.47 GAA and tied the school mark with 11 shutouts.
Battling the Best: The Bluejays take on their third top 25 opponent this Saturday against No. 24 Drake. Creighton defeated No. 6 California 2-0 in September and tied SLU 0-0 on Oct. 4, both on the road. CU is now a 48-37-10 all-time against the coaches top 25. The Jays are 19-8-2 (.690) at home all-time against NSCAA top 25 opponents, including a sparkling 9-1-1 at Morrison Stadium.
Home Sweet Morrison: The Bluejays are now 44-9-10 (.778) all-time at Morrison Stadium, including a 7-1-0 mark this year. Since 1990, the Bluejays are 146-25-15 (.825) at home. CU is now 52-4-3 at home all-time in MVC play, including 17-1-2 at Morrison Stadium. CU's lone Valley loss at Morrison Stadium was a 1-0 defeat to No. 17 SMU on Oct. 1, 2004. The Jays have ranked in the top-10 in the nation in attendance all five years that Morrison Stadium has been open.
Another RS-Fr. GK: Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Nick Goldreich made his collegiate debut against Missouri State on Oct. 21. The rookie made four saves in the double overtime draw.
Welcome Home: Freshman Nick O'Neill had appeared in two of CU's first 11 matches this year, playing 19 total minutes in those appearances. On Oct. 18, O'Neill returned to his hometown of Peoria, Ill., and had a breakout match. The rookie scored his first career goal, the game-winner, in front of friends and family in the 42nd minute. He played 52 minutes in the 2-0 Bluejay victory.
Best in the Midwest: Creighton is ranked No. 1 in the Midwest in the NSCAA/adidas Regional Rankings for the fifth straight week, ahead of conference foes Drake (3) and Evansville (9).
Poll Position: Creighton remains ranked third in the NSCAA/adidas poll for the fourth straight week this week, while it is also now third in each of the other major polls ? College Soccer News, Soccer Times and Soccer America. TopDrawerSoccer.com's 48-team NCAA prediction poll has the Jays ranked fifth this week.
October Dominance: Creighton has not lost a match in October since 2006, after completing its second straight unbeaten October last week. The Jays went 4-0-2 this season in October, after posting a 5-0-2 mark in the month last year. Since 2002, Creighton is now 39-7-8 (.796) in the month of October, also including back-to-back undefeated Octobers in 2002 and 2003.
Got Gotsmanov?: The Bluejays do. Senior midfielder Andrei Gotsmanov leads the team with seven goals this year, already surpassing his total of six from last year. His first six goals came at home, as he has tied Julian Nash's Morrison Stadium record with six goals in a season. The MAC Hermann Trophy candidate scored twice in CU's win over Evansville (Oct. 11), the second multiple-goal match of his Bluejay career and the fifth multi-goal match of his college career.
Holt On: Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Brian Holt and the Bluejay defense have been impressive this season. Holt has twice been honored as the MVC Defensive Player of the Week, while the Jays have posted nine shutouts and allowed just four goals in 12 matches. His 0.32 goals against average leads the MVC and ranks fourth in the NCAA this week, while his .879 save percentage ranks ninth in the nation this week. Holt established a school record for goalkeepers by logging 722:12 straight minutes without allowing a goal between Sept. 13 and Oct. 11, bettering the previous record by 160 minutes.
Consecutive CU Shutout Minutes Streak
Brian Holt - 722:12, Sept. 13-Oct. 11, 2008
Kevin Doyle - 562:44, Oct. 11-Nov. 7, 1992
Tom Zawislan - 500:20, Oct. 1-29, 1999
Matt Allen - 480:00, Oct. 26-Nov. 22, 2005
Tom Zawislan - 467:35, Sept. 5-24, 1999
Not a Chance: Not only is Creighton shutting out opponents, but it is rarely even allowing the opposition to get into a position to take shots. Through 13 matches, opponents have managed only 7.1 shots per game and a lowly 2.8 shots on goal per game. Both numbers are by far the lowest in school history. The Jays have twice kept opponents from attempting a shot on goal in a match this year.
CU Opponents Shots & Shots on Goal
Year Shots PG SOG PG
2008 93 7.2 37 2.8
2007 251 12.6 94 4.7
2006 238 11.3 94 4.5
2005 293 12.7 102 4.4
2004 288 14.4 109 5.5
2003 279 12.7 109 5.0
2002 262 10.9 110 4.6
2001 242 11.5 114 5.4
2000 294 11.3 127 4.9
1999 164 9.1 74 4.1
1998 230 10.5 103 4.7
1997 251 11.4 127 5.8
1996 251 10.5 122 5.1
1995 214 11.9 110 6.1
1994 248 11.8 105 5.0
1993 242 12.1 101 5.1
1992 NA NA 79 4.4
1991 NA NA 127 6.7
1990 209 10.5 134 6.7
Tucker Time: Tucker Sindlinger earned his second start of the season and it paid off for the Bluejays against Evansville (Oct. 11). The sophomore assisted both of Andrei Gotsmanov's second-half goals, including the game-winner with 51 seconds left in regulation. He is now in a five-way tie for the team-lead with three assists on the year.
No Road Trip Ups: The Bluejays have continued an impressive streak this year, as they are 3-0-2 on the road. The Jays have not lost a game away from Omaha since 2006, improving to 9-0-3 away from Omaha ? 7-0-3 in true road games ? since the beginning of last season. CU is the only Division I men's soccer team that has not lost away from home over the past two seasons. CU's last road loss came in its final game of the 2006 season, an NCAA Tournament loss at Washington.
Winners: Junior Byron Dacy had a three-point night against Evansville (Oct. 11), scoring the first goal of the match and assisting the second. The Jays are now 4-0-0 this year when he records at least one point in a match. Creighton is now 23-2-0 since 2005 when Dacy scores or assists a goal. In addition to CU's outstanding record when Dacy logs a point, reserve Trent Senske is a proven winner, as the Jays are now 11-0-0 since 2006 when Senske appears in a match.
West Coast Dominance: Creighton's match with Cal State Northridge (Oct. 1) was its sixth against a team from the West Coast this year. The Bluejays are 6-0-0 against West Coast teams, including 4-0-0 against teams from California this season. The Jays out-scored California-based teams 6-0 this year, posting shutouts of UC Riverside (2-0), Stanford (1-0), No. 6 California (2-0) and Cal State Northridge (1-0).
Start Me Up: Sophomores Sergio Castillo and Tucker Sindlinger both earned their first starts of the season in CU's 1-0 win over Cal State Northridge (Oct. 1). Castillo started 19 of 20 matches last year, but was slowed by a shoulder injury to start this year, and Sindlinger made seven starts as a freshman last year.
Time to Turn it Up: Including this season, the Bluejays' pre-October winning percentage is .700 since 2002. Their October-on winning percentage since 2002 is .750, including an 4-0-2 mark this year. See the chart below:
Year Pre-Oct. Oct.-On NCAA
2002 5-2-1 13-2-1 College Cup
2003 3-3-2 9-3-2 Quarterfinals
2004 6-1-0 8-3-2 Third Round
2005 4-1-2 11-4-1 Quarterfinals
2006 6-3-2 7-2-1 First Round
2007 4-1-2 8-2-3 Third Round
2008 6-1-0 4-0-2 ???
?02-07 34-12-9 60-16-12
Freshman Finlay: Ethan Finlay has scored three goals in his rookie season this year, each of them accounting for the game-winning goal. His three game-winners not only lead the team, but also top the conference.
Thayer of Omaha: Junior forward Jeff Thayer, an Omaha native, scored three goals in 2007, all of which were game winners. While he hasn't scored a game-winner this year, he's equalled last season's goal total and surpassed his assist total of last year. He notched his first career multiple-goal match against Gonzaga (Aug. 29).
Powering Past Pac-10: The Bluejays topped a pair of Pac-10 foes in September, knocking off Stanford, 1-0, and blanking sixth-ranked California, 2-0. The Jays are 3-0-2 against the Pac-10 in their last five meetings. Creighton is now 7-3-3 against the Pac-10 since Bob Warming returned to Omaha in 2001.
Early Arrivals: In Creighton's 2-0 win over UC Riverside (Sept. 7), both Bluejay goals were scored by true freshmen. However this isn't the first semester on the CU campus for either rookie, as both Ethan Finlay and Greg Jordan graduated high school early and joined the Bluejays for training in the spring semester. Their early arrival has paid dividends already, as both have started all four matches, and Finlay scored both game-winning goals on the Sept.5-7 weekend. Jordan recorded an assist and goal against UCR, in addition to his stellar defensive midfield play which contributed to a pair of Bluejay shutouts. Both were honored on the Diadora Challenge All-Tournament Team and Finlay was named to Soccer America's National Team of the Week.
Fantastic Fanatics: For the third time in school history, more than 4,000 fans turned out for a Bluejay regular-season home match, as 4,071 fans showed up for Creighton's season-opener. The Jays followed with over 3,000 fans for their second game to give the Bluejays two of the largest 10 crowds in all of college soccer through two weekends of play. The 4,071 fans ranks as the third-largest regular-season home crowd and the fifth-largest crowd in CU home history (including exhibitions).
Top Five 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 ? 4,071 vs. Gonzaga, Aug. 29, 2008
Top Five Morrison Stadium Crowds
1 ? 5,812 vs. UCLA, Sept. 8, 2007
2 ? 5,743 vs. Stanford (Exh.), Aug. 26, 2005
3 ? 4,071 vs. Gonzaga, Aug. 29, 2008
3 ? 4,029 vs. UMKC (Exh.), Aug. 27, 2004
4 ? 4,023 vs. Tulsa, Sept. 22, 2007
No Shots For You: The Bluejay defense did not allow a shot on goal in their 2-0 win over UC Riverside (Sept. 7), marking the first time since 2005 that the Jays limited their opponent to zero shots on goal in a game. CU again equalled that feat against Bradley on Oct. 18. UCR managed only four total shots in the game, followed by just three attempts by UMKC (Sept. 13) and again just three by Memphis (Oct. 8). The three shots were the fewest by a Bluejay foe since Brown attempted only three shots against CU on Sept. 19, 2003.
High Flyers: Creighton's No. 3 ranking in the NSCAA/adidas poll in five weeks this season is the highest the Bluejays have been ranked in the regular-season since the 2000 team, which finished as the NCAA runners-up, was ranked third on Sept. 18. The Jays were then ranked second in the 2000 postseason poll and the 2001 preseason poll, but had not been this high since.
First Things First: Freshman Kris Clark and sophomore Andrew Duran teamed up with Jeff Thayer on the final goal of the match against Gonzaga (Aug. 29). Duran and Clark both were credited with their first career assists on Thayer's second goal of the match. Sophomore Tucker Sindlinger recorded his first game-winning goal in the win as well.
National Player of the Year Candidates: For the second straight season, two Bluejays have been placed on the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List, a preseason list for the award annually given to the top soccer player in Division I. Junior Byron Dacy is on the preseason watch list for the third straight year, even after playing just two matches and redshirting last year because of a torn ACL. Senior Andrei Gotsmanov, who led the team with six goals and 17 points last year, joins Dacy on the list. Last year, Matt Allen was nominated along with Dacy to begin the season. Gotsmanov and Dacy are now on the long list of National Player of the Year candidates from Creighton, including the 1997 winner and current assistant coach, Johnny Torres.
CU National Player of the Year Candidates
Year Player
2008 Byron Dacy & Andrei Gotsmanov
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
Keeping Keepers: There is no doubt experience in goal helps, but there is proof in Creighton's past that demonstrates that experience isn't necessary for success. This season the Bluejays return zero career minutes in goal, with three redshirt freshmen goalkeepers on the roster. The Jays have never previously returned zero minutes in net. In fact, both previous times CU returned 202 career minutes in goal or fewer, it reached the College Cup.
The fewest career goalkeeping minutes the Jays have returned prior to this season came during the 2000 campaign. Mike Gabb had played 179 career minutes before the 2000 season, a year the Bluejays would lead the NCAA with 22 wins and appear in the NCAA championship match. The second-fewest minutes the Jays have returned came in 1996, when Jon Epperson entered the year with 202 career minutes. He helped lead the Bluejays to their first College Cup Final Four that season.
Senior Citizens: Creighton has three seniors ? Andrei Gotsmanov, Seth Sinovic, Tim Walters ? listed on its roster this season, the fewest since the 1998 team also had just three seniors on the squad - Marc Madeley, Richard Mulrooney and Patrick Parker. Gotsmanov and Sinovic demonstrated their senior leadership and ability by combining on the first CU goal of the season this year.
In Attendance: Creighton ranked third in the nation in overall attendance in 2007, while it finished fourth in average attendance last year. The Jays brought in 34,308 fans for an average of 2,639 per game. CU's match against UCLA last year drew a school-record 5,812 fans, while two other 2007 crowds ranked in the CU top-10.
Preseason Favorites: The Missouri Valley Conference coaches have tabbed the Bluejays as preseason favorites for the fourth straight season. CU received five of the six first-place votes to total 35 points. Evansville is picked to finish second with 27 points, while Missouri State picked up the other first-place vote, despite being picked to finish last in the league.
Nine Newcomers: CU's incoming class of nine players ? six true freshmen and three transfers ? was ranked as the 16th-best recruiting class in the country according to College Soccer News. The Jays have 12 freshmen on their roster, five of whom redshirted with the Bluejays last year. Junior Akin Akinrinade (Central Florida), sophomore Kyle Deremer (St. Mary's) and freshman Tim Krueger (Hastings) have transferred into the program. Deremer and Krueger were teammates on Millard North's undefeated state championship team in 2007. Akinrinade, Krueger, along with freshmen Greg Jordan and Ethan Finlay all enrolled and trained at Creighton this spring.
Dairy State Products: A pair of freshmen from Wisconsin have been tabbed among “100 Freshmen to Keep an Eye On” according to College Soccer News. Ethan Finlay and Stew Brown, club teammates for FC Milwaukee, both earned the notice. Finlay was recognized by Rise Magazine as a top-30 national recruit and was an NSCAA Youth All-American, while Brown was an NSCAA High School All-American and named the most outstanding player at the US Youth Soccer National Championships in 2007.
Last Year in Brief: Creighton lost just one regular-season match in 2007 and finished the year with a 12-3-5 record in the third round of the NCAA Tournament - its 16th straight appearance in the NCAA postseason. The Jays ran off an 11-match unbeaten streak during their season, while posting a 4-0-2 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play for their first unbeaten record in MVC play since 1996. CU shared the MVC regular-season crown with Bradley for the second straight year. All-American Matt Allen became the first player in league history to twice be named MVC Defensive Player of the Year, while he wrapped up his career with CU records for minutes played and shutouts.
Saturday, Nov. 1, 2:00 p.m. ? Morrison Stadium ? Omaha, Neb.
Following the Jays: Every Creighton home match this season can be followed on the internet via live stats and live video at www.gocreighton.com. Live stats for all home matches can be viewed free with gametracker by clicking on the ?Live Stats' link. Fans can subscribe to watch a live video stream of the Bluejays' home matches via the ?Live Video' link.
This Week: The third-ranked Bluejays conclude their regular-season home schedule Saturday and look to improve on their 9-1-1 mark at Morrison Stadium against top-25 opponents. The Jays play host to first-place and 24th-ranked Drake at 2 p.m. on Senior Day.
Last Week: Creighton played to its second scoreless draw of the season at Missouri State on Oct. 21. The Jays out-shot the Bears 21-6 in the match, including a season-high 12 shots on goals from the Jays, but they could not find the back of the net.
Scouting Creighton (10-1-2, 2-0-1 MVC): The Bluejays, the consensus number-three ranked team in the nation this week, are on a nine match unbeaten streak (7-0-2) entering play this weekend. Included in the streak was a school-record six straight shutouts and school-record 722:12 consecutive scoreless minutes. Creighton leads the NCAA with a .769 shutout percentage (10 shutouts in 13 matches). The CU defense ranks second in the NCAA with a 0.29 goals against average and fourth in the nation with a 89.2 save percentage. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Brian Holt has played over 1114 minutes and allowed just four goals this year for a 0.32 goals against average. His GAA ranks third in the nation this week, while his 87.9 save percentage ranks 10 in the NCAA. The Jays have out-scored their opponents 21-4 this season, led by seven goals and 15 points from senior MAC Hermann Trophy candidate Andrei Gotsmanov. Junior Jeff Thayer and freshman Ethan Finlay each have three goals, as Finlay leads the MVC with three game-winners. Five different Bluejays are tied for the team-lead with three assists this season, including junior forward Byron Dacy, who is also on the preseason MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. Preseason All-American junior defender Chris Schuler and senior captain Seth Sinovic help anchor a back line which has allowed an average of just 7.2 shots per game.
Scouting Drake (11-3-0, 3-0-0 MVC): The Bulldogs, who were picked to finish fourth in the six-team MVC this year, have surprised this year by landing in the top-25 for a majority of the season, including a No. 24 ranking in the coaches poll this week. Drake has the top offense in the MVC and ranks 16th in the NCAA this week, scoring 2.07 goals per game. After starting the year with six straight shutouts, the Bulldogs have allowed 14 goals in their last eight contests. Saturday serves as DU's first MVC road match of the year. Garrett Webb and Hunter Kennedy are tied for the team-lead with five goals, while Webb tops the club with five assists and 15 points. In addition to their two leading scorers, four other Bulldogs have scored at least three goals this season. Michael Drozd has started all but one match for DU in goal, owning a 0.97 goals against average, to go along with 35 saves and five shutouts.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea, 1975) is in his second stint as the Bluejays' head coach with a 177-56-29 (.731) record in his 13th season at CU. His overall record is 370-175-59 (.661) in his 31st year of coaching. Warming, the MVC All-Centennial Coach and the all-time winningest soccer coach at CU, has guided teams to 14 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 sixth among active Division I coaches in career victories to open this season.
CU-DU Series: The Bluejays are 19-1-6 all-time against the Bulldogs, with the loss coming after a 18-0-5 start to the series. CU is 11-0-2 against Drake in Omaha, including a 1-0 win over DU on Oct. 11, 2006, on the Bulldogs last trip to Omaha. Three of the last six meetings between the teams have resulted in ties, including a 1-1 draw last year in Des Moines.
Senior Day: Creighton will honor its three seniors following Saturday's game. Seth Sinovic is the only of the three to have spent four years on campus, while Tim Walters and Andrei Gotsmanov transferred in. Walters played three years at CU after one year at Kentucky, while Gotsmanov started his career at St. John's and has played at CU for two years. The three have combined for 21 goals, 22 assists and 64 points in their careers.
Give Me a Break: When Creighton returns to action this Saturday, it will be following a 10-day break. The Jays had a nine-day break last year between the MVC Tournament championship game and their first game in the NCAA Tournament, a second-round match with SMU. CU appeared well rested after the long break last year, knocking of fifth-ranked SMU 3-0.
Show Me Nothing: Creighton is winless in its three games with the three Division I men's soccer programs from Missouri this season. CU's only loss this season came against UMKC (Sept. 13), while the Jays played to scoreless draws at both Saint Louis (Oct. 4) and Missouri State (Oct. 21). Those are the only three matches this season the Jays did not win, and in fact, CU did not score a single goal against a Missouri-based team this season.
Unbeaten Streak: With a win or tie on Saturday, the Bluejays would push their unbeaten streak to 10 matches, marking the second straight season CU would log at least a 10-match unbeaten streak. The Jays put together an 11-match unbeaten streak, concluding the regular-season on a 10-match unbeaten streak. Prior to last year, the last time CU had gone at least 10 matches without a loss was in 2000, when that squad won 11 straight leading up to the NCAA title match.
Several Streaks: Creighton is currently on a nine-match unbeaten streak (7-0-2), but that's not their only streak to watch. With a 2-0-1 mark in Valley play, CU is now unbeaten in its last nine MVC matches (6-0-3). The Jays posted a 4-0-2 mark in October, their second straight undefeated October, having gone 9-0-4 in that month over the last two years. The Jays are also undefeated in their last 12 matches away from Omaha (9-0-3), including 7-0-3 in true road games.
More Streaking: The Jays have gone undefeated in their last nine MVC matches, dating back to the start of last year. The Jays were 4-0-2 in the MVC last year and are 2-0-1 this fall. It is their longest MVC unbeaten streak since going 16 regular-season conference matches without a loss between 1994 and 1997.
After a Tie: Creighton has followed its last nine draws with wins, including a 1-0 win over Memphis following a 0-0 draw with Saint Louis this year. In each of CU's five ties last year and three ties in 2006, CU was victorious. The Jays have not followed a tie with a loss since Oct. 5, 2005 when it lost 2-1 to Illinois-Chicago after a 0-0 draw with UMKC.
NCAA Leader: Creighton began the week ranked first in the NCAA in shutout percentage at 76.9 ? 10 shutouts in 13 matches. The Jays rank second in the NCAA with a 0.29 goals against average and fourth in the nation with a 89.2 save percentage. The Jays are taking aim at the record-setting 1999 team, which led the NCAA and set a school record with a 0.47 GAA and tied the school mark with 11 shutouts.
Battling the Best: The Bluejays take on their third top 25 opponent this Saturday against No. 24 Drake. Creighton defeated No. 6 California 2-0 in September and tied SLU 0-0 on Oct. 4, both on the road. CU is now a 48-37-10 all-time against the coaches top 25. The Jays are 19-8-2 (.690) at home all-time against NSCAA top 25 opponents, including a sparkling 9-1-1 at Morrison Stadium.
Home Sweet Morrison: The Bluejays are now 44-9-10 (.778) all-time at Morrison Stadium, including a 7-1-0 mark this year. Since 1990, the Bluejays are 146-25-15 (.825) at home. CU is now 52-4-3 at home all-time in MVC play, including 17-1-2 at Morrison Stadium. CU's lone Valley loss at Morrison Stadium was a 1-0 defeat to No. 17 SMU on Oct. 1, 2004. The Jays have ranked in the top-10 in the nation in attendance all five years that Morrison Stadium has been open.
Another RS-Fr. GK: Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Nick Goldreich made his collegiate debut against Missouri State on Oct. 21. The rookie made four saves in the double overtime draw.
Welcome Home: Freshman Nick O'Neill had appeared in two of CU's first 11 matches this year, playing 19 total minutes in those appearances. On Oct. 18, O'Neill returned to his hometown of Peoria, Ill., and had a breakout match. The rookie scored his first career goal, the game-winner, in front of friends and family in the 42nd minute. He played 52 minutes in the 2-0 Bluejay victory.
Best in the Midwest: Creighton is ranked No. 1 in the Midwest in the NSCAA/adidas Regional Rankings for the fifth straight week, ahead of conference foes Drake (3) and Evansville (9).
Poll Position: Creighton remains ranked third in the NSCAA/adidas poll for the fourth straight week this week, while it is also now third in each of the other major polls ? College Soccer News, Soccer Times and Soccer America. TopDrawerSoccer.com's 48-team NCAA prediction poll has the Jays ranked fifth this week.
October Dominance: Creighton has not lost a match in October since 2006, after completing its second straight unbeaten October last week. The Jays went 4-0-2 this season in October, after posting a 5-0-2 mark in the month last year. Since 2002, Creighton is now 39-7-8 (.796) in the month of October, also including back-to-back undefeated Octobers in 2002 and 2003.
Got Gotsmanov?: The Bluejays do. Senior midfielder Andrei Gotsmanov leads the team with seven goals this year, already surpassing his total of six from last year. His first six goals came at home, as he has tied Julian Nash's Morrison Stadium record with six goals in a season. The MAC Hermann Trophy candidate scored twice in CU's win over Evansville (Oct. 11), the second multiple-goal match of his Bluejay career and the fifth multi-goal match of his college career.
Holt On: Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Brian Holt and the Bluejay defense have been impressive this season. Holt has twice been honored as the MVC Defensive Player of the Week, while the Jays have posted nine shutouts and allowed just four goals in 12 matches. His 0.32 goals against average leads the MVC and ranks fourth in the NCAA this week, while his .879 save percentage ranks ninth in the nation this week. Holt established a school record for goalkeepers by logging 722:12 straight minutes without allowing a goal between Sept. 13 and Oct. 11, bettering the previous record by 160 minutes.
Consecutive CU Shutout Minutes Streak
Brian Holt - 722:12, Sept. 13-Oct. 11, 2008
Kevin Doyle - 562:44, Oct. 11-Nov. 7, 1992
Tom Zawislan - 500:20, Oct. 1-29, 1999
Matt Allen - 480:00, Oct. 26-Nov. 22, 2005
Tom Zawislan - 467:35, Sept. 5-24, 1999
Not a Chance: Not only is Creighton shutting out opponents, but it is rarely even allowing the opposition to get into a position to take shots. Through 13 matches, opponents have managed only 7.1 shots per game and a lowly 2.8 shots on goal per game. Both numbers are by far the lowest in school history. The Jays have twice kept opponents from attempting a shot on goal in a match this year.
CU Opponents Shots & Shots on Goal
Year Shots PG SOG PG
2008 93 7.2 37 2.8
2007 251 12.6 94 4.7
2006 238 11.3 94 4.5
2005 293 12.7 102 4.4
2004 288 14.4 109 5.5
2003 279 12.7 109 5.0
2002 262 10.9 110 4.6
2001 242 11.5 114 5.4
2000 294 11.3 127 4.9
1999 164 9.1 74 4.1
1998 230 10.5 103 4.7
1997 251 11.4 127 5.8
1996 251 10.5 122 5.1
1995 214 11.9 110 6.1
1994 248 11.8 105 5.0
1993 242 12.1 101 5.1
1992 NA NA 79 4.4
1991 NA NA 127 6.7
1990 209 10.5 134 6.7
Tucker Time: Tucker Sindlinger earned his second start of the season and it paid off for the Bluejays against Evansville (Oct. 11). The sophomore assisted both of Andrei Gotsmanov's second-half goals, including the game-winner with 51 seconds left in regulation. He is now in a five-way tie for the team-lead with three assists on the year.
No Road Trip Ups: The Bluejays have continued an impressive streak this year, as they are 3-0-2 on the road. The Jays have not lost a game away from Omaha since 2006, improving to 9-0-3 away from Omaha ? 7-0-3 in true road games ? since the beginning of last season. CU is the only Division I men's soccer team that has not lost away from home over the past two seasons. CU's last road loss came in its final game of the 2006 season, an NCAA Tournament loss at Washington.
Winners: Junior Byron Dacy had a three-point night against Evansville (Oct. 11), scoring the first goal of the match and assisting the second. The Jays are now 4-0-0 this year when he records at least one point in a match. Creighton is now 23-2-0 since 2005 when Dacy scores or assists a goal. In addition to CU's outstanding record when Dacy logs a point, reserve Trent Senske is a proven winner, as the Jays are now 11-0-0 since 2006 when Senske appears in a match.
West Coast Dominance: Creighton's match with Cal State Northridge (Oct. 1) was its sixth against a team from the West Coast this year. The Bluejays are 6-0-0 against West Coast teams, including 4-0-0 against teams from California this season. The Jays out-scored California-based teams 6-0 this year, posting shutouts of UC Riverside (2-0), Stanford (1-0), No. 6 California (2-0) and Cal State Northridge (1-0).
Start Me Up: Sophomores Sergio Castillo and Tucker Sindlinger both earned their first starts of the season in CU's 1-0 win over Cal State Northridge (Oct. 1). Castillo started 19 of 20 matches last year, but was slowed by a shoulder injury to start this year, and Sindlinger made seven starts as a freshman last year.
Time to Turn it Up: Including this season, the Bluejays' pre-October winning percentage is .700 since 2002. Their October-on winning percentage since 2002 is .750, including an 4-0-2 mark this year. See the chart below:
Year Pre-Oct. Oct.-On NCAA
2002 5-2-1 13-2-1 College Cup
2003 3-3-2 9-3-2 Quarterfinals
2004 6-1-0 8-3-2 Third Round
2005 4-1-2 11-4-1 Quarterfinals
2006 6-3-2 7-2-1 First Round
2007 4-1-2 8-2-3 Third Round
2008 6-1-0 4-0-2 ???
?02-07 34-12-9 60-16-12
Freshman Finlay: Ethan Finlay has scored three goals in his rookie season this year, each of them accounting for the game-winning goal. His three game-winners not only lead the team, but also top the conference.
Thayer of Omaha: Junior forward Jeff Thayer, an Omaha native, scored three goals in 2007, all of which were game winners. While he hasn't scored a game-winner this year, he's equalled last season's goal total and surpassed his assist total of last year. He notched his first career multiple-goal match against Gonzaga (Aug. 29).
Powering Past Pac-10: The Bluejays topped a pair of Pac-10 foes in September, knocking off Stanford, 1-0, and blanking sixth-ranked California, 2-0. The Jays are 3-0-2 against the Pac-10 in their last five meetings. Creighton is now 7-3-3 against the Pac-10 since Bob Warming returned to Omaha in 2001.
Early Arrivals: In Creighton's 2-0 win over UC Riverside (Sept. 7), both Bluejay goals were scored by true freshmen. However this isn't the first semester on the CU campus for either rookie, as both Ethan Finlay and Greg Jordan graduated high school early and joined the Bluejays for training in the spring semester. Their early arrival has paid dividends already, as both have started all four matches, and Finlay scored both game-winning goals on the Sept.5-7 weekend. Jordan recorded an assist and goal against UCR, in addition to his stellar defensive midfield play which contributed to a pair of Bluejay shutouts. Both were honored on the Diadora Challenge All-Tournament Team and Finlay was named to Soccer America's National Team of the Week.
Fantastic Fanatics: For the third time in school history, more than 4,000 fans turned out for a Bluejay regular-season home match, as 4,071 fans showed up for Creighton's season-opener. The Jays followed with over 3,000 fans for their second game to give the Bluejays two of the largest 10 crowds in all of college soccer through two weekends of play. The 4,071 fans ranks as the third-largest regular-season home crowd and the fifth-largest crowd in CU home history (including exhibitions).
Top Five 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 ? 4,071 vs. Gonzaga, Aug. 29, 2008
Top Five Morrison Stadium Crowds
1 ? 5,812 vs. UCLA, Sept. 8, 2007
2 ? 5,743 vs. Stanford (Exh.), Aug. 26, 2005
3 ? 4,071 vs. Gonzaga, Aug. 29, 2008
3 ? 4,029 vs. UMKC (Exh.), Aug. 27, 2004
4 ? 4,023 vs. Tulsa, Sept. 22, 2007
No Shots For You: The Bluejay defense did not allow a shot on goal in their 2-0 win over UC Riverside (Sept. 7), marking the first time since 2005 that the Jays limited their opponent to zero shots on goal in a game. CU again equalled that feat against Bradley on Oct. 18. UCR managed only four total shots in the game, followed by just three attempts by UMKC (Sept. 13) and again just three by Memphis (Oct. 8). The three shots were the fewest by a Bluejay foe since Brown attempted only three shots against CU on Sept. 19, 2003.
High Flyers: Creighton's No. 3 ranking in the NSCAA/adidas poll in five weeks this season is the highest the Bluejays have been ranked in the regular-season since the 2000 team, which finished as the NCAA runners-up, was ranked third on Sept. 18. The Jays were then ranked second in the 2000 postseason poll and the 2001 preseason poll, but had not been this high since.
First Things First: Freshman Kris Clark and sophomore Andrew Duran teamed up with Jeff Thayer on the final goal of the match against Gonzaga (Aug. 29). Duran and Clark both were credited with their first career assists on Thayer's second goal of the match. Sophomore Tucker Sindlinger recorded his first game-winning goal in the win as well.
National Player of the Year Candidates: For the second straight season, two Bluejays have been placed on the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List, a preseason list for the award annually given to the top soccer player in Division I. Junior Byron Dacy is on the preseason watch list for the third straight year, even after playing just two matches and redshirting last year because of a torn ACL. Senior Andrei Gotsmanov, who led the team with six goals and 17 points last year, joins Dacy on the list. Last year, Matt Allen was nominated along with Dacy to begin the season. Gotsmanov and Dacy are now on the long list of National Player of the Year candidates from Creighton, including the 1997 winner and current assistant coach, Johnny Torres.
CU National Player of the Year Candidates
Year Player
2008 Byron Dacy & Andrei Gotsmanov
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
Keeping Keepers: There is no doubt experience in goal helps, but there is proof in Creighton's past that demonstrates that experience isn't necessary for success. This season the Bluejays return zero career minutes in goal, with three redshirt freshmen goalkeepers on the roster. The Jays have never previously returned zero minutes in net. In fact, both previous times CU returned 202 career minutes in goal or fewer, it reached the College Cup.
The fewest career goalkeeping minutes the Jays have returned prior to this season came during the 2000 campaign. Mike Gabb had played 179 career minutes before the 2000 season, a year the Bluejays would lead the NCAA with 22 wins and appear in the NCAA championship match. The second-fewest minutes the Jays have returned came in 1996, when Jon Epperson entered the year with 202 career minutes. He helped lead the Bluejays to their first College Cup Final Four that season.
Senior Citizens: Creighton has three seniors ? Andrei Gotsmanov, Seth Sinovic, Tim Walters ? listed on its roster this season, the fewest since the 1998 team also had just three seniors on the squad - Marc Madeley, Richard Mulrooney and Patrick Parker. Gotsmanov and Sinovic demonstrated their senior leadership and ability by combining on the first CU goal of the season this year.
In Attendance: Creighton ranked third in the nation in overall attendance in 2007, while it finished fourth in average attendance last year. The Jays brought in 34,308 fans for an average of 2,639 per game. CU's match against UCLA last year drew a school-record 5,812 fans, while two other 2007 crowds ranked in the CU top-10.
Preseason Favorites: The Missouri Valley Conference coaches have tabbed the Bluejays as preseason favorites for the fourth straight season. CU received five of the six first-place votes to total 35 points. Evansville is picked to finish second with 27 points, while Missouri State picked up the other first-place vote, despite being picked to finish last in the league.
Nine Newcomers: CU's incoming class of nine players ? six true freshmen and three transfers ? was ranked as the 16th-best recruiting class in the country according to College Soccer News. The Jays have 12 freshmen on their roster, five of whom redshirted with the Bluejays last year. Junior Akin Akinrinade (Central Florida), sophomore Kyle Deremer (St. Mary's) and freshman Tim Krueger (Hastings) have transferred into the program. Deremer and Krueger were teammates on Millard North's undefeated state championship team in 2007. Akinrinade, Krueger, along with freshmen Greg Jordan and Ethan Finlay all enrolled and trained at Creighton this spring.
Dairy State Products: A pair of freshmen from Wisconsin have been tabbed among “100 Freshmen to Keep an Eye On” according to College Soccer News. Ethan Finlay and Stew Brown, club teammates for FC Milwaukee, both earned the notice. Finlay was recognized by Rise Magazine as a top-30 national recruit and was an NSCAA Youth All-American, while Brown was an NSCAA High School All-American and named the most outstanding player at the US Youth Soccer National Championships in 2007.
Last Year in Brief: Creighton lost just one regular-season match in 2007 and finished the year with a 12-3-5 record in the third round of the NCAA Tournament - its 16th straight appearance in the NCAA postseason. The Jays ran off an 11-match unbeaten streak during their season, while posting a 4-0-2 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play for their first unbeaten record in MVC play since 1996. CU shared the MVC regular-season crown with Bradley for the second straight year. All-American Matt Allen became the first player in league history to twice be named MVC Defensive Player of the Year, while he wrapped up his career with CU records for minutes played and shutouts.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's SoccerCreighton Men's Soccer Media Availability 9/30/25
Tuesday, September 30
Creighton Men's Soccer Highlights at DePaul - 9-27-25
Saturday, September 27
Creighton Men's Soccer Media Availability 9/24/25
Thursday, September 25
Creighton MSOC Highlights & Postgame vs Marquette 9-19-25
Saturday, September 20
