No. 2 Men's Soccer Aims for 11th MVC Tournament Title
11/11/2008 3:45:00 PM | Men's Soccer
#2 Creighton at State Farm MVC Soccer Tournament
Semifinals ? Nov. 14, 5 & 7:30 p.m. ? Black Beauty Field ? Evansville, Ind.
Championship ? Nov. 16, 1:05 p.m. ? Black Beauty Field ? Evansville, Ind.
Following the Jays: Live stats for every MVC Tournament match can be viewed free by clicking on the ?Live Stats' link at www.gocreighton.com. Fans can subscribe to watch a live video stream of the Bluejays' semifinal match on Friday. The championship match will be televised live on Fox Sports Midwest in Omaha at 1 p.m. Sunday.
This Week: The top-seeded and regular-season champion Bluejays take aim at their 11th MVC Tournament title and first since 2006 when they play at Evansville's Black Beauty Field. As the No. 1 seed, CU earned a first round bye and will play the winner of No. 4 Evansville vs. No. 5 Bradley. CU's game time will be determined based on Wednesday's winners.
Last Week: Creighton secured its third straight regular-season title with a wild 5-3 win at Eastern Illinois last Saturday. CU's highest scoring game in over two years came on a day it allowed its most goals of the season. The Jays twice overcame a one-goal deficit to capture the victory. Jeff Thayer scored twice, while Seth Sinovic scored and added three assists.
Scouting Creighton (12-1-2, 4-0-1 MVC): The Bluejays, ranked No. 2 in the NSCAA poll for the second straight week, have claimed their ninth MVC regular-season championship after making their second straight undefeated run through conference play. The Jays enter the tournament on an 11-match unbeaten streak (9-0-2). One of the best defensive teams in the nation, CU begins the week ranked No. 2 in the nation in both goals against average (0.45) and shutout percentage (.733). CU's 11 shutouts (in 15 games) this year have tied the school record. Within their unbeaten streak was a school-record six consecutive shutouts and 722:12 consecutive scoreless minutes. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Brian Holt ranks seventh in the NCAA with a 0.49 goals against average, as he has played nearly 1,300 minutes and allowed just seven goals this year. The Jays have out-scored their opponents 28-7 this season, led by MAC Hermann Trophy candidate Andrei Gotsmanov. The senior attacker leads the team and is tied for the league-lead with nine goals and three game-winning goals. Junior forward Byron Dacy joins Gotsmanov on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List this fall. Junior Jeff Thayer is second on the team with five goals, four assists and 14 points. Preseason All-American junior defender Chris Schuler and senior captain Seth Sinovic (team-best six assists) help anchor a back line which allows just 7.5 shots per game.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea, 1975) is in his second stint as the Bluejays' head coach with a 179-56-29 (.733) record in his 13th season at CU. His overall record is 372-175-59 (.663) 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.
Up Next: Creighton will face the winner of the Evansville-Bradley
match. CU defeated Evansville 3-2 on Oct. 11 in Omaha and knocked off
Bradley 2-0 on Oct. 18 in Peoria. The Jays are 5-1-0 against the
Purple Aces in the MVC Tournament, including a 2-0 CU win in Omaha last
year. The Jays are 4-2-0 against Bradley in the MVC tournament, as BU
topped the Jays 1-0 in the MVC Championship game last year in Omaha.
No team has ever defeated CU in back-to-back years at the MVC tourney.
MVC Tournament History: The Bluejays enter the weekend with a 27-6-1 all-time MVC tournament record, the most tournament victories in league history. CU has won more tournament titles, 10, than all other MVC teams combined, earning its 10th in 2006. The Jays have lost in the quarterfinals once, the semifinals three times, in the championship match three times and won the other 10 tournaments in which they've appeared. The Jays are the only team in league history with more than three tournament titles. CU is 15-3-0 all-time in MVC tournament matches away from Omaha, including six straight wins in tournament games away from Omaha. The Jays are 4-0-0 in MVC Tournament games played in Evansville, winning the 1995 and 1997 tournaments in Evansville.
Memory Lane: The last time Evansville hosted the MVC Tournament was 1997. The Bluejays won the event that year, defeating Drake 3-0 and Missouri State 4-1. Current Bluejay assistant coach Johnny Torres was named Tournament MVP after also earning MVC Player of the Year honors that season. He'd go on to be named National Player of the Year. CU is 4-0-0 all-time in MVC Tournament matches played in Evansville.
Home Field Advantage?: No team has won the MVC tournament title on its home field since Creighton did so in 1994. The Bluejays also won at home in 1992 and 1993, while Tulsa hosted and won the event in 1991. The event was at a neutral site from 2000-03, and returned to campus sites in 2004. SMU won in Omaha in 2004, Creighton won in Peoria in both 2005 and 2006, while Bradley won the tourney in Omaha last year.
Defense Wins Championships: The Bluejays have posted four shutouts in their last six MVC Tournament matches and have logged 13 shutouts in 34 Valley tourney games all-time. The Bluejays have a 0.83 goals against average in 3,246 minutes all-time in the MVC postseason.
MVC Tournament Recognition: Current Bluejays Byron Dacy, Chris Schuler, Sergio Castillo and Seth Sinovic have all earned MVC All-Tournament honors previously in their careers. Dacy, the 2006 tournament MVP, also earned all-tourney recognition as a freshman in 2005. Schuler joined Dacy on the all-tourney team in 2006. Castillo and Sinovic were on last year's all-tournament team.
Undefeated: Creighton went 4-0-1 in the MVC regular-season this year ? its second straight unbeaten conference slate. CU went 4-0-2 in league play last year. The Jays have also gone undefeated in Valley play in 1996 (5-0-0), 1995 (4-0-1), 1993 (5-0-0) and 1992 (4-0-1). CU's unbeaten campaign was just the 13th in league history.
NCAA Tournament: The Bluejays will be looking to lock up the MVC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament this week. Should CU not win the event, it appears a lock to make its 17th straight NCAA Tournament. Only Indiana, UCLA and Virginia have been to the last 16 NCAA postseasons.
RPI Top 10: The NCAA released its final RPI list on Nov. 11. Creighton ranks 10th in this week's rating percentage index. Notably, CU opponents Drake (19), California (22), Saint Louis (35) and Denver (43) are in the top 50. Also of note, Creighton entered last year's MVC Tournament with an RPI of 12 and then received the No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, despite a championship game loss to Bradley. See the top 10 Below:
NCAA Men's Soccer RPI Top 10
1. Wake Forest
2. St. John's
3. Indiana
4. Maryland
5. Akron
6. Michigan
7. Loyola (Md.)
8. Notre Dame
9. UC Santa Barbara
10. Creighton
Climbing the Polls: Creighton is ranked No. 2 in the NSCAA poll for the second consecutive week, after spending four straight weeks at No. 3. This is Creighton's first trip to No. 2 in the NSCAA poll since the 2001 preseason poll and 2000 final poll. The Jays have not been ranked this high in the regular-season coaches poll since earning the top spot on Sept. 15, 1999.
Pulling Rank: In addition to their No. 2 ranking in the coaches poll, the Jays are also No. 2 this week in both the Soccer Times and Soccer America polls for the second straight week and third in the College Soccer News top 30.
Best in the Midwest: Creighton is ranked No. 1 in the Midwest in the NSCAA/adidas Regional Rankings for the seventh straight week, ahead of conference foes Drake (3) and Evansville (8).
NCAA Statistics: Creighton began the week ranked second in the NCAA with a 0.45 goals against average and 73.3 shutout percentage - 11 shutouts in 15 matches. CU's winning percentage of .867 ranks fifth in the nation, while its 84.8 save percentage ranks 15th in the NCAA this week. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Brian Holt ranks seventh in the NCAA with a 0.49 goals against average and ranks 25th with an 83.3 save percentage. Andrei Gotsmanov ranks 17th in the NCAA in goals per game, scoring nine goals in 13 games played.
Third Time's a Charm: Creighton clinched its third consecutive MVC regular-season title and ninth overall with a win over Eastern Illinois last Saturday. The victory gave CU its first out-right title since 2003, as the Jays have shared their last two championships with Bradley.
Andrei the Giant: Senior Andrei Gotsmanov was named the College Soccer News National Player of the Week and MVC Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 3 after scoring both of Creighton's goals in a 2-0 win over No. 24 Drake (Nov. 1). Despite playing just two seasons at Creighton, the attacker has established Morrison Stadium career records for points scored and goals scored. He has scored 13 career goals at home, including a venue-record eight this year. His 30 career points at home have tied Michael Kraus for the stadium record.
More on Andrei: Of Gotsmanov's 15 career Bluejay goals, 13 have come at home. He is tied for the league-lead with nine goals and three game-winners. The Bluejays are now 16-0-0 all-time when Gotsmanov logs a goal or assist in a match. He tops the team with his nine goals and 19 points, despite missing two games this year, including the regular-season finale (due to a yellow card suspension).
Shutout Record: Creighton has tied the school record with 11 shutouts this season, equalling the mark set by the 1996 and 1999 squads. The 1999 team led the NCAA and set a school record with a 0.47 goals against average. With a 0.49 goals against average, the Jays are taking aim at CU's GAA record and ranks second in the NCAA.
No Road Trip Ups: The Bluejays have continued an impressive streak this year, as they are 4-0-2 on the road. The Jays have not lost a game away from Omaha since 2006, improving to 10-0-3 away from Omaha ? 8-0-3 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.
Seth Can Help: Senior Seth Sinovic had three assists entering CU's regular-season finale at Eastern Illinois (Nov. 8), before doubling his total with three assists against the Panthers. He now tops the team with a career-best six assists (he had five career helpers entering the season). His three-assist day was one shy of the school record. He is the seventh player in school history to log at least three helpers in a game and the first since Joan Carvajal on Oct. 8, 2005 (also against EIU).
That's Offensive: CU scored a season-high five goals against Eastern Illinois (Nov. 8). The five goals scored were the most by the Jays since a 6-1 win over Central Arkansas on Sept. 27, 2006. The five goals were the most by CU on the road since a 6-0 win at Georgetown on Oct. 19, 2005 and were the most by the Jays in an MVC regular-season match since a 5-0 win over EIU on Oct. 8, 2005.
Thayer's Bookends: Junior forward Jeff Thayer, an Omaha native, opened the year with his first career multiple-goal match, scoring twice against Gonzaga on Aug. 29. He wrapped up the regular-season with another two-goal performance at Eastern Illinois (Nov. 8). He is second on the team with five goals, four assists and 14 points.
Unbeaten Streak: Creighton's win over Eastern Illinois last Saturday pushed its unbeaten streak to 11 matches - the second straight season the Jays have put together a double-digit undefeated streak. The Jays also put together an 11-match unbeaten streak, concluding the regular-season on a 10-match unbeaten streak. CU is looking to lock up its longest unbeaten span since a 12-match streak in 1995 during which it went 11-0-1.
Several Streaks: Creighton is currently on an 11-match unbeaten streak (9-0-2). The Jays are also undefeated in their last 13 matches away from Omaha (10-0-3), including 8-0-3 in true road games. CU has won its last six MVC tournament games away from Omaha and is 4-0-0 all-time in MVC tourney games played in Evansville. With a 4-0-1 mark in Valley play, CU is now unbeaten in its last 11 MVC regular-season matches (8-0-3), going unbeaten in Valley play over the last two seasons. It is their longest MVC unbeaten streak since going 16 regular-season conference matches without a loss between 1994 and 1997.
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 he has logged 10 shutouts in his 14 games played. His 0.49 goals against average ranks seventh in the NCAA 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. During the regular-season, opponents managed only 7.5 shots per game and a lowly 3.1 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 104 7.5 40 3.1
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
Battling the Best: The Bluejays went 2-0-1 against the top-25 this year with their 2-0 win over No. 24 Drake (Nov. 1). CU defeated No. 6 California 2-0 in September and tied SLU 0-0 on Oct. 4, both on the road. CU is now a 49-37-10 all-time against the coaches top 25. The Jays are 20-8-2 (.690) at home all-time against NSCAA top 25 opponents, including a sparkling 10-1-1 at Morrison Stadium. CU is 8-14-0 all-time against top-25 teams at neutral sites.
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. He is one of three redshirt freshman keepers on the team, along with Brian Holt and Bryan Hoie.
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 .756, including an 6-0-2 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 6-0-2 ???
?02-08 34-12-9 62-16-12
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.
Winners: Junior Byron Dacy dished an assist in CU's regular-season finale at Eastern Illinois (Nov. 8), moving CU's record to 5-0-0 this year when he records at least one point in a match. Creighton is now 24-2-0 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 12-0-0 since 2006 when Senske appears in a match. The Jays are also 16-0-0 when Andrei Gotsmanov records an assist or goal in a match over the past two seasons.
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.
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).
Home Sweet Morrison: The Bluejays are now 45-9-10 (.781) all-time at Morrison Stadium, including an 8-1-0 mark this year. Since 1990, the Bluejays are 147-25-15 (.826) at home. CU is now 53-4-3 at home all-time in MVC play, including 18-1-2 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.
Thanks for Coming: Creighton annually ranks among the NCAA leaders in attendance. Recently the fans have been showing up in record numbers. Against Evansville (Oct. 11), 3,192 fans showed up to establish a school record for home attendance at an MVC game. Then against Drake on Nov. 1, the 2,882 fans that showed up were a record number for a regular-season game in November and it was the second largest home crowd ever to see a game in November (trailing only an NCAA game).
October Dominance: Creighton has not lost a match in October since 2006, after completing its second straight unbeaten October. 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.
Freshman Finlay: Ethan Finlay has scored four goals in his rookie season this year, with his first three scores accounting for the game-winning goals. His three game-winners are tied with Andrei Gotsmanov for the team and MVC lead.
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
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.
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.
