No. 8 Bluejays Host Denver Men's Soccer Saturday
9/24/2008 10:30:00 AM | Men's Soccer
#8 Creighton hosts Denver
Saturday, Sept. 27, 7:30 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 Bluejays return home for the start of a quick two-game homestand with a Saturday night match against Denver. The Jays and Pioneers will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Morrison Stadium as part of Creighton Homecoming weekend activities. Fans are invited to enjoy the Getting Blue BBQ outside of the stadium beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Last Week: Creighton bounced back from its first loss of the year with two impressive shutout, road victories at Pac-10 venues. The Jays topped Stanford 1-0 last Friday night behind Ethan Finlay's game-winning goal. CU then knocked off sixth-ranked California 2-0 on Sunday afternoon, as Brian Holt made a career-high eight saves in the shutout victory, and Tim Walters and Jeff Thayer supplied the goals. Thayer was honored as the MVC Offensive Player of the Week, while Chris Schuler earned MVC Defensive Player of the Week and Soccer America National Team of the Week honors for their play last week.
Scouting Creighton (5-1-0): The eighth-ranked Bluejays are the defending Missouri Valley Conference regular-season co-champions and have been tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the conference again this year. Creighton's defense has been the story through six matches, allowing just two goals on the year, while posting four shutouts for a league-leading 0.33 goals against average, which ranks seventh in the NCAA this week. The Jays have out-scored their opponents 12-2 this season, led by three goals apiece from junior Jeff Thayer and freshman Ethan Finlay. All three of Finlay's tallies have accounted for game-winners. Thayer is tied with Seth Sinovic for the team-lead with three assists, and he tops the squad with nine points. With two goals, senior Andrei Gotsmanov is the only other Jay with multiple goals this year. Gotsmanov, a midfielder, is joined by junior forward Byron Dacy on the preseason MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. Dacy, who redshirted last year because of a torn left ACL, leads the team with 23 shots and has a goal and an assist this year. Preseason All-American junior defender Chris Schuler joins Gotsmanov, Dacy and Sinovic on the all-MVC preseason team. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Brian Holt has played all 540 minutes in net this year, stopping 17 shots while logging four shutouts for a 0.33 GAA.
Scouting Denver (2-4-0): The Pioneers, who went 10-4-4 last year, have already equalled last season's loss total through six matches this year. DU opened the season with three losses, including a 3-2 home loss to then nationally-ranked Loyola-Chicago. Denver topped San Diego State and Cal State Fullerton for its wins, while it fell at No. 13 Saint Louis 1-0 last Saturday. Collin Audley, Colin Jones and Leon Abravanel each have two goals to pace the DU offense, which has been out-scored 11-10 on the year. Teale Stone has played 346 minutes, made 14 saves and allowed nine goals for a 2.34 goals against average, while Joe Willis has played 180 minutes, stopped 11 shots and owns a 1.00 GAA.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea, 1975) is in his second stint as the Bluejays' head coach with a 172-56-27 (.727) record in his 13th season at CU. His overall record is 365-175-57 (.659) 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-Denver Series: The Bluejays are 1-0-1 all-time against the Pioneers. CU topped DU the last time these teams played, a 2-1 Bluejay win on Sept. 15, 2001 at Tranquility Park in Omaha. CU and DU played to a scoreless tie in 1980 in Denver, the only other time these teams have met on the soccer pitch.
Saving the Day: Redshirt freshman Brian Holt proved himself ready to take on his first ranked opponent last Sunday at No. 6 California. The rookie goalkeeper made a career-high eight saves against the Bears in CU's 2-0 victory. Prior to that match, Holt had made nine saves total through his first five matches of the season. He has now posted four shutouts through six games and owns a 0.33 goals against average. The Omaha Creighton Prep product ranks 11th in the NCAA in GAA and 14th with an .895 save percentage.
Defense Does It: Creighton has allowed just two goals through its first six matches this year for a league-leading 0.33 goals against average, which ranks seventh in the NCAA this week. The two goals allowed through six games is the fewest surrendered by a Bluejay squad to start the season since the 1999 team opened the year with four straight shutouts before giving up one goal each in its next two games. That 1999 team tied the school record with 11 shutouts and established the school mark with a 0.47 goals against average.
No Road Trip Ups: Creighton continued an impressive streak last weekend with a pair of road wins. The Jays have not lost a game away from Omaha since 2006, improving to 8-0-1 away from Omaha ? 6-0-1 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.
Change Up in Line Up: Creighton used the same 11 starters in its first four matches of the year, before switching them up last weekend in California. Freshman Kris Clark, a native of the Bay Area, earned his first two career starts at Stanford and Cal, while junior Byron Dacy made his first two starts of the season. For Dacy it was his first two starts since 2006, his healthy sophomore season. The Jays also made due without Andrei Gotsmanov on the pitch at all against sixth-ranked Cal on Sunday, as he missed the match with an injury after starting the first five matches of the year.
Positive Patterns: While Creighton fell 1-0 in its last home match against UMKC on Sept. 13, there is some good news for the Jays as they return home this weekend:
? Creighton has never lost back-to-back games at Morrison Stadium and has not lost consecutive home games since Bob Warming re-started the program in 1990.
? The last time CU lost consecutive home matches was 1985, before any current Bluejay was born.
? CU has not lost two matches in the same month since August, 2006.
Minors in the Midfield: Creighton started three freshman midfielders in both of its matches last week. Rookies Greg Jordan and Ethan Finlay have started all six matches this year, but were joined by fellow frosh Kris Clark in the midfield last weekend as the Jays won both matches with the youthful midfield.
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 already 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) and he tops the team with three goals, three assists and nine points on the year.
Pac-10 Powers: The Bluejays topped a pair of Pac-10 foes last weekend, 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.
Poll Position: Creighton propelled itself back into the top-10 this week with its solid 2-0 win over sixth-ranked Cal last weekend. The Jays are ranked eighth in both the NSCAA/adidas and Soccer America polls, while College Soccer News and Soccer Times have the Jays at No. 5. Meanwhile, TopDrawerSoccer.com's 48-team NCAA prediction poll also has the Jays ranked fifth.
Home Sweet Morrison: The Bluejays are now 40-9-10 (.763) all-time at Morrison Stadium, including a 3-1-0 mark this year. Since 1990, the Bluejays are 142-25-15 (.821) at home. CU is 51-4-3 at home all-time in MVC play, including 16-1-2 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.
Battling the Best: Creighton met its first ranked opponent of the year at No. 6 California last Sunday. The Jays went 3-0-1 against NSCAA top 25 teams last year. CU owns a 47-37-9 mark all-time against the coaches top 25, including 20-15-6 in true road games against ranked foes. The Jays are 6-1-1 in their last eight true road meetings with top 25 teams and have not faced a ranked team on the road since the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
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
Offensive Output: Creighton's four goals in its season opener were the most since 2004, while the Bluejays followed with three goals in their second game. The seven goals through two games were the most for the Jays since the 1992 team poured in 13 goals in its first two matches.
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 held Missouri State to no shots on goal in a 2-0 win on Oct. 12, 2005. UCR managed only four total shots in the game, followed by just three attempts by UMKC last Saturday, the fewest by a Bluejay foe since Brown attempted only three shots against CU on Sept. 19, 2003.
Dacy's Digits: After missing all but two games due to a torn ACL last year, junior Byron Dacy scored his first goal of the season against Portland (Sept. 5). The forward attempted and converted the second penalty kick of his career to get in the scoring column. With his assist in CU's season-opener and a goal against Portland, the Jays are now 2-0-0 when Dacy records a point this year and are 21-2-0 since 2005 when he registers a point.
Transferring Starts: Junior Akin Akinrinade has started every game of his collegiate career, although he has started just six games for the Bluejays. Akinrinade started 29 matches in playing his first two seasons at Central Florida, and has been in the starting lineup every game this year as a Bluejay.
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.
Home-Opening Attendance: Bluejay fans typically make the home-opener a highly-attended contest. Since moving to Morrison Stadium in 2003, the average attendance at CU home-openers is now 3,306, following the crowd of 4,071 that attended this season's home-opener.
High Flyers: Creighton's No. 3 ranking in the NSCAA/adidas poll on Sept. 8 was the highest the Bluejays had 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.
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, Sept. 27, 7:30 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 Bluejays return home for the start of a quick two-game homestand with a Saturday night match against Denver. The Jays and Pioneers will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Morrison Stadium as part of Creighton Homecoming weekend activities. Fans are invited to enjoy the Getting Blue BBQ outside of the stadium beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Last Week: Creighton bounced back from its first loss of the year with two impressive shutout, road victories at Pac-10 venues. The Jays topped Stanford 1-0 last Friday night behind Ethan Finlay's game-winning goal. CU then knocked off sixth-ranked California 2-0 on Sunday afternoon, as Brian Holt made a career-high eight saves in the shutout victory, and Tim Walters and Jeff Thayer supplied the goals. Thayer was honored as the MVC Offensive Player of the Week, while Chris Schuler earned MVC Defensive Player of the Week and Soccer America National Team of the Week honors for their play last week.
Scouting Creighton (5-1-0): The eighth-ranked Bluejays are the defending Missouri Valley Conference regular-season co-champions and have been tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the conference again this year. Creighton's defense has been the story through six matches, allowing just two goals on the year, while posting four shutouts for a league-leading 0.33 goals against average, which ranks seventh in the NCAA this week. The Jays have out-scored their opponents 12-2 this season, led by three goals apiece from junior Jeff Thayer and freshman Ethan Finlay. All three of Finlay's tallies have accounted for game-winners. Thayer is tied with Seth Sinovic for the team-lead with three assists, and he tops the squad with nine points. With two goals, senior Andrei Gotsmanov is the only other Jay with multiple goals this year. Gotsmanov, a midfielder, is joined by junior forward Byron Dacy on the preseason MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. Dacy, who redshirted last year because of a torn left ACL, leads the team with 23 shots and has a goal and an assist this year. Preseason All-American junior defender Chris Schuler joins Gotsmanov, Dacy and Sinovic on the all-MVC preseason team. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Brian Holt has played all 540 minutes in net this year, stopping 17 shots while logging four shutouts for a 0.33 GAA.
Scouting Denver (2-4-0): The Pioneers, who went 10-4-4 last year, have already equalled last season's loss total through six matches this year. DU opened the season with three losses, including a 3-2 home loss to then nationally-ranked Loyola-Chicago. Denver topped San Diego State and Cal State Fullerton for its wins, while it fell at No. 13 Saint Louis 1-0 last Saturday. Collin Audley, Colin Jones and Leon Abravanel each have two goals to pace the DU offense, which has been out-scored 11-10 on the year. Teale Stone has played 346 minutes, made 14 saves and allowed nine goals for a 2.34 goals against average, while Joe Willis has played 180 minutes, stopped 11 shots and owns a 1.00 GAA.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea, 1975) is in his second stint as the Bluejays' head coach with a 172-56-27 (.727) record in his 13th season at CU. His overall record is 365-175-57 (.659) 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-Denver Series: The Bluejays are 1-0-1 all-time against the Pioneers. CU topped DU the last time these teams played, a 2-1 Bluejay win on Sept. 15, 2001 at Tranquility Park in Omaha. CU and DU played to a scoreless tie in 1980 in Denver, the only other time these teams have met on the soccer pitch.
Saving the Day: Redshirt freshman Brian Holt proved himself ready to take on his first ranked opponent last Sunday at No. 6 California. The rookie goalkeeper made a career-high eight saves against the Bears in CU's 2-0 victory. Prior to that match, Holt had made nine saves total through his first five matches of the season. He has now posted four shutouts through six games and owns a 0.33 goals against average. The Omaha Creighton Prep product ranks 11th in the NCAA in GAA and 14th with an .895 save percentage.
Defense Does It: Creighton has allowed just two goals through its first six matches this year for a league-leading 0.33 goals against average, which ranks seventh in the NCAA this week. The two goals allowed through six games is the fewest surrendered by a Bluejay squad to start the season since the 1999 team opened the year with four straight shutouts before giving up one goal each in its next two games. That 1999 team tied the school record with 11 shutouts and established the school mark with a 0.47 goals against average.
No Road Trip Ups: Creighton continued an impressive streak last weekend with a pair of road wins. The Jays have not lost a game away from Omaha since 2006, improving to 8-0-1 away from Omaha ? 6-0-1 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.
Change Up in Line Up: Creighton used the same 11 starters in its first four matches of the year, before switching them up last weekend in California. Freshman Kris Clark, a native of the Bay Area, earned his first two career starts at Stanford and Cal, while junior Byron Dacy made his first two starts of the season. For Dacy it was his first two starts since 2006, his healthy sophomore season. The Jays also made due without Andrei Gotsmanov on the pitch at all against sixth-ranked Cal on Sunday, as he missed the match with an injury after starting the first five matches of the year.
Positive Patterns: While Creighton fell 1-0 in its last home match against UMKC on Sept. 13, there is some good news for the Jays as they return home this weekend:
? Creighton has never lost back-to-back games at Morrison Stadium and has not lost consecutive home games since Bob Warming re-started the program in 1990.
? The last time CU lost consecutive home matches was 1985, before any current Bluejay was born.
? CU has not lost two matches in the same month since August, 2006.
Minors in the Midfield: Creighton started three freshman midfielders in both of its matches last week. Rookies Greg Jordan and Ethan Finlay have started all six matches this year, but were joined by fellow frosh Kris Clark in the midfield last weekend as the Jays won both matches with the youthful midfield.
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 already 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) and he tops the team with three goals, three assists and nine points on the year.
Pac-10 Powers: The Bluejays topped a pair of Pac-10 foes last weekend, 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.
Poll Position: Creighton propelled itself back into the top-10 this week with its solid 2-0 win over sixth-ranked Cal last weekend. The Jays are ranked eighth in both the NSCAA/adidas and Soccer America polls, while College Soccer News and Soccer Times have the Jays at No. 5. Meanwhile, TopDrawerSoccer.com's 48-team NCAA prediction poll also has the Jays ranked fifth.
Home Sweet Morrison: The Bluejays are now 40-9-10 (.763) all-time at Morrison Stadium, including a 3-1-0 mark this year. Since 1990, the Bluejays are 142-25-15 (.821) at home. CU is 51-4-3 at home all-time in MVC play, including 16-1-2 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.
Battling the Best: Creighton met its first ranked opponent of the year at No. 6 California last Sunday. The Jays went 3-0-1 against NSCAA top 25 teams last year. CU owns a 47-37-9 mark all-time against the coaches top 25, including 20-15-6 in true road games against ranked foes. The Jays are 6-1-1 in their last eight true road meetings with top 25 teams and have not faced a ranked team on the road since the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
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
Offensive Output: Creighton's four goals in its season opener were the most since 2004, while the Bluejays followed with three goals in their second game. The seven goals through two games were the most for the Jays since the 1992 team poured in 13 goals in its first two matches.
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 held Missouri State to no shots on goal in a 2-0 win on Oct. 12, 2005. UCR managed only four total shots in the game, followed by just three attempts by UMKC last Saturday, the fewest by a Bluejay foe since Brown attempted only three shots against CU on Sept. 19, 2003.
Dacy's Digits: After missing all but two games due to a torn ACL last year, junior Byron Dacy scored his first goal of the season against Portland (Sept. 5). The forward attempted and converted the second penalty kick of his career to get in the scoring column. With his assist in CU's season-opener and a goal against Portland, the Jays are now 2-0-0 when Dacy records a point this year and are 21-2-0 since 2005 when he registers a point.
Transferring Starts: Junior Akin Akinrinade has started every game of his collegiate career, although he has started just six games for the Bluejays. Akinrinade started 29 matches in playing his first two seasons at Central Florida, and has been in the starting lineup every game this year as a Bluejay.
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.
Home-Opening Attendance: Bluejay fans typically make the home-opener a highly-attended contest. Since moving to Morrison Stadium in 2003, the average attendance at CU home-openers is now 3,306, following the crowd of 4,071 that attended this season's home-opener.
High Flyers: Creighton's No. 3 ranking in the NSCAA/adidas poll on Sept. 8 was the highest the Bluejays had 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.
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.
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/ Men's SoccerWednesday, November 05
Sunday, November 02
Wednesday, October 29
Saturday, October 25
