No. 4 Bluejays Notch Second Straight Shutout

OMAHA, Neb. ? Freshmen Ethan Finlay and Greg Jordan scored, and rookie goalkeeper Brian Holt directed an outstanding defensive effort by the fourth-ranked Creighton men's soccer team Sunday night, leading the Jays to a 2-0 victory over UC Riverside in the final match of the 12th annual Diadora Challenge. Senior Andrei Gotsmanov joined the trio of Bluejay freshmen on the all-tournament team, as he was tabbed co-MVP of the event.

Finlay, who scored his first career goal on Friday night, found the back of the net again on Sunday in the 23rd minute. He pounced on a rebounded save to give him back-to-back game-winning goals for the Jays. Jordan and senior Seth Sinovic were credited with assists on the score, as Sinovic sent a lead pass to Jordan, whose initial shot was turned away.

Creighton (3-0-0) held on to the 1-0 lead into halftime, as the Jays out-shot the Highlanders 11-1 in the opening 45 minutes.

The Bluejays added to their lead in the 58th minute when Jordan scored his first career goal. This time it was Jordan who benefitted from a rebounded save off of UCR (0-4-0) keeper Ryan Schmitz. Jeff Thayer's blast was stopped by Schmitz, but he could not corral the shot and Jordan blasted it into the back of the net from 12 yards out.

The Creighton defense limited UC Riverside to just four shots as the Jays logged their second straight shutout. UCR did not record a shot on goal in their fourth straight loss to a ranked opponent.

“Not many teams are pitching back-to-back shutouts at this time of year,” said head coach Bob Warming after the Jays improved to 18-0-5 all-time at the Diadora Challenge. “I would have liked to see more rhythm in our passing, but I am satisfied to get another shutout.”

Saint Louis (2-0-2) set a tournament record with five goals in a 5-1 win over Portland (1-2-1) earlier on Sunday. SLU shares the tournament title with the Jays, as the Billikens' Kyle Patterson was honored as co-MVP. The five goals were also a Morrison Stadium record for goals by a visiting team.

The unblemished Bluejays will look to remain that way when they play host to UMKC next Saturday at Morrison Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Diadora Challenge All-Tournament Team
Kyle Patterson - SLU, Co-MVP
Rob Viviano - SLU
Tim Ream - SLU
James Jaramillo - SLU
Andrei Gotsmanov - CU, Co-MVP
Ethan Finlay - CU
Greg Jordan - CU
Brian Holt - CU
Patrick Jurney - Portland
Ryan Kawulok - Portland
David Lozano - UCR
Doug Thrasher - UCR

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Players Mentioned

Ethan Finlay

Andrei Gotsmanov

Andrei Gotsmanov

Brian Holt

Brian Holt

Greg Jordan

Seth Sinovic

Jeff Thayer