Bluejays Battle Purple Aces in Men's Soccer Saturday
10/1/2009 3:15:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Creighton hosts Evansville
Saturday, Oct. 3, 6:00 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 Bluejays opened the week with a 1-0 win over Bradley on Wednesday night at Morrison Stadium. Ethan Finlay scored his second goal of the season, his sixth career game-winning tally, to help the Jays to victory. Creighton is back home on Saturday, when it plays host to Evansville for a 6 p.m. kickoff on a “Getting Blue” Saturday. Click here to learn more about the "Getting Blue BBQ" which starts at 4 p.m. outside of Morrison Stadium. Women's soccer plays at home at 1:30 p.m. and volleyball hosts a match at 7:30 p.m., Saturday.
Last Week: Creighton split a pair of matches at the Husky Fever Classic in Seattle, defeating host Washington 1-0 last Friday, before falling 2-1 to Portland on Sunday. Ethan Finlay scored the game-winner for CU on Friday. Thomas Gjoesund assisted Finlay's goal and scored the lone Bluejay goal on Sunday. Chris Schuler was named the tournament's defensive MVP.
Scouting Creighton (3-2-1, 1-1-0 MVC): The Bluejays are aiming for their first back-to-back wins of the season after posting a 1-0 win on Wednesday. Creighton has yet to score more than one goal in a match this year, while its four goals through six matches is its slowest offensive start since 1984. Creighton has won three straight Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championships and for the fifth consecutive year have been tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the league. The Jays return nine starters and all but three letterwinners from last year's 16-2-2 squad which advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament in their 17th straight NCAA postseason last year. Creighton is led by a group of seven seniors, including fifth-year players Byron Dacy, Chris Schuler and Seth Sinovic – all three of which appear on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. The Bluejays currently rank 13th in the NCAA in shutout percentage – logging four shutouts in six matches – and 19th in goals against average (0.48) after finishing first and second in those categories, respectively, last year. Schuler, a first-team All-American and the 2008 MVC Defensive Player of the Year, and goalkeeper Brian Holt, the 2008 MVC Freshman of the Year, help anchor CU's defense. Holt owns 16 shutouts in 25 career starts and a school and MVC-record 0.51 career goals against average.
Scouting Evansville (7-2-0, 1-0-0 MVC): The Purple Aces own the highest-scoring offense in the league, with 21 goals and 28 assists for 70 points through nine matches. They enter this weekend on a six-match winning streak, including an MVC win over Eastern Illinois on Wednesday. Tad Kreamalmeyer ranks second in the MVC with five goals and tops UE with 13 points. Tom Irvin has three goals and team-best six assists for 12 points, while Mike Luttrull has four goals for the UE attack. Eight different Aces have scored a goal and 11 have recorded an assist. Phil Boerger has played all but 45 minutes in net for UE, making 30 saves and posting a 1.06 goals against average.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea, 1975) is in his second stint as the Bluejays' head coach with a 186-59-30 (.731) record in his 14th season at CU. His overall record is 379-178-60 (.663) in his 32nd year of coaching. Warming was honored as FieldTurf Tarkett's National Coach of the Year, NSCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year and led the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2008. The MVC All-Centennial Coach and 2009 Omaha Sports Hall of Fame inductee has guided teams to 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, is a six-time finalist for National Coach of the Year and. The all-time winningest soccer coach in school history, he ranked sixth among active Division I coaches in career victories to open this season.
CU-UE Series: Creighton is 18-3-0 all-time against Evansville, including six straight wins in the series and a 12-1-0 mark in Omaha. UE has won just one match in Omaha, a 3-2 overtime win in the 1996 MVC Tournament, the Jays have won nine straight meetings in Omaha against the Purple Aces since that match. CU won 3-2 in Omaha on Oct. 11 last year as Andrei Gotsmanov scored his second goal of the match with 51 seconds remaining in regulation for the win. The Jays have scored at least two goals in five of the last six meetings with the Aces.
Finlay's Touch: Sophomore Ethan Finlay scored has scored twice this year to move his career total to eight goals. Of those eight scores, six have accounted for game-winning tallies, including in both of CU's last two wins – at Washington (Sept. 25) and against Bradley (Sept. 30). He led the Missouri Valley Conference with four game-winning scores as a freshman last year and is now tied with Byron Dacy with the most career game-winners by an active Bluejay.
W-L-W-L-W: Creighton has alternated wins and losses over its past five matches, marking the first time it has done so since the 1999 team did the same. In 1999, the Bluejays then rattled off four straight wins following the final 'W' in the pattern. CU has not alternated wins and losses in six straight games since restarting the program in 1990 and last did so during the 1983 season.
More Than One: With two losses this season, the Jays have already eclipsed their regular-season loss totals from each of the previous two campaigns. In both 2007 and 2008 the Jays lost only one regular-season contest, going 10-1-5 in the 2007 regular-season and 12-1-2 last year. The Jays last lost at least two matches in September in 2003, going 2-3-1 that season, before bouncing back to win the MVC regular-season crown and advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals.
Holt On: Sophomore goalkeeper Brian Holt has logged four shutouts this season and his career goals against average now stands at 0.51. With 560 minutes played this fall, Holt now qualifies for the Creighton career goals against average record, having eclipsed 2,000 career minutes played. His 0.51 GAA is tops in school and league history, bettering Tom Zawislan's record of 0.66 set between 1996-99.
Home Sweet Morrison: Including its 2-1-1 start this year, the Bluejays are 49-10-11 (.779) all-time at Morrison Stadium, including a 10-1-0 mark last year. Creighton has lost just one home match in four of the last five seasons. Since 1990, the Bluejays are 151-26-15 (.826) at home. The Jays have ranked in the top-10 in the nation in attendance all six years that Morrison Stadium has been open.
At Home in The Valley: The Bluejays are 54-5-3 (.895) at home all-time in MVC play, including 19-2-2 (.870) at Morrison Stadium. CU's loss to Missouri State on Sept. 19 was its first regular-season Valley loss at Morrison Stadium since a 1-0 defeat to No. 17 SMU on Oct. 1, 2004. The MSU loss snapped a 15-match (14-0-1) home unbeaten streak in Valley play.
Start Me Up: Three Bluejays cracked the starting line up for the first time on the season last weekend at the Husky Fever Classic. Senior Thomas Gjoesund, junior Andrew Duran and junior transfer Josh Moran all started both matches, after the trio had all played off the bench in two of CU's first three matches.
Go Gjoesund: Senior Thomas Gjoesund played 32 total minutes, while playing in two of CU's first three matches before earning the start in both of the Jays' matches at the Husky Fever Classic in Seattle last weekend. Gjoesund's starts paid off as the forward was credited with just his third career assist in CU's 1-0 win over Washington (Sept. 25) and then scored his eighth career goal against Portland (Sept. 27), while playing 154 total minutes between the games.
Goal Scoring is Goal: Through six matches this year, the Bluejays have scored just four goals for the slowest offensive start by a Creighton team since the 1984 squad had three through six. The three goals in five matches is CU's lowest scoring five-match span since the 2005 team scored three goals in five matches between Sept. 18 and Oct. 5. That team also went five straight matches without scoring more than one goal – but ended up advancing to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
Slow Starts, Fine Finishes: While Creighton is a perennial national power, it isn't unusual for the Bluejays to get off to slow starts. At 1-1-1, the Jays had captured just one win in their first three matches for the fourth time in the last seven seasons and at 2-2-1 they had two wins or fewer through five matches for the third time in seven years. The 2003, 2006 and 2007 teams had one win in their first three matches, while the 2003 team was 1-2-2 through five matches and the 2006 squad opened 2-2-1 as well. Both the 2003 and 2006 teams won MVC regular-season crowns and the 2003 team advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
Bluejays Fly Well in West: Creighton ran its unbeaten streak against West Coast teams to 12 matches, before falling 2-1 to Portland (Sept. 27). With wins over Cal Poly and Washington, the Jays moved to 10-0-2 over a 12-match span against teams from the Pacific Time Zone from 2007 through this September. The losses sandwiching the streak both came on the same pitch – Husky Soccer Stadium in Seattle.
Thank You For Coming: A Missouri Valley Conference record crowd of 5,609 attended Creighton's match with Missouri State last Saturday. The crowd was the third largest in CU history and second-best in the regular-season, trailing only the 5,812 that came to the UCLA game on Sept. 8, 2007. The attendance shattered CU's former most-attended MVC home match, which was set just last year when 3,192 attended the Creighton-Evansville match on Oct. 11.
Streaks Stopped: A number of impressive streaks by the Bluejays were stopped on Sept. 19 in their 1-0 loss to Missouri State. The loss was CU's first MVC loss since 2006, snapping an 11-match (8-0-3) unbeaten streak in league play. It was also Creighton's first home MVC loss since 2004, spoiling a 15-match (14-0-1) Valley home unbeaten stretch. The loss also ended an undefeated home streak of nine (8-0-1) matches, dating back to last September. The defeat served as just the second regular-season MVC loss in Morrison Stadium history, dropping the Jays to 18-2-2 in MVC action at their new home.
California Dreaming: With its 1-0 win over No. 23 Cal Poly on Sept. 5, the Bluejays improved to 8-0-3 in their last 11 meetings against California-based schools. In fact, Creighton has not allowed a goal to a Cali school in its last seven meetings, out-scoring Golden State squads 8-0 in that span. CU posted a 4-0-0 record against California teams last year, out-scoring Cali schools 6-0, with shutouts of UC Riverside (2-0), No. 6 California (2-0), Stanford (1-0) and Cal State Northridge (1-0). The Jays hope to improve on this mark when hosting UCLA on Oct. 31.
We'll Meet Again: For this year only, MVC men's soccer is playing a double round-robin schedule, with teams playing each other at home and on the road. CU has the benefit of playing every MVC team at home this year before returning the trip for the rematch. The Jays will play five of their first six MVC matches at home, but then finish league play with four straight road contests. The MVC will return to its normal format next year when Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Central Arkansas join the league as men's soccer affiliates.
That's a Winner: Seth Sinovic scored his sixth career goal in CU's 1-0 victory over No. 23 Cal Poly on Sept. 5. Half of his six goals have now accounted for game-winners. In fact, Sinovic has scored Creighton's last three game-winning goals dating back to last season, as he was responsible for CU's game-winning goals in NCAA Tournament wins over Tulsa and UConn in 2008.
New Season, Same Results: Creighton posted a school-record 13 shutouts last year, and started the 2009 campaign with two shutouts for the first time since the 1999 season. Sophomore goalkeeper Brian Holt has now logged 15 shutouts in 24 career starts.
Another Kallman: With Brent Kallman making his Creighton debut on Sept. 19, he follows in the footsteps of older brother Brian, who played for the Bluejays in 2005. The younger Kallman will hope to be a mainstay in the Bluejay lineup for four years, while the older Kallman played his final year of eligibility with the Jays after playing three years at Jacksonville. Older sisters Krystle and Kylie are both part of the Minnesota soccer program, with Krystle serving on the Gopher coaching staff and Kylie as a junior defender.
Sinovic's Second Sr. Season: Opponents are disappointed to find out that Seth Sinovic is back for his fifth season of soccer at Creighton after being listed as a senior on last year's Bluejay roster. It wasn't until after what was thought to be his final year on campus last year, that the Jays appealed to the NCAA for a redshirt. Sinovic was limited to just four minutes of play in one contest during his first year on campus in 2005. The fifth-year captain is now back for what is sure to be his final collegiate soccer campaign.
Battling the Best: Creighton knocked off No. 23 Cal Poly 1-0 on Sept. 5 to improve to 51-38-9 all-time against the coaches top 25. The Jays are an impressive 13-1-1 (.900) against the NSCAA top 25 at Morrison Stadium and are now 23-8-2 against nationally-ranked opponents at home all-time. Last year, CU went 4-1-1 against the top-25.
National Player of the Year Candidates: Creighton and Loyola (Md.) are the only schools in the country with three players 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. Fifth-year seniors Byron Dacy, Chris Schuler and Seth Sinovic are each on the list. Dacy, a forward, is the first player in the award's history to be named to the list four times. Schuler, a defender, was an NSCAA Second-Team All-American last year and Sinovic, a defender, was an NSCAA All-Region pick. Andrei Gotsmanov was a semifinalist for the award last year. The trio is 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
2009 Byron Dacy, Chris Schuler, Seth Sinovic
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
Preseason Favorites: The Missouri Valley Conference coaches have tabbed the Bluejays as preseason favorites for the fifth straight season. CU received four of the six first-place votes to total 34 points. Drake, which received a first-place vote, is picked to finish second with 27 points.
Scoreless Opener: With their 0-0 draw with Loyola (Ill.) to open the year, the Jays have played to ties in five of their last nine season-openers and four of their last eight home openers. The 0-0 scoreless draw was the third to open the season for Creighton in school history, all coming at home since the 2001 season (2001, 2003, 2009). Each of CU's last three ties have been 0-0 finals (two scoreless draws last year).
Record Setters: Creighton established a school-record with 13 shutouts last year, eclipsing the mark of 11 set in both 1996 and 1999. Brian Holt was in goal for 12 of the 13 shutouts, establishing an individual school record for clean sheets. The Jays also set a school record with six consecutive shutouts from Sept. 19 - Oct. 8 last year, with Holt in net for a record-setting 722:12 straight without allowing a goal. (Better the former mark by nearly 160 minutes). Holt's 0.51 goals against average tied the single-season CU record.
Senior Citizens: Creighton has seven seniors on the roster this year, including fifth-year guys Byron Dacy, Chris Schuler and Seth Sinovic. Akin Akinrinade, Thomas Gjoesund, Trent Senske and Jeff Thayer round out the largest senior class at CU since 2006. Schuler, Sinovic and Thayer are each on the preseason all-MVC team.
Nine of 11 Starters Back: Creighton returns nine starters from last year's team, including every defensive starter from a team which led the NCAA in shutout percentage (.650), finished second in the nation with a 0.48 goals against average and set a school-record with 13 shutouts. Goalkeeper Brian Holt and key defensive cogs Chris Schuler, Seth Sinovic, Akin Akinrinade, Kyle Deremer and Greg Jordan are all back. Attackers Jeff Thayer and Ethan Finlay tied for second on the team with 16 points last year. Byron Dacy and Sergio Castillo both earned 10 starts last year as well. The Jays lost just Andrei Gotsmanov and Tim Walters from the starting eleven.
Fantastic Fans: Creighton ranked fifth in the nation in both overall and average attendance in 2008. The Jays brought in 28,647 fans for an average of 2,604 per game. CU had four crowds of better than 3,000 fans last year, including a season-high 4,071 against Gonzaga in the season-opener. The Bluejays have ranked in the top-10 in the NCAA attendance in each of the first six seasons of Morrison Stadium.
Top Five Creighton Home Crowds
1 – 5,812 vs. UCLA, Sept. 8, 2007
2 – 5,743 vs. Stanford (Exh.), Aug. 26, 2005
3 – 5,609 vs. Missouri State, Sept. 19, 2009
3 – 4,407 vs. Saint Louis, Aug. 31, 1997
4 – 4,345 vs. Virginia (Exh.), Aug. 28, 1993
Top Five Morrison Stadium Crowds
1 – 5,812 vs. UCLA, Sept. 8, 2007
2 – 5,743 vs. Stanford (Exh.), Aug. 26, 2005
3 – 5,609 vs. Missouri State, Sept. 19, 2009
4 – 4,071 vs. Gonzaga, Aug. 29, 2008
5 – 4,029 vs. UMKC (Exh.), Aug. 27, 2004
Gotsmanov Gone: The Bluejay offense will need to replace 2008 leading scorer Andrei Gotsmanov. Gotsmanov was a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy last year, leading the team and MVC with 10 goals. He added four assists to top the Jays with 24 points and earn become CU's first NSCAA First-Team All-American since 2002. Despite playing just two seasons at Creighton, Gotsmanov ended his career with Morrison Stadium career records in points (34), goals (14), shots (83) and shots on goal (32).
Walters Still Around: Tim Walters joins the Bluejay coaching staff as a student assistant as he finishes his undergraduate degree this year. Walters played at Creighton for three years, starting 29 of 53 matches played. One of three Bluejays to start every match last year, all three of his goals scored in 2008 were game-winners.
Schuler has CLASS: Chris Schuler is one of 30 national men's soccer student-athletes who excel both on and off the pitch who are candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – classroom, character, community and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School™, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot.
Preseason Summary: Creighton finished 2-1-0 in the exhibition season, posting a pair of home shutouts to go along with a 4-2 road loss to the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer. The Jays opened with a 7-0 rout of the Red Fury Latin All-Stars on Aug. 22. Seniors Thomas Gjoesund and Jeff Thayer each scored twice in that win. Ethan Finlay scored both goals in CU's loss at Kansas City on Aug. 24. The Jays then notched a 5-0 win over the Nebraska Club Team on Aug. 27, with five different players scoring. Thayer and Finlay, the Jays' returning leading scorers from last year, topped the team with three goals each in the preseason.
Playing in Peru: The Bluejays had an opportunity to play and train during an 11-day trip to Peru in late May. The team traveled to the country's capital of Lima from May 21 through June 1 and stayed at the Regatas Club. The Jays took on professional teams and collegiate squads at different venues in the South American country. As part of the foreign tour, the Jays were allotted 10 days of training prior to the trip, providing valuable time together to prepare for the 2009 season.
Saturday, Oct. 3, 6:00 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 Bluejays opened the week with a 1-0 win over Bradley on Wednesday night at Morrison Stadium. Ethan Finlay scored his second goal of the season, his sixth career game-winning tally, to help the Jays to victory. Creighton is back home on Saturday, when it plays host to Evansville for a 6 p.m. kickoff on a “Getting Blue” Saturday. Click here to learn more about the "Getting Blue BBQ" which starts at 4 p.m. outside of Morrison Stadium. Women's soccer plays at home at 1:30 p.m. and volleyball hosts a match at 7:30 p.m., Saturday.
Last Week: Creighton split a pair of matches at the Husky Fever Classic in Seattle, defeating host Washington 1-0 last Friday, before falling 2-1 to Portland on Sunday. Ethan Finlay scored the game-winner for CU on Friday. Thomas Gjoesund assisted Finlay's goal and scored the lone Bluejay goal on Sunday. Chris Schuler was named the tournament's defensive MVP.
Scouting Creighton (3-2-1, 1-1-0 MVC): The Bluejays are aiming for their first back-to-back wins of the season after posting a 1-0 win on Wednesday. Creighton has yet to score more than one goal in a match this year, while its four goals through six matches is its slowest offensive start since 1984. Creighton has won three straight Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championships and for the fifth consecutive year have been tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the league. The Jays return nine starters and all but three letterwinners from last year's 16-2-2 squad which advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament in their 17th straight NCAA postseason last year. Creighton is led by a group of seven seniors, including fifth-year players Byron Dacy, Chris Schuler and Seth Sinovic – all three of which appear on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. The Bluejays currently rank 13th in the NCAA in shutout percentage – logging four shutouts in six matches – and 19th in goals against average (0.48) after finishing first and second in those categories, respectively, last year. Schuler, a first-team All-American and the 2008 MVC Defensive Player of the Year, and goalkeeper Brian Holt, the 2008 MVC Freshman of the Year, help anchor CU's defense. Holt owns 16 shutouts in 25 career starts and a school and MVC-record 0.51 career goals against average.
Scouting Evansville (7-2-0, 1-0-0 MVC): The Purple Aces own the highest-scoring offense in the league, with 21 goals and 28 assists for 70 points through nine matches. They enter this weekend on a six-match winning streak, including an MVC win over Eastern Illinois on Wednesday. Tad Kreamalmeyer ranks second in the MVC with five goals and tops UE with 13 points. Tom Irvin has three goals and team-best six assists for 12 points, while Mike Luttrull has four goals for the UE attack. Eight different Aces have scored a goal and 11 have recorded an assist. Phil Boerger has played all but 45 minutes in net for UE, making 30 saves and posting a 1.06 goals against average.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea, 1975) is in his second stint as the Bluejays' head coach with a 186-59-30 (.731) record in his 14th season at CU. His overall record is 379-178-60 (.663) in his 32nd year of coaching. Warming was honored as FieldTurf Tarkett's National Coach of the Year, NSCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year and led the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2008. The MVC All-Centennial Coach and 2009 Omaha Sports Hall of Fame inductee has guided teams to 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, is a six-time finalist for National Coach of the Year and. The all-time winningest soccer coach in school history, he ranked sixth among active Division I coaches in career victories to open this season.
CU-UE Series: Creighton is 18-3-0 all-time against Evansville, including six straight wins in the series and a 12-1-0 mark in Omaha. UE has won just one match in Omaha, a 3-2 overtime win in the 1996 MVC Tournament, the Jays have won nine straight meetings in Omaha against the Purple Aces since that match. CU won 3-2 in Omaha on Oct. 11 last year as Andrei Gotsmanov scored his second goal of the match with 51 seconds remaining in regulation for the win. The Jays have scored at least two goals in five of the last six meetings with the Aces.
Finlay's Touch: Sophomore Ethan Finlay scored has scored twice this year to move his career total to eight goals. Of those eight scores, six have accounted for game-winning tallies, including in both of CU's last two wins – at Washington (Sept. 25) and against Bradley (Sept. 30). He led the Missouri Valley Conference with four game-winning scores as a freshman last year and is now tied with Byron Dacy with the most career game-winners by an active Bluejay.
W-L-W-L-W: Creighton has alternated wins and losses over its past five matches, marking the first time it has done so since the 1999 team did the same. In 1999, the Bluejays then rattled off four straight wins following the final 'W' in the pattern. CU has not alternated wins and losses in six straight games since restarting the program in 1990 and last did so during the 1983 season.
More Than One: With two losses this season, the Jays have already eclipsed their regular-season loss totals from each of the previous two campaigns. In both 2007 and 2008 the Jays lost only one regular-season contest, going 10-1-5 in the 2007 regular-season and 12-1-2 last year. The Jays last lost at least two matches in September in 2003, going 2-3-1 that season, before bouncing back to win the MVC regular-season crown and advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals.
Holt On: Sophomore goalkeeper Brian Holt has logged four shutouts this season and his career goals against average now stands at 0.51. With 560 minutes played this fall, Holt now qualifies for the Creighton career goals against average record, having eclipsed 2,000 career minutes played. His 0.51 GAA is tops in school and league history, bettering Tom Zawislan's record of 0.66 set between 1996-99.
Home Sweet Morrison: Including its 2-1-1 start this year, the Bluejays are 49-10-11 (.779) all-time at Morrison Stadium, including a 10-1-0 mark last year. Creighton has lost just one home match in four of the last five seasons. Since 1990, the Bluejays are 151-26-15 (.826) at home. The Jays have ranked in the top-10 in the nation in attendance all six years that Morrison Stadium has been open.
At Home in The Valley: The Bluejays are 54-5-3 (.895) at home all-time in MVC play, including 19-2-2 (.870) at Morrison Stadium. CU's loss to Missouri State on Sept. 19 was its first regular-season Valley loss at Morrison Stadium since a 1-0 defeat to No. 17 SMU on Oct. 1, 2004. The MSU loss snapped a 15-match (14-0-1) home unbeaten streak in Valley play.
Start Me Up: Three Bluejays cracked the starting line up for the first time on the season last weekend at the Husky Fever Classic. Senior Thomas Gjoesund, junior Andrew Duran and junior transfer Josh Moran all started both matches, after the trio had all played off the bench in two of CU's first three matches.
Go Gjoesund: Senior Thomas Gjoesund played 32 total minutes, while playing in two of CU's first three matches before earning the start in both of the Jays' matches at the Husky Fever Classic in Seattle last weekend. Gjoesund's starts paid off as the forward was credited with just his third career assist in CU's 1-0 win over Washington (Sept. 25) and then scored his eighth career goal against Portland (Sept. 27), while playing 154 total minutes between the games.
Goal Scoring is Goal: Through six matches this year, the Bluejays have scored just four goals for the slowest offensive start by a Creighton team since the 1984 squad had three through six. The three goals in five matches is CU's lowest scoring five-match span since the 2005 team scored three goals in five matches between Sept. 18 and Oct. 5. That team also went five straight matches without scoring more than one goal – but ended up advancing to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
Slow Starts, Fine Finishes: While Creighton is a perennial national power, it isn't unusual for the Bluejays to get off to slow starts. At 1-1-1, the Jays had captured just one win in their first three matches for the fourth time in the last seven seasons and at 2-2-1 they had two wins or fewer through five matches for the third time in seven years. The 2003, 2006 and 2007 teams had one win in their first three matches, while the 2003 team was 1-2-2 through five matches and the 2006 squad opened 2-2-1 as well. Both the 2003 and 2006 teams won MVC regular-season crowns and the 2003 team advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
Bluejays Fly Well in West: Creighton ran its unbeaten streak against West Coast teams to 12 matches, before falling 2-1 to Portland (Sept. 27). With wins over Cal Poly and Washington, the Jays moved to 10-0-2 over a 12-match span against teams from the Pacific Time Zone from 2007 through this September. The losses sandwiching the streak both came on the same pitch – Husky Soccer Stadium in Seattle.
Thank You For Coming: A Missouri Valley Conference record crowd of 5,609 attended Creighton's match with Missouri State last Saturday. The crowd was the third largest in CU history and second-best in the regular-season, trailing only the 5,812 that came to the UCLA game on Sept. 8, 2007. The attendance shattered CU's former most-attended MVC home match, which was set just last year when 3,192 attended the Creighton-Evansville match on Oct. 11.
Streaks Stopped: A number of impressive streaks by the Bluejays were stopped on Sept. 19 in their 1-0 loss to Missouri State. The loss was CU's first MVC loss since 2006, snapping an 11-match (8-0-3) unbeaten streak in league play. It was also Creighton's first home MVC loss since 2004, spoiling a 15-match (14-0-1) Valley home unbeaten stretch. The loss also ended an undefeated home streak of nine (8-0-1) matches, dating back to last September. The defeat served as just the second regular-season MVC loss in Morrison Stadium history, dropping the Jays to 18-2-2 in MVC action at their new home.
California Dreaming: With its 1-0 win over No. 23 Cal Poly on Sept. 5, the Bluejays improved to 8-0-3 in their last 11 meetings against California-based schools. In fact, Creighton has not allowed a goal to a Cali school in its last seven meetings, out-scoring Golden State squads 8-0 in that span. CU posted a 4-0-0 record against California teams last year, out-scoring Cali schools 6-0, with shutouts of UC Riverside (2-0), No. 6 California (2-0), Stanford (1-0) and Cal State Northridge (1-0). The Jays hope to improve on this mark when hosting UCLA on Oct. 31.
We'll Meet Again: For this year only, MVC men's soccer is playing a double round-robin schedule, with teams playing each other at home and on the road. CU has the benefit of playing every MVC team at home this year before returning the trip for the rematch. The Jays will play five of their first six MVC matches at home, but then finish league play with four straight road contests. The MVC will return to its normal format next year when Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Central Arkansas join the league as men's soccer affiliates.
That's a Winner: Seth Sinovic scored his sixth career goal in CU's 1-0 victory over No. 23 Cal Poly on Sept. 5. Half of his six goals have now accounted for game-winners. In fact, Sinovic has scored Creighton's last three game-winning goals dating back to last season, as he was responsible for CU's game-winning goals in NCAA Tournament wins over Tulsa and UConn in 2008.
New Season, Same Results: Creighton posted a school-record 13 shutouts last year, and started the 2009 campaign with two shutouts for the first time since the 1999 season. Sophomore goalkeeper Brian Holt has now logged 15 shutouts in 24 career starts.
Another Kallman: With Brent Kallman making his Creighton debut on Sept. 19, he follows in the footsteps of older brother Brian, who played for the Bluejays in 2005. The younger Kallman will hope to be a mainstay in the Bluejay lineup for four years, while the older Kallman played his final year of eligibility with the Jays after playing three years at Jacksonville. Older sisters Krystle and Kylie are both part of the Minnesota soccer program, with Krystle serving on the Gopher coaching staff and Kylie as a junior defender.
Sinovic's Second Sr. Season: Opponents are disappointed to find out that Seth Sinovic is back for his fifth season of soccer at Creighton after being listed as a senior on last year's Bluejay roster. It wasn't until after what was thought to be his final year on campus last year, that the Jays appealed to the NCAA for a redshirt. Sinovic was limited to just four minutes of play in one contest during his first year on campus in 2005. The fifth-year captain is now back for what is sure to be his final collegiate soccer campaign.
Battling the Best: Creighton knocked off No. 23 Cal Poly 1-0 on Sept. 5 to improve to 51-38-9 all-time against the coaches top 25. The Jays are an impressive 13-1-1 (.900) against the NSCAA top 25 at Morrison Stadium and are now 23-8-2 against nationally-ranked opponents at home all-time. Last year, CU went 4-1-1 against the top-25.
National Player of the Year Candidates: Creighton and Loyola (Md.) are the only schools in the country with three players 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. Fifth-year seniors Byron Dacy, Chris Schuler and Seth Sinovic are each on the list. Dacy, a forward, is the first player in the award's history to be named to the list four times. Schuler, a defender, was an NSCAA Second-Team All-American last year and Sinovic, a defender, was an NSCAA All-Region pick. Andrei Gotsmanov was a semifinalist for the award last year. The trio is 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
2009 Byron Dacy, Chris Schuler, Seth Sinovic
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
Preseason Favorites: The Missouri Valley Conference coaches have tabbed the Bluejays as preseason favorites for the fifth straight season. CU received four of the six first-place votes to total 34 points. Drake, which received a first-place vote, is picked to finish second with 27 points.
Scoreless Opener: With their 0-0 draw with Loyola (Ill.) to open the year, the Jays have played to ties in five of their last nine season-openers and four of their last eight home openers. The 0-0 scoreless draw was the third to open the season for Creighton in school history, all coming at home since the 2001 season (2001, 2003, 2009). Each of CU's last three ties have been 0-0 finals (two scoreless draws last year).
Record Setters: Creighton established a school-record with 13 shutouts last year, eclipsing the mark of 11 set in both 1996 and 1999. Brian Holt was in goal for 12 of the 13 shutouts, establishing an individual school record for clean sheets. The Jays also set a school record with six consecutive shutouts from Sept. 19 - Oct. 8 last year, with Holt in net for a record-setting 722:12 straight without allowing a goal. (Better the former mark by nearly 160 minutes). Holt's 0.51 goals against average tied the single-season CU record.
Senior Citizens: Creighton has seven seniors on the roster this year, including fifth-year guys Byron Dacy, Chris Schuler and Seth Sinovic. Akin Akinrinade, Thomas Gjoesund, Trent Senske and Jeff Thayer round out the largest senior class at CU since 2006. Schuler, Sinovic and Thayer are each on the preseason all-MVC team.
Nine of 11 Starters Back: Creighton returns nine starters from last year's team, including every defensive starter from a team which led the NCAA in shutout percentage (.650), finished second in the nation with a 0.48 goals against average and set a school-record with 13 shutouts. Goalkeeper Brian Holt and key defensive cogs Chris Schuler, Seth Sinovic, Akin Akinrinade, Kyle Deremer and Greg Jordan are all back. Attackers Jeff Thayer and Ethan Finlay tied for second on the team with 16 points last year. Byron Dacy and Sergio Castillo both earned 10 starts last year as well. The Jays lost just Andrei Gotsmanov and Tim Walters from the starting eleven.
Fantastic Fans: Creighton ranked fifth in the nation in both overall and average attendance in 2008. The Jays brought in 28,647 fans for an average of 2,604 per game. CU had four crowds of better than 3,000 fans last year, including a season-high 4,071 against Gonzaga in the season-opener. The Bluejays have ranked in the top-10 in the NCAA attendance in each of the first six seasons of Morrison Stadium.
Top Five Creighton Home Crowds
1 – 5,812 vs. UCLA, Sept. 8, 2007
2 – 5,743 vs. Stanford (Exh.), Aug. 26, 2005
3 – 5,609 vs. Missouri State, Sept. 19, 2009
3 – 4,407 vs. Saint Louis, Aug. 31, 1997
4 – 4,345 vs. Virginia (Exh.), Aug. 28, 1993
Top Five Morrison Stadium Crowds
1 – 5,812 vs. UCLA, Sept. 8, 2007
2 – 5,743 vs. Stanford (Exh.), Aug. 26, 2005
3 – 5,609 vs. Missouri State, Sept. 19, 2009
4 – 4,071 vs. Gonzaga, Aug. 29, 2008
5 – 4,029 vs. UMKC (Exh.), Aug. 27, 2004
Gotsmanov Gone: The Bluejay offense will need to replace 2008 leading scorer Andrei Gotsmanov. Gotsmanov was a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy last year, leading the team and MVC with 10 goals. He added four assists to top the Jays with 24 points and earn become CU's first NSCAA First-Team All-American since 2002. Despite playing just two seasons at Creighton, Gotsmanov ended his career with Morrison Stadium career records in points (34), goals (14), shots (83) and shots on goal (32).
Walters Still Around: Tim Walters joins the Bluejay coaching staff as a student assistant as he finishes his undergraduate degree this year. Walters played at Creighton for three years, starting 29 of 53 matches played. One of three Bluejays to start every match last year, all three of his goals scored in 2008 were game-winners.
Schuler has CLASS: Chris Schuler is one of 30 national men's soccer student-athletes who excel both on and off the pitch who are candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – classroom, character, community and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School™, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot.
Preseason Summary: Creighton finished 2-1-0 in the exhibition season, posting a pair of home shutouts to go along with a 4-2 road loss to the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer. The Jays opened with a 7-0 rout of the Red Fury Latin All-Stars on Aug. 22. Seniors Thomas Gjoesund and Jeff Thayer each scored twice in that win. Ethan Finlay scored both goals in CU's loss at Kansas City on Aug. 24. The Jays then notched a 5-0 win over the Nebraska Club Team on Aug. 27, with five different players scoring. Thayer and Finlay, the Jays' returning leading scorers from last year, topped the team with three goals each in the preseason.
Playing in Peru: The Bluejays had an opportunity to play and train during an 11-day trip to Peru in late May. The team traveled to the country's capital of Lima from May 21 through June 1 and stayed at the Regatas Club. The Jays took on professional teams and collegiate squads at different venues in the South American country. As part of the foreign tour, the Jays were allotted 10 days of training prior to the trip, providing valuable time together to prepare for the 2009 season.
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/ Men's SoccerCreighton Media Availability Men's Soccer - 11/5/25
Wednesday, November 05
Creighton MSOC Highlights & Postgame vs Seton Hall 11 1 25
Sunday, November 02
Creighton Men's Soccer Media Availability - 10/29/25
Wednesday, October 29
Creighton Men's Soccer Highlights at Butler -10-25-25
Saturday, October 25
