Men's Soccer Shoots For 12th MVC Title This Weekend
11/10/2009 3:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Creighton at State Farm MVC Tournament
at Drake • Friday, Nov. 13, 6 p.m. • Cownie Soccer Complex • Des Moines, Iowa
Championship • Sunday, Nov. 15, 1 p.m. • Cownie Soccer Complex • Des Moines, Iowa
Following the Jays: Live stats for all MVC Tournament matches can be followed by clicking on the 'Live Stats' links at www.gocreighton.com. Fans can watch a live video stream of both MVC semifinal matches by clicking on the 'Live Video' link on Creighton's home page. The championship match will be televised live on Fox Sports Net.
This Week: The Bluejays will look to play in their fifth straight State Farm MVC Tournament championship match and claim their 12th tournament crown when they take part in the event hosted by Drake at Des Moines' Cownie Soccer Complex this weekend. Playing as the No. 3 seed, the Bluejays will take on host and No. 2 seed Drake on Friday at 6 p.m., following the first semifinal between top-seeded Missouri State and fourth-seeded Evansville at 3:30 p.m.
Last Week: Creighton concluded the regular-season with a 3-3 draw at Drake last Saturday night. After falling behind 1-0, the Jays evened the match, only to lose the lead in 36 seconds. The Jays trailed 2-1 at the half and scored in the 77th and 88th minutes, but again Drake would score the equalizer in 39 seconds, with just 1:50 remaining in regulation. Josh Moran scored his first goal as a Bluejay and assisted the other two scores, including junior Sergio Castillo's first career goal.
Scouting Creighton (7-3-5, 4-2-4 MVC): The Bluejays have lost just once in their last 10 matches, posting a 5-1-4 record in that span. CU is 2-0-4 in true road matches this season, with all four draws coming inside MVC play. CU has scored only 19 goals in 15 matches this fall, topping more than one goal in a match four times. The Bluejays again have a dominating defense this season, which has allowed only 10 goals and has posted eight shutouts. Creighton owns a league-best 0.62 goals against average, which ranks 11th in the NCAA, while their shutout percentage of .533 ranks 12th in the nation. Sophomore goalkeeper Brian Holt has been in net for all eight Bluejay shutouts this year, while his 0.57 career goals against average is both a school and league record. Holt's 0.63 GAA this year leads the MVC and ranks 12th in the NCAA. Holt, the 2008 MVC Freshman of the Year, is aided by a starting back line which includes two of CU's three National Player of the Year candidates (all of which are fifth-year seniors). All-American defender Chris Schuler (2008 MVC Defensive Player of the Year) and fellow co-captain Seth Sinovic are joined by Creighton's other fifth-year senior Byron Dacy on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. Sinovic is not only a leader on defense, but he also ranks second on the team with three goals, four assists and 10 points. Sophomore forward Ethan Finlay leads the team with seven goals and 17 points, while his five game-winning goals this season again leads the MVC (after topping the league with four game-winners last year). Freshman Dion Acoff – a member of the United States U-18 Men's National Team – has turned his play up recently and ranks second on the team with four assists. Newcomer Josh Moran, an NAIA All-American transfer, leads the Jays with five assists – all coming during MVC play.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea, 1975) is in his second stint as the Bluejays' head coach with a 190-60-34 (.729) record in his 14th season at CU. His overall record is 383-179-64 (.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. Warming is 19-4-1 all-time in MVC Tournament play, leading his team to seven Valley postseason titles.
CU-DU Series: The Bluejays are 20-2-7 all-time against Drake, which included a 14-match winning streak from 1992 through 2001.
• The Jays are 3-2-4 in their last nine meetings with Drake, including a 1-0 loss in Omaha on Oct. 14 and a 3-3 draw last Saturday in Des Moines.
• Five of the last 10 meetings between the teams have gone into overtime.
• DU's win at CU last month marked its first ever victory in Omaha, as the Jays are 12-1-2 against the Bulldogs at home now.
• CU is 6-1-4 all-time in Des Moines against the Bulldogs, including ties in both of the last two trips to Cownie Soccer Complex.
• The Jays are 5-0-0 all-time against Drake in the MVC Tournament, but have not met DU in the postseason since 1997.
CU-MSU Series: Creighton is 18-7-4 all-time against the Bears, including 0-1-1 this season.
• CU is 3-1-3 in its last seven meetings with the Bears.
• The Bluejays have scored just one goal in their last 400 minutes against MSU, spanning four games.
• CU is 6-1-0 against MSU in the MVC Tournament, including a 1-0 win in the championship match last year.
CU-UE Series: Creighton is 19-3-1 all-time against the Purple Aces, including 1-0-1 this season.
• CU won 2-1 in Omaha this year, despite playing a man down for the final 30 minutes. UE scored first, CU tied it in the 58th minute and Thomas Gjoesund was sent off with a red card in the 60th minute. Jeff Thayer scored the game-winner in the 77th minute.
• CU is 7-0-1 in its last eight meetings with the Aces and 12-1-1 in its last 14.
• CU is 5-1-0 all-time against UE in the MVC Tournament.
MVC Tournament History: The Bluejays enter the weekend with a 29-6-1 all-time MVC tournament record, the most tournament victories in league history. CU has won more tournament titles, 11, than all other MVC teams combined, earning its 11th last year in Evansville. The Jays have appeared in 14 of the 18 MVC tournament championship matches, including the last four. The Jays have lost in the quarterfinals once, the semifinals three times, in the championship match three times and won the other 11 tournaments in which they've appeared. The Jays are the only team in league history with more than three tournament titles. CU is 17-3-0 all-time in MVC tournament matches away from Omaha, including eight straight wins in tournament games away from Omaha.
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, Bradley won the tourney in Omaha in 2007 and the Jays won in Evansville last year.
Defense Wins Championships: The Bluejays have posted six shutouts in their last eight MVC Tournament matches and have logged 15 shutouts in 36 Valley tourney games all-time. The Bluejays have a 0.79 goals against average in 3,426 minutes all-time in the MVC postseason.
MVC Tournament Recognition: Current Bluejays Byron Dacy, Ethan Finlay, Brian Holt, 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 and repeated in 2008. Castillo and Sinovic were on the all-tournament team in 2007 and Finlay and Holt were honored last year.
NCAA Tournament: The Bluejays will be looking to lock up the MVC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament this weekend. Should CU not win the event, the Bluejays will look to the committee to award them their 18th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Only Indiana, UCLA and Virginia have also been to the last 17 NCAA postseasons.
RPI Info: Creighton enters the MVC Tournament with an official RPI of 35, second in the MVC behind Drake's 27. Missouri State's RPI stands at 37 entering the event. The Jays own 1-0 wins over RPI No. 5 UCLA and No. 51 Washington, while they lost 2-1 to RPI No. 43 Portland.
Novembers to Remember: Creighton has not lost a match in November since 2007, posting a 6-0-0 month last year. After a 3-3 draw with Drake last Saturday, the Jays are 19-2-4 (.840) in the month of November since 2004.
Road Warriors: The road has been good to the Jays in recent years – from the start of the 2007 season until the final match of the 2008 season, the Jays put together a 15 match unbeaten streak away from Omaha, including 8-0-3 in true road matches in that span. The Jays just wrapped up their third straight regular-season without a road loss, going 2-0-4 in true away games. Since 2007, the Jays are now 14-2-7 in their last 23 matches away from Omaha – 10-1-7 in true road matches and 4-1-0 in neutral contests.
Drawing With the Jays: Creighton has tied a school record with five draws this season, equalling the mark set just two years ago. Included in the record-tying five ties, are a school and MVC record four ties inside of conference play. CU had never previously tied more than twice in MVC play and the former MVC mark of three ties in conference action was set by Vanderbilt in 1997 and tied by Drake in 2006.
Speaking of Ties: With its 1-0 win over seventh-ranked UCLA (Oct. 31), Creighton has now followed its last 14 draws with wins, including the first four instances this year. Following both of CU's ties last year, each of CU's five ties in 2007 and three ties in 2006, CU was victorious. The Jays have not followed a tie with a loss since Oct. 5, 2005 when it lost 2-1 to Illinois-Chicago after a scoreless draw with UMKC. The Jays enter MVC play coming off of a draw.
Easy as 1-2-3: Creighton will be facing Drake for a third time this season on Friday night. Only once since the program was restarted in 1990 have the Jays faced an opponent three times in one season, playing Saint Louis three times in 1997. CU went 1-1-1 against SLU that year, playing the first two matches of the year and the last (a 1-0 SLU win in the NCAA Tournament).
1-0 is the Score: Six of Creighton's 15 matches this year have been decided by a final of 1-0, including four of the Jays' seven wins. CU's only two MVC losses were 1-0 finals.
You Guys Again: Creighton and Drake will also square off for the second straight match, something which has occurred five times since 1990, four as a result of the MVC Tournament. CU has not lost any of the 10 matches featured in the previous five back-to-back meetings.
• In 1997 CU opened the season with consecutive meetings with SLU, tying the first and winning the second.
• In 1997 CU ended the regular-season with a win over Drake and opened the MVC tourney with a win over the Bulldogs.
• In 1998 CU ended the regular-season with a tie at Eastern Illinois and opened the MVC tourney with a win over the Panthers.
• In 2005 CU ended the regular-season with a win over Vanderbilt and again topped the Commodores to open the MVC tournament.
• In 2007 the Jays won at Evansville to end the regular-season and topped UE to open MVC tourney play.
Two Losses, One Team: Drake or Missouri State could have a chance this weekend to do something only one other team has accomplished since the CU program was born again in 1990 – beat the Bluejays twice in one season. The only team to hand CU two losses in one year was SMU in 2001, when the Mustangs were ranked No. 1 in both meetings and needed four overtimes in the MVC championship game to top the Jays, 2-1.
Streak Stopper: Creighton's 3-3 tie at Drake last Saturday snapped an impressive streak which spanned 18 years. The Bluejays had won 135 straight matches, dating to 1991, when scoring at least three goals in a match. In fact, the tie was just the fourth time in 172 all-time matches CU has scored three or more goals, that it did not win, moving to 168-1-3 in such contests.
High Scoring Tie: The 3-3 tie at Drake was CU's highest scoring stalemate since also tying 3-3 at No. 4 Virginia on Sept. 7, 1991. That UVA match also served as the last time CU failed to win a match when scoring at least three goals.
Firsts in the Last: Each of Creighton's three goals in its final regular-season match at Drake last Saturday were scored by a Bluejay who had not previously scored this year. Junior transfer Josh Moran opened the scoring with his first goal as a Bluejay. Junior Sergio Castillo added his first career goal and Chris Schuler knocked in his first tally of the year – fifth of his career.
More from Moran: Josh Moran has logged seven points in his first season at Creighton, after earning All-America honors at NAIA Hastings (Neb.) College. All seven of the junior midfielder's points came in MVC play, where his five assists tied for the league-lead.
What a Winner: Sophomore Ethan Finlay has scored seven goals this season, including a league-leading five game-winners. Five of his seven goals this year came in Valley play, tying for the league-lead. Of his 13 career goals, nine have been game-winning tallies. He led the conference with four game-winning scores as a freshman last year and his nine career game-winners is tops among active Bluejays.
Holt is No. 1: Sophomore goalkeeper Brian Holt has logged eight shutouts this season and his career goals against average now stands at 0.57. That GAA is currently the best in both school and league history, topping Tom Zawislan's record of 0.66 set between 1996-99. Holt has allowed just 20 goals in 34 career matches and 3,176 minutes played. He has logged 20 shutouts in his 34 career starts.
Thank You For Coming: A Missouri Valley Conference record crowd of 5,609 attended Creighton's match with Missouri State on Sept. 19. 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 last year when 3,192 attended the CU-Evansville match on Oct. 11.
Attendance Leaders: Creighton is ranked among the nation's attendance leaders once again, as the Bluejays averaged 2,427 fans at home this year. That places the Bluejays fourth in the NCAA in attendance, ranking in the top five for the third straight year and top 10 for the seventh straight season. A list of the top-five attendance leaders in the country is below (according to Soccer America).
Rank School Avg. Attendance
1. UC Santa Barbara 4,798
2. Connecticut 3,037
3. Maryland 2,602
4. Creighton 2,427
5. New Mexico 2,348
Pulling Rank: Creighton is 2-1-0 against top-25 opponents this year, defeating then No. 23 Cal Poly 1-0 (Sept. 5) and No. 7 UCLA 1-0 (Oct. 31) and falling by the same score to Drake on Oct. 14 – all at home. The Bluejays are an impressive 14-2-1 (.853) against the NSCAA top 25 at Morrison Stadium and are now 24-9-2 against nationally-ranked opponents at home all-time. The Jays are 53-39-9 all-time against the coaches top 25, 8-14-0 at neutral sites.
Home Sweet Morrison: With its 5-2-1 record this year, the Bluejays are 52-11-11 (.777) all-time at Morrison Stadium. Since 1990, the Bluejays are 153-27-15 (.823) at home.
There's the Offense: Creighton scored a season-high five goals against Eastern Illinois (Oct. 11) after having scored just six goals through its first eight matches. Five different players scored and eight different Bluejays recorded an assist in the match, with Josh Moran dishing two helpers in the 5-1 victory. The Jays also unloaded a season-high 26 shots and 15 shots on goal.
Records Set & Tied: In Creighton's 5-1 win over Eastern Illinois (Oct. 11), the Bluejays set a Morrison Stadium record and tied a pair marks. The Jays' 15 shots on goal broke the former mark of 13, which had been done three times previously, last against Vanderbilt on Oct. 15, 2004. CU's nine assists and 19 points tied the facility mark set against EIU on Oct. 8, 2005.
Snow Day: Record-breaking cold temperatures and a surprise 5-inch snowfall on Oct. 10 forced Creighton to postpone its match against Eastern Illinois by a day. The teams moved their match from 7 p.m. on the 10th, to a 1 p.m. kickoff on the 11th (when temperatures were a 'balmy' 38 and the wind chill was 32).
First Time for Everything: A few unfortunate firsts occurred in CU's loss to Drake on Oct. 14. The Bulldogs captured their first ever victory in Omaha, after the Jays had been 12-0-2 against DU all-time at home. The loss also marked CU's second home Valley loss of the year – the first time the Jays have lost more than one home conference match in a season.
Thayer's Record: Omaha native Jeff Thayer now owns a Morrison Stadium record for shots on goal in a career. The senior has moved his career total at the venue to 34, surpassing the former mark of Andrei Gotsmanov (32) set from 2007-08.
That's a Handful: Five different Bluejays scored a goal in a 5-1 victory over Eastern Illinois (Oct. 11), the first time five different Jays had scored in a match since Oct. 19, 2005 at Georgetown (6-0 win).
Impressive Numbers: When Creighton moved its match and then played in near freezing temperatures against Eastern Illinois on Oct. 11, it caused an impressive attendance streak to stop. Only 851 fans turned out to the match, snapping a streak of 43 straight home matches played in front of at least 1,000 fans – dating from Oct. 8, 2005 through Oct. 3, 2009.
Putting perspective on the streak – among the other five current MVC members combined there had been a total of 25 home matches which have surpassed 1,000 fans in that same span. Of those 25, Bradley had 20, Evansville had three, Drake and Missouri State had one each and Eastern Illinois never eclipsed 1,000 at home. In fact of those 25 dates, CU was the opponent in six matches, including the only 1,000 fan home match for DU and MSU.
Acing the Aces: Jeff Thayer scored his fourth career game-winning goal in a win over Evansville (Oct. 3). It was his first game-winner since 2007. His last three game-winning goals have all come against Evansville, topping the Purple Aces in both the 2007 regular-season and MVC Tournament.
The Key is Senske: Senior Trent Senske has appeared in five matches this year and 18 in his career and the Bluejays have never lost when he's seen playing time. In fact, before this year the Jays had won every match Senske appeared in. CU is 3-0-2 (wins over Cal Poly, Eastern Illinois and Bradley, ties vs. Missouri State and Drake) when he plays this year and 16-0-2 in his career.
Take a Break: Through Creighton's first eight matches, goalkeeper Brian Holt and the entire Bluejay back line of Akin Akinrinade, Kyle Deremer, Chris Schuler and Seth Sinovic had played every minute of every match. All five were able to get a break in CU's ninth match, a 5-1 win over Eastern Illinois (Oct. 11). Schuler played all but 13 minutes in the match – giving him one more minute of breathing time than he had all of last year (a 12 minute break against UMKC on Sept. 13). Sinovic had played every minute of CU's last 25 matches and Schuler had played every minute of 24 straight contests.
Backup's Not Bad: Sophomore backup goalkeeper Nick Goldreich saw his first playing time of the season in Creighton's 5-1 win over Eastern Illinois (Oct. 11). The keeper played the final 27:30 and made one save to keep his career goals against average a perfect 0.00 in 138 career minutes played.
Kallman Soccer Family: Brent Kallman made his Creighton debut on Sept. 19, following in the footsteps of older brother Brian, who played for the Bluejays in 2005. The younger Kallman started seven of 12 matches played this year and 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.
More Than One: With three losses this season, the Jays have 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.
Been Here Before: The 2009 Bluejays weren't the first Creighton team to be 5-3-3 through 11 matches. The 2003 squad was also 5-3-3 (after starting 3-3-3). The 2003 team would go 7-3-1 after the sluggish start and finish one win shy of the College Cup, losing 3-2 to No. 6 St. John's in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals to end the season with a 12-6-4 record.
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.
October Dominance: Creighton's loss to Drake on Oct. 14 marked the first Bluejay loss in the month of October since 2006, snapping a 16-match unbeaten streak in the month (11-0-5). The Jays went 4-1-3 this October after posting a 4-0-2 mark in October last year and 5-0-2 in the month in 2007. Since 2002, the Jays are 43-8-11 (.782) in the month of October, including four unbeaten October's in that span (2002, 2003, 2007, 2008).
More Streaks Snapped: 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.
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. In fact, Sinovic scored three straight 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. The Jays have recorded eight shutouts in 15 matches this fall to rank 12th in the nation in shutout percentage after leading the country in that category last year.
California Dreaming: After their 1-0 win over No. 7 UCLA on Oct. 31, the Bluejays are undefeated in their last 12 matches against California-based schools, posting an 9-0-3 record in that span. In fact, Creighton has not allowed a goal to a California school in its last eight meetings, out-scoring Golden State squads 9-0 in that span. CU posted a 4-0-0 record against California teams last year, out-scoring Cali schools 6-0. CU last allowed a goal to a California school in a 2-2 tie with San Diego State on Aug. 31, 2007 and last lost to a team from Cali on Sept. 7, 2003 (2-1, 2OT, at Loyola Marymount).
Jordan Out: Starting sophomore midfielder Greg Jordan will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) against Cal Poly on Sept. 5. The hard-nosed defensive-mid started 18 of the first 20 matches of his career, including both matches he played in this year before injuring his knee.
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.
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
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.
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.
at Drake • Friday, Nov. 13, 6 p.m. • Cownie Soccer Complex • Des Moines, Iowa
Championship • Sunday, Nov. 15, 1 p.m. • Cownie Soccer Complex • Des Moines, Iowa
Following the Jays: Live stats for all MVC Tournament matches can be followed by clicking on the 'Live Stats' links at www.gocreighton.com. Fans can watch a live video stream of both MVC semifinal matches by clicking on the 'Live Video' link on Creighton's home page. The championship match will be televised live on Fox Sports Net.
This Week: The Bluejays will look to play in their fifth straight State Farm MVC Tournament championship match and claim their 12th tournament crown when they take part in the event hosted by Drake at Des Moines' Cownie Soccer Complex this weekend. Playing as the No. 3 seed, the Bluejays will take on host and No. 2 seed Drake on Friday at 6 p.m., following the first semifinal between top-seeded Missouri State and fourth-seeded Evansville at 3:30 p.m.
Last Week: Creighton concluded the regular-season with a 3-3 draw at Drake last Saturday night. After falling behind 1-0, the Jays evened the match, only to lose the lead in 36 seconds. The Jays trailed 2-1 at the half and scored in the 77th and 88th minutes, but again Drake would score the equalizer in 39 seconds, with just 1:50 remaining in regulation. Josh Moran scored his first goal as a Bluejay and assisted the other two scores, including junior Sergio Castillo's first career goal.
Scouting Creighton (7-3-5, 4-2-4 MVC): The Bluejays have lost just once in their last 10 matches, posting a 5-1-4 record in that span. CU is 2-0-4 in true road matches this season, with all four draws coming inside MVC play. CU has scored only 19 goals in 15 matches this fall, topping more than one goal in a match four times. The Bluejays again have a dominating defense this season, which has allowed only 10 goals and has posted eight shutouts. Creighton owns a league-best 0.62 goals against average, which ranks 11th in the NCAA, while their shutout percentage of .533 ranks 12th in the nation. Sophomore goalkeeper Brian Holt has been in net for all eight Bluejay shutouts this year, while his 0.57 career goals against average is both a school and league record. Holt's 0.63 GAA this year leads the MVC and ranks 12th in the NCAA. Holt, the 2008 MVC Freshman of the Year, is aided by a starting back line which includes two of CU's three National Player of the Year candidates (all of which are fifth-year seniors). All-American defender Chris Schuler (2008 MVC Defensive Player of the Year) and fellow co-captain Seth Sinovic are joined by Creighton's other fifth-year senior Byron Dacy on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. Sinovic is not only a leader on defense, but he also ranks second on the team with three goals, four assists and 10 points. Sophomore forward Ethan Finlay leads the team with seven goals and 17 points, while his five game-winning goals this season again leads the MVC (after topping the league with four game-winners last year). Freshman Dion Acoff – a member of the United States U-18 Men's National Team – has turned his play up recently and ranks second on the team with four assists. Newcomer Josh Moran, an NAIA All-American transfer, leads the Jays with five assists – all coming during MVC play.
Head Coach: Head coach Bob Warming (Berea, 1975) is in his second stint as the Bluejays' head coach with a 190-60-34 (.729) record in his 14th season at CU. His overall record is 383-179-64 (.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. Warming is 19-4-1 all-time in MVC Tournament play, leading his team to seven Valley postseason titles.
CU-DU Series: The Bluejays are 20-2-7 all-time against Drake, which included a 14-match winning streak from 1992 through 2001.
• The Jays are 3-2-4 in their last nine meetings with Drake, including a 1-0 loss in Omaha on Oct. 14 and a 3-3 draw last Saturday in Des Moines.
• Five of the last 10 meetings between the teams have gone into overtime.
• DU's win at CU last month marked its first ever victory in Omaha, as the Jays are 12-1-2 against the Bulldogs at home now.
• CU is 6-1-4 all-time in Des Moines against the Bulldogs, including ties in both of the last two trips to Cownie Soccer Complex.
• The Jays are 5-0-0 all-time against Drake in the MVC Tournament, but have not met DU in the postseason since 1997.
CU-MSU Series: Creighton is 18-7-4 all-time against the Bears, including 0-1-1 this season.
• CU is 3-1-3 in its last seven meetings with the Bears.
• The Bluejays have scored just one goal in their last 400 minutes against MSU, spanning four games.
• CU is 6-1-0 against MSU in the MVC Tournament, including a 1-0 win in the championship match last year.
CU-UE Series: Creighton is 19-3-1 all-time against the Purple Aces, including 1-0-1 this season.
• CU won 2-1 in Omaha this year, despite playing a man down for the final 30 minutes. UE scored first, CU tied it in the 58th minute and Thomas Gjoesund was sent off with a red card in the 60th minute. Jeff Thayer scored the game-winner in the 77th minute.
• CU is 7-0-1 in its last eight meetings with the Aces and 12-1-1 in its last 14.
• CU is 5-1-0 all-time against UE in the MVC Tournament.
MVC Tournament History: The Bluejays enter the weekend with a 29-6-1 all-time MVC tournament record, the most tournament victories in league history. CU has won more tournament titles, 11, than all other MVC teams combined, earning its 11th last year in Evansville. The Jays have appeared in 14 of the 18 MVC tournament championship matches, including the last four. The Jays have lost in the quarterfinals once, the semifinals three times, in the championship match three times and won the other 11 tournaments in which they've appeared. The Jays are the only team in league history with more than three tournament titles. CU is 17-3-0 all-time in MVC tournament matches away from Omaha, including eight straight wins in tournament games away from Omaha.
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, Bradley won the tourney in Omaha in 2007 and the Jays won in Evansville last year.
Defense Wins Championships: The Bluejays have posted six shutouts in their last eight MVC Tournament matches and have logged 15 shutouts in 36 Valley tourney games all-time. The Bluejays have a 0.79 goals against average in 3,426 minutes all-time in the MVC postseason.
MVC Tournament Recognition: Current Bluejays Byron Dacy, Ethan Finlay, Brian Holt, 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 and repeated in 2008. Castillo and Sinovic were on the all-tournament team in 2007 and Finlay and Holt were honored last year.
NCAA Tournament: The Bluejays will be looking to lock up the MVC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament this weekend. Should CU not win the event, the Bluejays will look to the committee to award them their 18th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Only Indiana, UCLA and Virginia have also been to the last 17 NCAA postseasons.
RPI Info: Creighton enters the MVC Tournament with an official RPI of 35, second in the MVC behind Drake's 27. Missouri State's RPI stands at 37 entering the event. The Jays own 1-0 wins over RPI No. 5 UCLA and No. 51 Washington, while they lost 2-1 to RPI No. 43 Portland.
Novembers to Remember: Creighton has not lost a match in November since 2007, posting a 6-0-0 month last year. After a 3-3 draw with Drake last Saturday, the Jays are 19-2-4 (.840) in the month of November since 2004.
Road Warriors: The road has been good to the Jays in recent years – from the start of the 2007 season until the final match of the 2008 season, the Jays put together a 15 match unbeaten streak away from Omaha, including 8-0-3 in true road matches in that span. The Jays just wrapped up their third straight regular-season without a road loss, going 2-0-4 in true away games. Since 2007, the Jays are now 14-2-7 in their last 23 matches away from Omaha – 10-1-7 in true road matches and 4-1-0 in neutral contests.
Drawing With the Jays: Creighton has tied a school record with five draws this season, equalling the mark set just two years ago. Included in the record-tying five ties, are a school and MVC record four ties inside of conference play. CU had never previously tied more than twice in MVC play and the former MVC mark of three ties in conference action was set by Vanderbilt in 1997 and tied by Drake in 2006.
Speaking of Ties: With its 1-0 win over seventh-ranked UCLA (Oct. 31), Creighton has now followed its last 14 draws with wins, including the first four instances this year. Following both of CU's ties last year, each of CU's five ties in 2007 and three ties in 2006, CU was victorious. The Jays have not followed a tie with a loss since Oct. 5, 2005 when it lost 2-1 to Illinois-Chicago after a scoreless draw with UMKC. The Jays enter MVC play coming off of a draw.
Easy as 1-2-3: Creighton will be facing Drake for a third time this season on Friday night. Only once since the program was restarted in 1990 have the Jays faced an opponent three times in one season, playing Saint Louis three times in 1997. CU went 1-1-1 against SLU that year, playing the first two matches of the year and the last (a 1-0 SLU win in the NCAA Tournament).
1-0 is the Score: Six of Creighton's 15 matches this year have been decided by a final of 1-0, including four of the Jays' seven wins. CU's only two MVC losses were 1-0 finals.
You Guys Again: Creighton and Drake will also square off for the second straight match, something which has occurred five times since 1990, four as a result of the MVC Tournament. CU has not lost any of the 10 matches featured in the previous five back-to-back meetings.
• In 1997 CU opened the season with consecutive meetings with SLU, tying the first and winning the second.
• In 1997 CU ended the regular-season with a win over Drake and opened the MVC tourney with a win over the Bulldogs.
• In 1998 CU ended the regular-season with a tie at Eastern Illinois and opened the MVC tourney with a win over the Panthers.
• In 2005 CU ended the regular-season with a win over Vanderbilt and again topped the Commodores to open the MVC tournament.
• In 2007 the Jays won at Evansville to end the regular-season and topped UE to open MVC tourney play.
Two Losses, One Team: Drake or Missouri State could have a chance this weekend to do something only one other team has accomplished since the CU program was born again in 1990 – beat the Bluejays twice in one season. The only team to hand CU two losses in one year was SMU in 2001, when the Mustangs were ranked No. 1 in both meetings and needed four overtimes in the MVC championship game to top the Jays, 2-1.
Streak Stopper: Creighton's 3-3 tie at Drake last Saturday snapped an impressive streak which spanned 18 years. The Bluejays had won 135 straight matches, dating to 1991, when scoring at least three goals in a match. In fact, the tie was just the fourth time in 172 all-time matches CU has scored three or more goals, that it did not win, moving to 168-1-3 in such contests.
High Scoring Tie: The 3-3 tie at Drake was CU's highest scoring stalemate since also tying 3-3 at No. 4 Virginia on Sept. 7, 1991. That UVA match also served as the last time CU failed to win a match when scoring at least three goals.
Firsts in the Last: Each of Creighton's three goals in its final regular-season match at Drake last Saturday were scored by a Bluejay who had not previously scored this year. Junior transfer Josh Moran opened the scoring with his first goal as a Bluejay. Junior Sergio Castillo added his first career goal and Chris Schuler knocked in his first tally of the year – fifth of his career.
More from Moran: Josh Moran has logged seven points in his first season at Creighton, after earning All-America honors at NAIA Hastings (Neb.) College. All seven of the junior midfielder's points came in MVC play, where his five assists tied for the league-lead.
What a Winner: Sophomore Ethan Finlay has scored seven goals this season, including a league-leading five game-winners. Five of his seven goals this year came in Valley play, tying for the league-lead. Of his 13 career goals, nine have been game-winning tallies. He led the conference with four game-winning scores as a freshman last year and his nine career game-winners is tops among active Bluejays.
Holt is No. 1: Sophomore goalkeeper Brian Holt has logged eight shutouts this season and his career goals against average now stands at 0.57. That GAA is currently the best in both school and league history, topping Tom Zawislan's record of 0.66 set between 1996-99. Holt has allowed just 20 goals in 34 career matches and 3,176 minutes played. He has logged 20 shutouts in his 34 career starts.
Thank You For Coming: A Missouri Valley Conference record crowd of 5,609 attended Creighton's match with Missouri State on Sept. 19. 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 last year when 3,192 attended the CU-Evansville match on Oct. 11.
Attendance Leaders: Creighton is ranked among the nation's attendance leaders once again, as the Bluejays averaged 2,427 fans at home this year. That places the Bluejays fourth in the NCAA in attendance, ranking in the top five for the third straight year and top 10 for the seventh straight season. A list of the top-five attendance leaders in the country is below (according to Soccer America).
Rank School Avg. Attendance
1. UC Santa Barbara 4,798
2. Connecticut 3,037
3. Maryland 2,602
4. Creighton 2,427
5. New Mexico 2,348
Pulling Rank: Creighton is 2-1-0 against top-25 opponents this year, defeating then No. 23 Cal Poly 1-0 (Sept. 5) and No. 7 UCLA 1-0 (Oct. 31) and falling by the same score to Drake on Oct. 14 – all at home. The Bluejays are an impressive 14-2-1 (.853) against the NSCAA top 25 at Morrison Stadium and are now 24-9-2 against nationally-ranked opponents at home all-time. The Jays are 53-39-9 all-time against the coaches top 25, 8-14-0 at neutral sites.
Home Sweet Morrison: With its 5-2-1 record this year, the Bluejays are 52-11-11 (.777) all-time at Morrison Stadium. Since 1990, the Bluejays are 153-27-15 (.823) at home.
There's the Offense: Creighton scored a season-high five goals against Eastern Illinois (Oct. 11) after having scored just six goals through its first eight matches. Five different players scored and eight different Bluejays recorded an assist in the match, with Josh Moran dishing two helpers in the 5-1 victory. The Jays also unloaded a season-high 26 shots and 15 shots on goal.
Records Set & Tied: In Creighton's 5-1 win over Eastern Illinois (Oct. 11), the Bluejays set a Morrison Stadium record and tied a pair marks. The Jays' 15 shots on goal broke the former mark of 13, which had been done three times previously, last against Vanderbilt on Oct. 15, 2004. CU's nine assists and 19 points tied the facility mark set against EIU on Oct. 8, 2005.
Snow Day: Record-breaking cold temperatures and a surprise 5-inch snowfall on Oct. 10 forced Creighton to postpone its match against Eastern Illinois by a day. The teams moved their match from 7 p.m. on the 10th, to a 1 p.m. kickoff on the 11th (when temperatures were a 'balmy' 38 and the wind chill was 32).
First Time for Everything: A few unfortunate firsts occurred in CU's loss to Drake on Oct. 14. The Bulldogs captured their first ever victory in Omaha, after the Jays had been 12-0-2 against DU all-time at home. The loss also marked CU's second home Valley loss of the year – the first time the Jays have lost more than one home conference match in a season.
Thayer's Record: Omaha native Jeff Thayer now owns a Morrison Stadium record for shots on goal in a career. The senior has moved his career total at the venue to 34, surpassing the former mark of Andrei Gotsmanov (32) set from 2007-08.
That's a Handful: Five different Bluejays scored a goal in a 5-1 victory over Eastern Illinois (Oct. 11), the first time five different Jays had scored in a match since Oct. 19, 2005 at Georgetown (6-0 win).
Impressive Numbers: When Creighton moved its match and then played in near freezing temperatures against Eastern Illinois on Oct. 11, it caused an impressive attendance streak to stop. Only 851 fans turned out to the match, snapping a streak of 43 straight home matches played in front of at least 1,000 fans – dating from Oct. 8, 2005 through Oct. 3, 2009.
Putting perspective on the streak – among the other five current MVC members combined there had been a total of 25 home matches which have surpassed 1,000 fans in that same span. Of those 25, Bradley had 20, Evansville had three, Drake and Missouri State had one each and Eastern Illinois never eclipsed 1,000 at home. In fact of those 25 dates, CU was the opponent in six matches, including the only 1,000 fan home match for DU and MSU.
Acing the Aces: Jeff Thayer scored his fourth career game-winning goal in a win over Evansville (Oct. 3). It was his first game-winner since 2007. His last three game-winning goals have all come against Evansville, topping the Purple Aces in both the 2007 regular-season and MVC Tournament.
The Key is Senske: Senior Trent Senske has appeared in five matches this year and 18 in his career and the Bluejays have never lost when he's seen playing time. In fact, before this year the Jays had won every match Senske appeared in. CU is 3-0-2 (wins over Cal Poly, Eastern Illinois and Bradley, ties vs. Missouri State and Drake) when he plays this year and 16-0-2 in his career.
Take a Break: Through Creighton's first eight matches, goalkeeper Brian Holt and the entire Bluejay back line of Akin Akinrinade, Kyle Deremer, Chris Schuler and Seth Sinovic had played every minute of every match. All five were able to get a break in CU's ninth match, a 5-1 win over Eastern Illinois (Oct. 11). Schuler played all but 13 minutes in the match – giving him one more minute of breathing time than he had all of last year (a 12 minute break against UMKC on Sept. 13). Sinovic had played every minute of CU's last 25 matches and Schuler had played every minute of 24 straight contests.
Backup's Not Bad: Sophomore backup goalkeeper Nick Goldreich saw his first playing time of the season in Creighton's 5-1 win over Eastern Illinois (Oct. 11). The keeper played the final 27:30 and made one save to keep his career goals against average a perfect 0.00 in 138 career minutes played.
Kallman Soccer Family: Brent Kallman made his Creighton debut on Sept. 19, following in the footsteps of older brother Brian, who played for the Bluejays in 2005. The younger Kallman started seven of 12 matches played this year and 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.
More Than One: With three losses this season, the Jays have 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.
Been Here Before: The 2009 Bluejays weren't the first Creighton team to be 5-3-3 through 11 matches. The 2003 squad was also 5-3-3 (after starting 3-3-3). The 2003 team would go 7-3-1 after the sluggish start and finish one win shy of the College Cup, losing 3-2 to No. 6 St. John's in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals to end the season with a 12-6-4 record.
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.
October Dominance: Creighton's loss to Drake on Oct. 14 marked the first Bluejay loss in the month of October since 2006, snapping a 16-match unbeaten streak in the month (11-0-5). The Jays went 4-1-3 this October after posting a 4-0-2 mark in October last year and 5-0-2 in the month in 2007. Since 2002, the Jays are 43-8-11 (.782) in the month of October, including four unbeaten October's in that span (2002, 2003, 2007, 2008).
More Streaks Snapped: 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.
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. In fact, Sinovic scored three straight 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. The Jays have recorded eight shutouts in 15 matches this fall to rank 12th in the nation in shutout percentage after leading the country in that category last year.
California Dreaming: After their 1-0 win over No. 7 UCLA on Oct. 31, the Bluejays are undefeated in their last 12 matches against California-based schools, posting an 9-0-3 record in that span. In fact, Creighton has not allowed a goal to a California school in its last eight meetings, out-scoring Golden State squads 9-0 in that span. CU posted a 4-0-0 record against California teams last year, out-scoring Cali schools 6-0. CU last allowed a goal to a California school in a 2-2 tie with San Diego State on Aug. 31, 2007 and last lost to a team from Cali on Sept. 7, 2003 (2-1, 2OT, at Loyola Marymount).
Jordan Out: Starting sophomore midfielder Greg Jordan will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) against Cal Poly on Sept. 5. The hard-nosed defensive-mid started 18 of the first 20 matches of his career, including both matches he played in this year before injuring his knee.
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.
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
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.
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 Men's Soccer Highlights at Butler -10-25-25
Saturday, October 25
Creighton Media Availability Men's Soccer - 10/21/25
Tuesday, October 21
Creighton Men's Soccer Highlights at Villanova - 10-17-25
Friday, October 17
2025 Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Ethan Finlay
Thursday, October 16
