No. 10 Bluejays at Drake for Key MVC Match on Wednesday

Match 12 at Drake • Wednesday, Oct. 20 • 7:00 p.m.
#10 Creighton Bluejays at Drake Bulldogs
Cownie Soccer Complex • Des Moines, Iowa
Series History: Creighton leads 20-3-7

Following the Jays: Drake will provide live stats for Wednesday's match and fans can access the live stats through the link provided at www.gocreighton.com. Live video is not available for the Drake match.

This Week: The 10th-ranked Bluejays continue their four game road trip with two more MVC away games, starting Wednesday at Drake. The Jays and Bulldogs kick off at 7 pm in Des Moines Wednesday. CU then makes its first ever trip to new MVC affiliate Central Arkansas for a Saturday afternoon contest.

Last Week: Creighton needed overtime to defeat preseason MVC favorite Evansville on the road 2-1 last Saturday. The Jays played with a man advantage for all but the first 13 minutes of the match, but fell behind 1-0 early in the second half. Andrew Ribeiro scored the equalizer in the 81st minute and Ethan Finlay scored his second golden goal of the season in the 96th minute to complete the road comeback.

Scouting #10 Creighton (9-2-0, 2-0-0 MVC): Creighton won its first four games via shutout, jumped out to its best start since 1998 and is now 9-2-0 on the season. The Jays are 3-0-0 in true road games this year and have not lost a true road match in the regular-season since 2006. The Jays have already surpassed last season's win total of seven and have scored 23 goals in 11 matches this year, after totalling 20 goals in 16 matches all of last season. The Bluejays lead the MVC and rank 19th in the NCAA with 2.1 goals per game and top the league in points per game (6.6) and assists per game (2.5). Preseason All-American forward Ethan Finlay, a MAC Hermann Trophy candidate, leads the league and ranks fourth in the NCAA with 10 goals and ranks sixth in the nation and tops the MVC with 1.9 points per game (21 in 11). Sophomore transfer Jose Gomez leads the MVC and ranks eight in the NCAA with seven assists. With 25 career shutouts in 45 starts, junior goalkeeper Brian Holt is just one shutout shy of the Bluejay career record and his career GAA of 0.69 ranks second in school and MVC history. Senior Kyle Deremer, two-time MVC Defensive Player of the Week this season, is the only returning starter for the CU defense, which has been boosted with the addition of U.S U-20 National Team member, freshman Tyler Polak – the only Bluejay to play every minute this season. Dion Acoff, the reigning MVC Freshman of the Year, ranks second in the MVC and 18th in the NCAA with six assists.

Scouting Drake (6-5-2, 2-0-1 MVC): The Bulldogs are 3-0-2 in their last five games after starting the season 3-5-0. Drake is undefeated through three MVC matches, with 2-1 wins over Evansville and Bradley and a 1-1 draw with Missouri State. Thomas Ostrander leads the Bulldogs with five goals and 10 points. Michael Thaden is tied with Michael Noonan for the team-lead with three assists. DU, unbeaten at home in its last 11 matches, has been out-scored 18-16 on the year with its only shutout of the season coming at Michigan to open the year. Jordan Kadlec has played all but 12 minutes in goal for DU, posting a league-high 75 saves and allowing 18 goals for a 1.33 goals against average.

Head Coach: Jamie Clark (Stanford, 1999) is in his first season at Creighton after spending two successful seasons at Harvard in his first head coaching assignment. A former MLS player and collegiate All-American, Clark is 35-12-1 (.623) in his third season as a head coach, guiding Harvard to the NCAA Tournament in his first two years as a head coach. He was named the NSCAA Northeast Region Coach of the Year in 2009 while leading Harvard to a top-10 ranking, Ivy League championship and third round of the NCAA Tournament. Prior to becoming a head coach he served as an assistant at New Mexico and Notre Dame.

CU-DU Series: Creighton leads the all-time series with Drake 20-3-7, with two of the three CU losses in the series coming last year when the Bluejays were 0-2-1 against the Bulldogs. The Bluejays owned a 14-game winning streak against DU from 1992 through 2001 and were 17-0-3 against the Bulldogs to start the series, but have gone 3-3-4 against DU since 2002. The Jays are 6-2-4 all-time in Des Moines, but have not won at Drake since a 2-1 victory on Oct. 23, 2004.

Road Warriors: With three road wins this year, the Bluejays are now undefeated in their last 20 regular-season road matches dating back to a 2006 loss. At 3-0-0 on the road this year, the Jays are now 13-0-7 in regular-season road games over the last four seasons (4-0-1 in 2007, 4-0-2 in 2008, 2-0-4 in 2009). CU last lost a regular-season road match on Oct. 28, 2006, a 2-1 defeat at Bradley. Since the start of the 2007 season, the Bluejays are now 18-4-7 overall in matches away from Omaha, including 13-2-7 in true road matches and 5-2-0 in neutral contests. One of CU's two road losses since 2007 came at Drake in the MVC Tournament last fall.

Finlay's Streak: Ethan Finlay leads the MVC with his 10 goals and 21 points, while he has scored a goal in six of CU's last seven games and scored a point in seven straight contests. Finlay is the first Bluejay to score a point in seven straight matches since Julian Nash recorded a point in eight straight during the 2002 season. Following the lead of teammate Jose Gomez (who scored a point in six straight matches to start the season), the pair are the first Jays to record a point in six straight contests since Brian Biggerstaff in 2004.

Ten: Ethan Finlay has joined Andrei Gotsmanov as the only two Bluejays to scored at 10 goals in a season since 2003. Gotsmanov scored exactly 10 in 2008, while Finlay will look to add to his 10 this season with six regular-season matches still remaining. Mike Trancilla's 15 goals in 2002 mark the last time a Bluejay scored more than 10 in a season. Finlay's three multi-goal matches this year are the most by a Bluejay since Tranchilla also had three in 2002.

Chart Climbing: With a career-high 10 goals this year, junior Ethan Finlay has started to climb up the Creighton career scoring charts. The forward now has 24 goals to rank 10th in school history, becoming the first Bluejay to crack the top-10 in career scoring since Mike Tranchilla finished his career second in goals (55) in 2002. His three multiple-goal matchs this year are tied for seventh in single-season CU history and his four career multi-goal matches are tied for eighth in school history. He has scored 13 goals and 32 points at home in his career to rank second in both categories in Morrison Stadium history.

Extended Road Trips: Creighton's match at Evansville (Oct. 16) started CU's longest road trip since the 2005 season. The Jays are in the midst of four consecutive road matches, including three MVC games and a match at consensus No. 1 Akron. The last time CU had a four-game road trip was the 2005 season. The Jays went 2-2-0 on that trip, including 1-2-0 inside MVC play. CU went 4-0-0 on a four-game MVC road trip during the 2002 season. Last year the Bluejays also played three straight MVC road games, posting a 1-0-2 mark in those contests.
Regular-Season 4 Game Road Trips Since 2000
2005 – 2-2-0    2001 – 2-2-0
2002 – 4-0-0    2000 – 3-1-0

NCAA Stats: Creighton is ranked 10th in the NCAA in shutout percentage (.550), with six clean sheets in 11 matches. The Jays rank 19th in the NCAA with 2.1 goals per game. Ethan Finlay ranks fourth in the NCAA in both goals scored (10) and goals per game (0.9). Finlay's 1.91 points per game rank sixth in the NCAA and his 21 points rank 12th in the nation. Jose Gomez ranks sixth in the NCAA in assists per game (0.7) and eighth with seven assists. Dion Acoff ranks 14th in the NCAA in assists per game (0.6) and 18th with six assists.

Creighton in the Polls: After receiving no votes in any preseason national poll, the Bluejays jumped into the top 25 after a solid opening week and have remained there. This week, the NSCAA, Soccer Times and College Soccer News rank the Bluejays 10th. Soccer America has the Jays at No. 11 this week.

Creighton in the RPI: The Bluejays are up to ninth in the second official RPI released by the NCAA on Oct. 19. The Bluejays were ranked 14th in the initial RPI report on Oct. 12. Drake is second in the MVC with an RPI of 71. Six of CU's opponents this year are in the RPI top-50, including the top two, Akron and SMU respectively. Indiana (14), Tulsa (27), UCSB (32) and Dartmouth (47) are also in the RPI top-50. Both Bluejay losses this year have come to teams inside the RPI top-15 (SMU and Indiana).

2009 vs. 2010 Offense: Creighton has scored 23 goals in 11 matches this year – three more than it did in the entire 2009 campaign. The Jays started the week ranked 19th in the NCAA with 2.1 goals per game, one year after averaging 1.3 per match (20 goals in 16 matches).
• In 2009 Creighton had only four players score at least two goals over the entire season. This season, through 11 matches, five players – Ethan Finlay (10), Jose Gomez (3), Andrew Ribeiro (3), Greg Jordan (3), Kris Clark (2) – have at least a pair of goals scored.
• The Bluejays have scored at least two goals in eight of their first 11 games this year. They scored two or more goals in a match just four times in 2009.

Finlay's Honors: Junior Ethan Finlay was named the MVC Offensive Player of the Week, MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week and College Soccer News National Player of the Week on Oct. 11 after an impressive week. The forward had two two-goal matches, striking twice against No. 5 Tulsa (Oct. 5) and again against nationally-ranked Indiana (Oct. 9).

Pulling Rank: Creighton is 2-1-0 against top-25 opponents this year, with wins over No. 5 Tulsa (Oct. 5) and at No. 21 UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 7) and a loss to No. 18 SMU (Sept. 17).   The Bluejays are now 15-2-1 (.861) against the NSCAA top 25 at Morrison Stadium and 25-9-2 (.722) against nationally-ranked opponents at home all-time. Three of CU's 15 wins over top-25 opponents at Morrison Stadium have come against ranked Tulsa squads. The Bluejays are now 55-40-9 (.572) all-time against the coaches top 25.

October Dominance: Creighton has opened this October, much the way it has performed every October in recent seasons – with wins. The Jays went 4-1-3 last October, suffering their first October loss since 2006, which snapped a 16-match unbeaten streak in the month (11-0-5). In 2008 the Jays were 4-0-2 in October and the 2007 squad was 5-0-2 in October. Since 2002, the Bluejays are now 46-9-11 (.780) in the month of October, including four unbeaten Octobers in that span (2002, 2003, 2007, 2008).

Bluejays in October Since 2002
Year    Oct.    Season    NCAA
2002    6-0-1    18-4-2    College Cup
2003    7-0-1    12-6-4    Quarterfinals
2004    6-3-0    14-4-2    Third Round
2005    5-3-1    15-5-3    Quarterfinals
2006    5-1-1    13-5-3    First Round
2007    5-0-2    12-3-5    Third Round
2008    4-0-2    16-2-2    Quarterfinals
2009    4-1-3    7-4-5    DNQ
2010    3-1-0    9-2-0    ???
Total    46-9-11    116-35-26

Never Behind: Creighton scored first in its first nine matches of the season before falling behind to Indiana (Oct. 9). In fact, when Indiana scored in the first half, it marked the first time all season the Bluejays had trailed in a match with time still on the clock. The only time the Jays had been behind prior to the Indiana match this year was on SMU's double overtime game-winning goal on Sept. 17.

Quick Strikes: Ethan Finlay scored just 41 seconds into Creighton's 3-1 win over No. 5 Tulsa last Tuesday. The score was the sixth fastest score from the start of the match in school history and the second fastest in Morrison Stadium history. Andrei Gotsmanov's score against Tulsa in the 2008 NCAA Tournament was the only one faster than Finlay's at the stadium. Finlay again had a quick score on Saturday, putting it in the back of the net just 13 seconds after the halftime whistle against Indiana.

Fastest Scores From Start of Match
1. Brian Kamler, 0:16 vs. Bradley, 10-9-92
2. Vince Odorisio, 0:26 vs. UCLA, 9-10-04
3. Lance Hill, 0:30 vs. Missouri St., 11-5-94
4. Johnny Torres, 0:34 at Bradley, 10-6-95
5. Andrei Gotsmanov, 0:36 vs. Tulsa, 11-25-08
6. Ethan Finlay, 0:41 vs. Tulsa, 10-5-10

Home Shutout Streak Ends: Creighton posted four straight home shutouts to start the season, before allowing a second-half goal to No. 5 Tulsa on Oct. 5. Tulsa's goal snapped a streak of 420 consecutive scoreless minutes CU had held opponents at home to start the season. The four straight home shutouts were the longest single-season home shutout streak since the 2003 posted five consecutive home matches shutout. The Jays had posted shutouts in five straight home games dating back to last year's 1-0 home finale over UCLA and had an overall count of nearly 554 (553:46) straight shutout minutes at home dating back to last season.

Home Sweet Morrison: Including a 5-1-0 start this season, Creighton is now 57-12-11 (.781) all-time at Morrison Stadium. Creighton has lost just one home match in four of its last six seasons. Since 1990, the Bluejays are 159-28-15 (.824) at home.

Finlay's a Winner: Junior Ethan Finlay has three two-goal matches this season – against UNC Greensboro (Sept. 4), Tulsa (Oct. 5), Indiana (Oct. 9) – and now has four career multiple goal matches. Finlay, who has led the MVC in game-winning goals in each of his first two collegiate seasons, again leads the league in game-winners this year with four. Of his 24 career goals, 13 are game-winners.

Hot Starts: At 8-1-0, the Bluejays were off to their best start since the 1998 team posted an 8-1-0 start. The Jays won their first four games this season for the first time since 2000 – when that squad opened with six straight wins and advanced to the College Cup championship match. Creighton logged four straight shutouts to open the year for just the second time in school history, equalling the feat first accomplished by the 1999 team.

Tuesdays at Morrison: Creighton played just its fourth Tuesday home match since moving into Morrison Stadium this season, knocking off No. 5 Tulsa, 3-1 on Oct. 5. The Jays are now 3-0-1 on Tuesdays at Morrison Stadium, tying Loyola Chicago 0-0 in the 2009 season opener and logging NCAA Tournament wins over Tulsa (2-1) in 2008 and Northwestern (3-2) in 2004.

Top-Notch Meetings at Morrison: CU's match against No. 5 Tulsa (Oct. 5), was just the fourth in Morrison Stadium history featuring two top-15 teams. After the 3-1 win for the 11th-ranked Jays, Creighton is now 4-0-0 in such showdowns. The match was the 14th in the stadium's history featuring two top-25 teams.

Fantastic Freshman: Freshman Tyler Polak has played every minute of his rookie season at outside left back – the only Bluejay starter to not have been subbed for this season. He has played a team-leading 1,019 minutes because of his outstanding play on defense. Playing every minute of important matches is nothing new to the newcomer, as he played every minute of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria and the U-17 CONCACAF Tournament in Mexico in 2009 with the U.S. U-17 National Team. Now a member of the U-20 U.S. National Team Pool, he was recently ranked by TopDrawerSoccer.com as the fifth-best freshman in the country after being named a “Top 100 Freshman to Watch” by College Soccer News before the season.

Working Overtime: Creighton played in three straight overtime matches from Sept. 17-24. Despite having played in 25 overtime matches over the previous four seasons, Creighton had not played in three straight overtime games since 1990. The final three matches of the 1990 season mark the only previous time in recorded school history that the Bluejays have played three straight overtime games.

That Hurts: Creighton has lost two of its starting defenders to injury indefinitely. Senior Andrew Duran suffered a torn meniscus in his knee against SMU on Sept. 17 and had surgery on Sept. 23. Junior Jace Peters was injured against Dartmouth on Sept. 19, tearing muscles in his upper leg and abdomen area. Both players have no set date to return.

Gomez Streak Ends: Jose Gomez, who leads the MVC and ranks eighth in the NCAA with seven assists, logged at least one point in each of CU's first six matches, including assisting five straight Bluejay goals between Sept. 4-11. The sophomore transfer became the first Bluejay to record a point in six straight contests since Brian Biggerstaff in 2004.

Unusual Goals: CU did now allow a goal in its first four matches this year, one of only four teams nationally to not allow a goal in the first two weeks of the season. The Jays allowed five goals in two matches on Sept. 17 and 19, yet only two came the "old fashioned" way. Two of SMU's three goals on Sept. 17 came via penalty kick, while one of Dartmouth's two tallies on Sept. 19 was a Bluejay own goal.

Five Winners: In each of Creighton's first five wins this season the Bluejays had a different game-winning goal scorer. Last year, the Bluejays had only three players score a game-winning goal all season, as Ethan Finlay accounted for five of CU's seven winners. This year, Finlay has four of CU's first nine winners, while Jose Gomez also has a pair of game-winning goals.

Ribeiro's Firsts: Sophomore Andrew Ribeiro scored his first career goal against 18th-ranked SMU on Sept. 17, in his ninth career match off the bench for the Bluejays. He earned his first career start against Eastern Illinois on Oct. 1, after coming off of the bench in his first 11 career appearances.

Duran Duran: Senior Andrew Duran has been slowed by injuries throughout his career, limiting him to just 30 matches through his first three seasons. Duran, the 2006 NSCAA National High School Player of the Year, scored his first collegiate goal in a 1-0 win at No. 21 UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 7). Duran has again been bitten by the injury bug this season, suffering a torn meniscus against SMU on Sept. 17 and undergoing surgery on Sept. 23. With Duran on the pitch, the Bluejays did not allow a goal through four and a half matches.

First Two Weeks = Sweeps: Through two weeks of the season, Creighton accounted for all four weekly honors awarded by the Missouri Valley Conference. In week one, Kris Clark and Kyle Deremer were named Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively. In week two, Jose Gomez and Brian Holt notched the same honors. Deremer again earned MVC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 27.

Clean Sheets: Creighton opened the season with four consecutive shutouts for just the second time in school history – the 1999 squad posted four straight clean sheets to open the season. The Bluejays rank fourth in the NCAA in shutout percentage this year.

A Hoie There!: Redshirt junior goalkeeper Bryan Hoie made his regular-season collegiate debut for the Bluejays in their shutout of UNC Greensboro (Sept. 4). Hoie, in his fourth year with the program, faced no shots while playing just over nine minutes in his first action as a Bluejay.

Bluejays Hit Blackjack: Creighton has its smallest roster since 1996, with just 21 student-athletes listed on the squad this year. The entire roster of 21 played in CU's 4-0 win over UNC Greensboro on Sept. 4. The small roster is in sharp contrast to the last decade at Creighton, where the average roster size was 30.2 between 2000-09. That 1996 team had 22 players on the squad, but capped the season by appearing in the first College Cup Final Four in school history.

Clark Wins Debut: Head coach Jamie Clark won 2-0 over Loyola Chicago on Sept. 1 in his first match as CU's leader. The win puts the six all-time Bluejay coaches at 5-1-0 in their debut match. (The only head coach to lose in his debut was Bret Simon, falling to No. 20 Duke in 1995.)

Scoring in Debut: Sophomore transfer Jose Gomez scored at Loyola Chicago on Sept. 1 to become the first Bluejay to score in his Creighton debut since another transfer did so in 2005. Brian Kallman (older brother of current sophomore Brent Kallman) scored in his first game of his only season at Creighton, helping the Bluejays tie Portland 1-1 on Sept. 2, 2005. Gomez, who has three goals and 13 points, has avoided Kallman's fate, as that proved to be the only goal of his season.

Don't Shoot: The Bluejays did not allow a shot on goal in their season-opening win at Loyola Chicago (Sept. 1). It marked the first time since Oct. 18, 2008 that the Bluejays held an opponent without a shot on goal. CU allowed only two shots total to the Ramblers, the fewest shots by a Bluejay foe since Memphis attempted only three shots on Oct. 8, 2008. Since 2000, the Jays have posted six matches in which they allowed three shots, but none with two or fewer before their 2010 opener.

California Dreaming: With its 1-0 win at No. 21 UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 7, Creighton is now 10-0-3 in its last 13 meetings with California-based schools. The Bluejays have posted three straight on 1-0 wins over ranked California teams. In fact, Creighton has not allowed a goal to a California school in its last nine meetings, out-scoring Golden State squads 10-0 in that span. 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 California on Sept. 7, 2003 (2-1, 2OT, at Loyola Marymount).

Ethan Finlay Nets Preseason Honors: Junior forward Ethan Finlay has joined a long list of former Bluejays that have been candidates for college soccer's top individual honor, as he has been named to the preseason MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. Finlay, who has also been tabbed to Soccer America's Preseason All-America Team, led the team with eight goals and 19 points as a sophomore and is CU's active career leader with 14 goals, seven assists and 35 points. He has led the team and MVC in game-winning goals in each of his first two seasons, as nine of his 14 career goals have been game-winners. Finlay 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
2010    Ethan Finlay
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

Strong Schedule: Jamie Clark inherited one of the toughest schedules in the nation this year, one that features seven teams which advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2009. Akron, the 2009 NCAA runner-up, began the season ranked No. 1 in the NSCAA, Soccer America and College Soccer News preseason polls. The Jays also played preseason No. 7 Tulsa and No. 8 UC Santa Barbara. The Jays played at UCSB – the site of this season's NCAA College Cup – on Sept. 7. MVC foe Drake, which advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals last year, was ranked 14th in the preseason polls. CU also played preseason No. 20 Indiana. In addition to those five squads, the Jays also play 2009 NCAA teams Dartmouth and Missouri State this fall.

MVC Preseason Poll: For the first time since 2004, the Bluejays are not favored to win the Missouri Valley Conference as voted on by league coaches. MVC coaches have tabbed Creighton for a third-place finish, behind Evansville and defending regular-season champion Missouri State. This marks just the second time in 20 years of MVC soccer that the Jays have not been picked to finish in the top-two, as CU was tabbed third in the initial MVC preseason poll in 1991. The Bluejays, who have been picked to win The Valley 12 times, own a league record nine regular-season titles.

Welcome and Goodbye: The MVC welcomes two new affiliate men's soccer members this fall, as Southern Illinois Edwardsville and Central Arkansas join the league for the sport. This season also marks the final season that Eastern Illinois will be an affiliate of the MVC in men's soccer. The Panthers, who have been an MVC soccer affiliate since 1996, will become an affiliate member of the Summit League in 2011.

Familiar Faces Return: Jamie Clark retained assistant coach Johnny Torres on his staff, while two other former Bluejay standouts have returned to the bench this fall. Matt Wieland, the 2003 MVC Defensive Player of the Year and 2005 NSCAA Third-Team All-American, is serving as CU's graduate manager this season. Michael Kraus, 2006 MVC Player of the Year, has returned to campus to complete his undergraduate work this semester and will be a student assistant coach for the Bluejays while finishing up his school work.

Exhibition Summary: Creighton won both of its exhibition matches by 2-1 scores, defeating Denver (Aug. 21) on the road and winning a home contest against nationally-ranked NAIA foe Hastings (Neb.) College last Friday. Illinois natives Andrew Duran and Greg Jordan scored for the Bluejays in Denver, while Kyle Deremer and Ethan Finlay notched the tallies at home. Sophomore transfer Jose Gomez assisted three of CU's four goals in exhibition play. Junior goalkeeper Brian Holt logged seven saves and a 0.62 goals against average.

Updated & Extended Coverage: Fans will notice Creighton home matches not only have a new live stats platform, but will also benefit from Creighton's change to BCS Stats. The new live stats provider allows fans to follow the live action on their mobile device at www.gocreightonstats.com. Fans can also find more info on Bluejay athletics on Facebook at the “Official Creighton Athletics Page” and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/gocreighton. The men's soccer team now has its own Facebook page as well.

No. 10 Bluejays at Drake for Key MVC Match on Wednesday

Players Mentioned

Kris Clark

Byron Dacy

Kyle Deremer

Andrew Duran

Ethan Finlay

Andrei Gotsmanov

Bryan Hoie

Brian Holt

Greg Jordan

Chris Schuler

Seth Sinovic

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