No. 6 Men's Soccer Plays at UMKC Wednesday

Match 2 at UMKC • Wednesday, Aug. 31 • 7:00 p.m.
#6 Creighton Bluejays at UMKC Kangaroos
Durwood Soccer Stadium • Kansas City, Mo.
Series History: Creighton leads 8-2-1

Live Stats • Live Video • Live Audio

Following the Jays: Live stats, live video and live audio will be provided for Creighton's match at UMKC. Fans can access the video, stats and audio by following the links provided on Creighton's homepage at www.gocreighton.com.

This Week: Creighton plays at UMKC on Wednesday at 7 pm. The Bluejays then open their home schedule on Sunday at 7 pm, when they play host to Drexel at Morrison Stadium.

Last Week: Creighton opened the 2011 season with a 1-0 win at Denver last Saturday night. Freshman Guido Peña scored Creighton's first goal of the season in the 65th minute and Brian Holt stopped seven shots as he established a Missouri Valley Conference record with his 28th career shutout. Holt was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week and to the National Teams of the Week of TopDrawerSoccer.com and CollegeSoccerNews.com.

Scouting #6 Creighton (1-0-0): The Bluejays returns 13 letterwinners and eight starters from last year's MVC championship team, which finished 13-5-2 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament ... The Jays welcome 17 newcomers, five of which debuted in the season-opener ... Of Creighton's eight returning starters, six earned all-MVC honors last year and have been named to the preseason all-MVC team this fall ... The sixth-ranked Bluejays are favored to win the MVC again ... The Jays return their top six scorers from a team which ranked 15th in the NCAA in scoring in 2010 ... Heading up the returning starters is 2010 MVC Player of the Year and MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist Ethan Finlay. The senior forward led the MVC and ranked in the NCAA top-10 with 15 goals and 34 points scored last year and is again on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List this season ... Joining Finlay as a preseason All-American and on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List is sophomore defender Tyler Polak, the 2010 MVC Freshman of the Year ... Juniors Dion Acoff, Jose Gomez and Greg Jordan, along with record-setting senior goalkeeper Brian Holt round out the six Bluejays on the 2011 MVC preseason team ... Acoff led the MVC and ranked 12th in the NCAA with 10 assists last year, while Gomez added nine assists to rank 19th in the nation ... Holt, now in his fourth season as CU's starting keeper, is the MVC and school record-holder with 28 career shutouts and his 0.78 goals against average ranks second in CU and MVC history

Scouting UMKC (0-1-0): The Kangaroos opened the season with a 2-1 home loss to Nebraska-Omaha last Friday in UNO's first ever match ... UMKC, the reigning Summit League champion, went 10-5-3 last year, including 4-1-1 in conference, and is again picked to win the league this year ... The Kangaroos were 8-1-0 at home last year and are 12-4-0 all-time at Durwood Soccer Stadium (opened in 2009) ... The Roos return seven starters and 16 letterwinners from last year's team, including senior forward Jimmy Simon, a first-team Summit League honoree last year ... Simon led the team with seven goals and 15 points last year ... Senior midfielder Chris Markey earned first-team all-conference accolades in 2009, but missed last year ... Kentucky transfer Kevin Corby started in goal for UMKC in its opener against UNO.

Head Coach: Elmar Bolowich is in his first year at Creighton following a 22-year stint at North Carolina, where he guided the Tar Heels to 15 NCAA Tournaments, four College Cup appearances and the 2001 NCAA Title. The 2001 NSCAA National Coach of the Year is now 281-144-40 (.647) in his 23rd year as a collegiate head coach. Bolowich guided UNC to back-to-back ACC championships in his final two seasons in Chapel Hill, while his final three UNC teams advanced to the College Cup. He is one of five active coaches in NCAA Division I soccer to lead a team to four College Cup appearances.

Creighton-UMKC Series: Creighton is 8-2-1 all-time against UMKC, including 2-0-0 in Kansas City. The Bluejays and Kangaroos have not played since UMKC upset then No. 3-ranked Creighton 1-0 in Omaha on Sept. 13, 2008. CU has not played in Kansas City since a 3-1 Bluejay win on Oct. 24, 2006. CU and UMKC played in the first ever NCAA Tournament match at Morrison Stadium, with the Jays topping the Roos 6-0 in 2003 postseason. Current Bluejays Andrew Duran, Brian Holt, Greg Jordan and Ethan Finlay each started in the last meeting with UMKC, while Kris Clark played off the bench when the Kangaroos won 1-0 despite the Bluejays outshooting UMKC 22-3.

Exhibition Summary: Creighton tied both of its exhibition matches this season, playing to a 1-1 draw against 2010 NCAA champion and preseason No. 2 Akron as part of the ShinDigz National Soccer Festival in Fort Wayne, Ind. The Jays then tied No. 12 Notre Dame 2-2 in South Bend, Ind. Andrew Ribeiro scored Creighton's lone goal against Akron and Jose Gomez notched both tallies against the Irish. Brian Holt played all 180 minutes in goal during the preseason.

Holt Honored: Senior goalkeeper Brian Holt was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week and to the National Teams of the Week by College Soccer News and Top Drawer Soccer following his seven-save shutout at Denver on Saturday. The seven saves were the most Holt had posted in a match since he stopped a career-high eight shots as a freshman at California on Sept. 21, 2008.

Coach and Five Debut: Freshman Guido Peña scored Creighton's only goal in its 1-0 season-opening win at Denver on Saturday. The rookie from Costa Rica was one of five Bluejay newcomers to debut in the win, as he was joined by fellow Costa Rican, sophomore transfer Bruno Castro (North Carolina), along with junior transfer Jake Brown (Saint Louis) and true freshmen Jose Ribas and Eric Miller. Miller and Castro each started their first Bluejay match, while Peña, Brown and Ribas came off the bench. The match was also the debut for new Bluejay head coach Elmar Bolowich, helping CU head coaches improved to 6-1-0 in their debuts.

300 Club: With a 1-0 win at Denver last Saturday night, Creighton captured its 300th victory since restarting the program in 1990. The Bluejays are now 300-92-44 since bringing the program back from a four-year hiatus.

Something New: Creighton is opening this year with two true road matches for the first time since the program was restarted in 1990. In fact, in 22 seasons since 1990, the Bluejays have only opened the season with four true road matches (1997, 2005, 2010, 2011). In 2006, the Bluejays played their first two matches away from home, with a neutral site match and a true road contest in a tournament hosted by Notre Dame.

Keeping Clean Sheets: With his 1-0 shutout at Denver (Aug. 27), Brian Holt became the Missouri Valley Conference record-holder with 28 career shutouts. He already owned the school record entering the season, but moved past Bradley's Chris Dunsheath (27.5) with his blanking.

Scoring in Debut: Freshman Guido Peña scored Creighton's only goal in his debut at Denver (Aug. 27). It marked the second straight season a Bluejay newcomer scored in his debut, following Jose Gomez's goal at Loyola (Ill.) last year. Prior to Gomez and Peña scoring in their Creighton debuts, it had not happened since Brian Kallman (older brother of current junior Brent Kallman) scored in his first match in 2005.

MVC Preseason Favorite: The defending MVC regular-season champion Bluejays have been picked by league coaches to again win the title in 2011. The Jays received six of seven first-place votes and 48 of the possible 49 points in the poll. Ethan Finlay, Tyler Polak, Dion Acoff, Jose Gomez, Greg Jordan and Brian Holt were each named to the preseason all-MVC team, taking up six of the 11 spots on the squad.   The Bluejays, who have been picked to win The Valley 13 times, own a league record 10 regular-season titles.

Where We Rank: Creighton is ranked sixth in the latest NSCAA poll, up for 10th in the preseason. The Bluejays are No. 1 in the NSCAA Midwest Region rankings this week as well. College Soccer News and Soccer America both rank the Bluejays fifth this week, while Goal.com has the Jays fourth.

Finlay, Polak are MAC Hermann Candidates: Senior forward Ethan Finlay and sophomore defender Tyler Polak have been named to the preseason Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy Watch List. Finlay was an NSCAA Second-Team All-American last year in recording the highest scoring season by a Bluejay in a decade, while Polak was the 2010 MVC Freshman of the Year. In addition to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, both players have been named preseason All-Americans by College Soccer News and Soccer America.

Seventeen Newcomers, Yes 17: After listing only 21 players on the 2010 roster, Creighton's 2011 roster has 30 student-athletes listed, including 17 newcomers. Of the 17 newcomers, three joined the team in January – transfers and Omaha natives Jake Brown and Taylor Reeves, and true freshman Eric Miller, who graduated high school a semester early to join the Jays. Twelve of the 18 new guys are true freshmen, while six are transfers. In addition to Brown (Saint Louis) and Reeves (Indiana), the Jays also have Division I transfers from Oral Roberts (Daniel Premenko), North Carolina (Bruno Castro) and FIU (Alex Bolowich), along with junior college addition Aaron Rygiel (Georgia Perimeter). With two redshirt freshmen as newcomers and 12 true rookies, the Bluejays have 14 freshmen on the roster this season. Rookies Miller and goalkeeper Jeff Gal each trained with the United States Under-18 National Team this year.

Senior Leaders: Creighton has six seniors on the roster, including three fifth-year players. Goalkeepers Bryan Hoie and Brian Holt each redshirted their first season on campus in 2007 behind two-time MVC Defensive Player of the Year Matt Allen, while Andrew Duran took a medical redshirt last year and is back for his fifth season with the Bluejays. Kris Clark and Ethan Finlay are back for their fourth year with the Bluejays and Jace Peters is also a senior (in his second year at Creighton). In addition to the six seniors listed on the roster, fourth-year junior Greg Jordan (medical redshirt in 2009), is on pace to graduate in December. Both Finlay and Jordan joined Creighton a semester early, finishing high school early to join the Bluejays.

Captains Named: Seniors Ethan Finlay and Brian Holt have been named captains for this year's team, as voted on by their fellow seniors and coaching staff.

MVC Tournament Hosts: For just the third time since the venue was dedicated in 2004, Morrison Stadium will serve as host to the State Farm MVC Men's Soccer Championship in November. The Bluejays also hosted the MVC Tournament at Morrison Stadium in 2004 and 2007. The Jays have yet to win the MVC Tournament at Morrison Stadium, as SMU (2004) and Bradley (2007) claimed tourney titles in Omaha the previous two times it was held here. The opening round of the 2011 tournament will take place on Nov. 9, with the semifinals falling on Nov. 11 and the championship match taking place on Sunday, Nov. 13.

Strong Schedule: Following its difficult exhibition schedule, the Bluejays will open the 2011 season on the road with games at Denver (Aug. 27) and UMKC (Aug. 31). Denver won its division of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation last year and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Bluejays host 2010 NCAA participant and Big East foe Providence on Sept. 17 and preseason No. 24 and reigning Big West champion UC Irvine on Oct. 15. Creighton will play two more 2010 NCAA Tournament teams on the road, playing at preseason No. 4 Maryland (Sept. 30) and at preseason No. 17 Indiana (Oct. 9) as part of a difficult four-game swing which also features a trip to Wisconsin (Oct. 5) and the MVC opener at Missouri State (Oct. 12).

Finlay, Holt Have CLASS: Seniors Ethan Finlay and Brian Holt have been named two of 30 candidates for the 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. 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. 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 – community, classroom, character and competition.

Did You Know?: Ethan Finlay became the 10th Creighton men's soccer player to be named MVC Player of the Year last year. In the storied history of Bluejay men's soccer, no player has repeated as MVC Player of the Year, although Matt Allen was twice named MVC Defensive Player of the Year.

Morrison Stadium is Tops: This summer CollegeSoccerNews.com made a top-12 list of the most exciting venues to watch a college soccer match and Creighton's Morrison Stadium topped the list. Creighton ranked eighth in the NCAA in attendance in 2010 and has ranked in the NCAA top-10 in attendance in each of the last eight years.

CollegeSoccerNews.com's Most Exciting Venue to Watch College Soccer

1.    Morrison Stadium – Creighton
2.    Harder Stadium – UC Santa Barbara
3.    Ludwig Field – Maryland
4.     Cub Cadet Field – Akron
5.     Morrone Stadium – Connecticut
6.     Armstrong Stadium – Indiana
7.     UNM Soccer Complex – New Mexico
8.    Spry Stadium – Wake Forest
9.    Spanos Stadium – Cal Poly
10.     Merlo Field – Portland
11.    Hermann Stadium – Saint Louis
12.     Belson Soccer Stadium – St. John's

The MVC Seven: After welcoming Central Arkansas and SIU Edwardsville as men's soccer affiliates in 2010, the MVC said goodbye to Eastern Illinois as an affiliate following the 2010 season. EIU, which had been an MVC men's soccer affiliate since 1996, is now an affiliate member of the Summit League, dropping the MVC men's soccer membership to seven.

Finlay, Polak Join Long List: Senior Ethan Finlay and sophomore Tyler Polak are each on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, joining a 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
2011    Ethan Finlay, Tyler Polak
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

Finlay is Top Prospect: TopDrawerSoccer.com ranked Ethan Finlay as the top senior pro prospect in all of college soccer to begin the season. Andrew Duran (35) and Brian Holt (79) were ranked on that same top-100 senior prospects list. Sophomore Tyler Polak was ranked 11th on a list of the top-25 underclassmen by TDS. Polak was the highest ranked Bluejay by TDS in its first weekly ranking of the top-100 sophomores, juniors and seniors on Aug. 22. The sophomore defender was ranked fifth in the initial list, with Finlay (14), Greg Jordan (74) and Duran (97) also ranking in the top-100 players in the NCAA according to TDS.

Free Play With the Jays: New this year for every men's soccer home match, fans are invited to arrive early to Morrison Stadium and take advantage of “Free Play With the Jays.” The pregame event will take place on the open field in front of the main entrance of the stadium and will feature selected men's soccer players at each match assisting in a few drills and goals set up for youth to play soccer games. The event will start 90 minutes before kickoff and last until 15 minutes before the start of each home match.

Soccer Luncheons: The 2011 Elmar Bolowich Jays Kicks Club Luncheons will be held at Anthony's Restaurant & Lounge (72nd & F Streets) on Sept. 2, Oct. 3 and Nov. 2. All of the luncheons start at noon and a season pass is $60 per person. Individual luncheons may also be purchased, if space is available, at $20 per person 48 hours prior to the event. Highlights of each luncheon will include insight on how the team is progressing, what to look for in upcoming matches plus newsletters with updated statistics and door prizes. To register and purchase your season pass online, go to www.creighton.edu/athleticevents. For more information or to make a reservation by phone or email, contact Barb Epps (402-280-5577, bepps@creighton.edu).

Follow Us!: Creighton men's soccer can now be found on Facebook and Twitter.
www.twitter.com/CreightonMSOC
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Related News

Players Mentioned

Dion Acoff

Alex Bolowich

Jake Brown

Bruno Castro

Kris Clark

Byron Dacy

Andrew Duran

Ethan Finlay

Jeff Gal

Jose Gomez

Bryan Hoie

Brian Holt

Greg Jordan

Brent Kallman

Eric Miller

Jace Peters

Tyler Polak

Jose Ribas

Andrew Ribeiro

Chris Schuler

Seth Sinovic

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