No. 5 Men's Soccer Seeks Continued Perfection at DePaul Sunday
9/10/2011 11:28:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Match 5 vs. DePaul • Sunday, Sept. 11 • 3:00 p.m.
#5 Creighton Bluejays at DePaul Blue Demons
Wish Field • Chicago, Ill.
Series History: CU leads 2-0-0
#5 Creighton Bluejays at DePaul Blue Demons
Wish Field • Chicago, Ill.
Series History: CU leads 2-0-0
This Week: Creighton hosts Fordham on Friday night at Morrison Stadium before it travels to Chicago for a Sunday afternoon match at DePaul.
Last Week: Creighton continued its unblemished season with a 5-0 win at UMKC on Wednesday and a 3-0 win over Drexel in front of 5,425 fans in its home opener on Sunday. Ethan Finlay scored twice and added an assist at UMKC, while Jose Gomez had two assists and a goal in the road win. Liam Kelly scored his first collegiate goal at UMKC, while Bruno Castro added a goal in each match last week for the Jays. For his play, Finlay was named the MVC Offensive Player of the Week and goalkeeper Brian Holt was named MVC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in as many weeks.
Scouting #5 Creighton (4-0-0): The Bluejays return 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, seven of whom have already made their CU debuts ... 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 fifth-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 ... Finlay tops the team with two goals, three assists and seven points through three matches, the best start of his All-American career ... 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 is the MVC and school record-holder with 30 career shutouts and his 0.73 goals against average ranks second in CU and MVC history ... Holt has made 15 saves and not allowed a goal in 341 minutes of play this season.
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 284-144-40 (.650) 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.
Scouting DePaul (1-2-0): The Blue Demons opened the year with a 3-1 win over Oakland, but have since lost decisions to UIC and MVC foe SIUE ... Antonio Aguilar has scored three of DePaul's four goals and has the teams only assist ... Thiago Ganancio owns the only other DePaul goal this year ... Eric Sorby picked up the win in goal for DePaul, but Joe Ferrari has played all 180 minutes in the two losses ... DePaul was 4-10-5 last year, which included a 2-0 loss at CU.
Creighton-DePaul Series: The Bluejays have won both previous meetings with the Blue Demons, including a 2-0 win in Omaha last season on Sept. 11. Prior to last year's meeting, the teams had not played since 1990, a 1-0 CU home win. CU has never played at DePaul, but did post a 2-0 win in Chicago last Sept. 1 at Loyola.
Players of the Week: Brian Holt has been named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week in each of the first two weeks of the 2011 season and has now earned that honor five times in his career. Holt made seven saves (one shy of his career high set as a freshman in 2008) at Denver to open the season in CU's 1-0 win and also posted a solo shutout of Drexel after splitting time in goal of CU's 5-0 win at UMKC. Ethan Finlay was tabbed the MVC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 6) after his two-goal, two-assist week. The All-American scored twice and assisted another goal at UMKC, before assisting a score against Drexel.
Nil-Nil-Nil: For the third consecutive season, Creighton started the season with back-to-back shutouts and for the second straight season the Bluejays have posted three consecutive clean sheets, with shutouts of Denver (1-0), UMKC (5-0) and Drexel (3-0). Creighton started last year with four straight shutouts, while the Jays have now started back-to-back seasons with three shutouts for the first time in school history.
Fantastic Fans: Creighton drew 5,425 fans for its home opener against Drexel on Sept. 4, the fourth-largest crowd in school history and the third-largest in regular-season play. The fans were among the largest home crowd to witness a home victory, as the Bluejays are 0-2-1 in their highest three attended matches. Creighton has ranked in the top-10 in the NCAA attendance in each of the first eight 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
4 – 5,425 vs. Drexel, Sept. 4, 2011
5 – 4,407 vs. Saint Louis, Aug. 31, 1997
Home-Opening Attendance: Bluejay fans typically make the home-opener a highly-attended contest. After bringing in just the fourth crowd of better than 5,000 fans in school history to this year's opener, the average attendance at a Creighton home-opener since moving to Morrison Stadium in 2003 is 3,393.
Home-Openers at Morrison Stadium
Year Opponent Attendance
2011 Drexel - W, 3-0 5,425
2010 UNC Greensboro - W, 4-0 2,524
2009 Loyola (Ill.) - T, 0-0 2,758
2008 Gonzaga - W, 4-1 4,071
2007 San Diego State - T, 2-2 3,716
2006 Georgetown - W, 3-2 (ot) 3,746
2005 Loyola (Ill.) - W, 4-2 2,728
2004 Western Michigan - W, 4-0 2,089
2003 Butler - T, 0-0 3,483
Home Sweet Morrison: Following its 3-0 win over Drexel on Saturday, Creighton is 60-13-12 (.776) all-time at Morrison Stadium (since 2003). Since 1990, the Bluejays are 162-29-16 (.821) at home.
Offensive Output: Creighton's five goals against UMKC matched it's highest scoring match of the previous four seasons and with nine goals through three matches, the Bluejays have equalled the 2008 and 2004 teams for the most goals through three matches in the last 12 seasons. The 2008 team advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals, while the 2004 team made it to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
Poll Position: Creighton is ranked fifth in the latest NSCAA poll, up from sixth last week. The Bluejays remain No. 1 in the NSCAA Midwest Region ranking for the second straight week. Soccer America ranks the Bluejays fourth, College Soccer News fifth and Soccer Times seventh this week. TopDrawerSoccer.com's NCAA 48 Team prediction poll lists CU at ninth.
Finlay's Climb: All-American Ethan Finlay continued his climb up the Creighton scoring charts in CU's 5-0 win at UMKC (Aug. 31). With two goals at UMKC, the senior now has 31 career goals, becoming the sixth player in school history to reach 30 career goals. He is alone in sixth in goals and with his two-goal game at UMKC is now tied for fourth in CU history with six career multiple goal matches. After CU's home opener, Finlay now owns the Morrison Stadium career records for goals (16), points (41), shots (83) and shots on goal (35).
Push the Clutch: Ethan Finlay notched his 15th career game-winning goal at UMKC (Aug. 31). The senior has led the MVC in game-winning goals in each of this first three collegiate campaigns, as 15 of his 31 career goals have been game-winners.
First Things First: Sophomore Liam Kelly scored his first collegiate goal at UMKC on Aug. 31. Sophomore transfer Bruno Castro later added his first goal as a Bluejay in the same match. In Creighton's win over Drexel (Sept. 4), Andrew Ribeiro's first goal of the season proved to be his first career game-winner. Freshman Guido Peña scored CU's first goal of the season, his first career score in the Jays' 1-0 win at Denver (Aug. 27) to open the season.
Duran Factor: Since the start of the 2010 season the Bluejays have outscored the opposition 18-0 when fifth-year senior Andrew Duran is on the pitch. The senior suffered a season-ending injury in the fifth match of last season, with the Jays having outscored foes 10-0 with him playing. This year he has been on the field for eight of CU's first nine goals.
Big Win: Creighton toppled UMKC 5-0 for the Bluejays' most lopsided victory in five years on Aug. 31. CU's last give-goal win came over Central Arkansas (6-1) on Sept. 27. It was the Jays' most lopsided shutout since a 6-0 win at Georgetown on Oct. 19, 2005.
Debut Note: Freshman Guido Peña scored Creighton's only goal in its 1-0 season-opening win at Denver (Aug. 27). 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. JT Seger and Alex Bolowich then made their collegiate debuts at UMKC (Aug. 31).
300 Club: With a 1-0 win at Denver in its season-opener, Creighton captured its 300th victory since restarting the program in 1990. The Bluejays are now 302-92-44 since bringing the program back from a four-year hiatus.
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.
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: 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. Eleven of the 17 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.
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.
Strong Schedule: 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 reigning Big West champion UC Irvine on Oct. 15. Creighton will play two more 2010 NCAA Tournament teams on the road, playing at Maryland (Sept. 30) and 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.
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 Venues 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
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, Twitter and YouTube.
www.twitter.com/CreightonMSOC
www.facebook.com/CreightonSoccer
www.youtube.com/CreightonMSOC
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Creighton Men's Soccer Media Availability 9/30/25
Tuesday, September 30
Creighton Men's Soccer Highlights at DePaul - 9-27-25
Saturday, September 27
Creighton Men's Soccer Media Availability 9/24/25
Thursday, September 25
Creighton MSOC Highlights & Postgame vs Marquette 9-19-25
Saturday, September 20
