No. 2 Men's Soccer Set for Battle at No. 3 Maryland Friday
9/28/2011 10:01:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Match 9 at Maryland • Friday, Sept. 30 • 6:30 p.m. (CST)
#2 Creighton Bluejays at #3 Maryland Terrapins
Ludwig Field • College Park, Md.
Series History: Maryland leads 2-1-1
Live Stats • Live Video
Following the Jays: Live stats and live video ($9.95 subscription fee) will be provided by Maryland for the match. Fans can access the live video and live stats by following the links provided on Creighton's homepage at www.gocreighton.com. The Old Mattress Factory Bar & Grill (13th & Cass) is hosting a viewing party for the Maryland match this Friday night. Fans can also listen to Maryland's student radio station call the match at this link - WMUC Sports.#2 Creighton Bluejays at #3 Maryland Terrapins
Ludwig Field • College Park, Md.
Series History: Maryland leads 2-1-1
Live Stats • Live Video
This Week: No. 3 Creighton – the top defense in the NCAA – opens a tough four-game road trip at No. 2 Maryland – the top offense in the NCAA – Friday night at 6:30 pm (CST).
Last Week: Creighton remained the only team in NCAA Division I men's soccer to not allow a goal this season, as the Bluejays blanked the second-highest scoring team in the nation in a 2-0 win over No. 22 Kentucky last Wednesday. On Saturday the Bluejays edged Saint Mary's 1-0. Ethan Finlay scored twice and assisted the other CU goal last week to earn his third MVC Offensive Player of the Week honor this season and earn National Player of the Week honors from Soccer America. Brian Holt was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this year and tabbed the National Player of the Week by College Soccer News, after he stopped 11 shots last week to move his school-record shutout streak over 739 minutes.
Scouting #2 Creighton (8-0-0): The third-ranked Bluejays, defending MVC champions and preseason MVC favorites are off to their best start since 1993 and are on their longest winning streak since 2000 ... Creighton is the only team left in NCAA DI soccer to not allow a goal this season and is one of two unbeaten and untied teams (UConn) ... Creighton returns eight starters, including six all-conference players from the 2010 team, while it lists 17 newcomers on the roster this season ... All-American, 2010 MVC Player of the Year and two-time MAC Hermann Trophy candidate Ethan Finlay ranks among NCAA leaders and tops the MVC with six goals and 16 points ... Sophomore Bruno Castro, an ACC All-Freshman Team honoree at North Carolina last year, is tied for the team-lead with four assists and is second on the team with three goals and 10 points ... 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 were each all-MVC honorees last year ... Holt is the school and MVC record-holder with 34 career shutouts and his 0.69 career goals against average ranks second in CU and MVC history. He has made 31 saves and not allowed a goal in 719 minutes of play this season, and has gone 739 minutes since last allowing a goal.
Scouting #3 Maryland (9-0-1, 3-0-0 ACC): The Terrapins spent time at No. 1 in the polls this season after starting the year with seven straight wins ... The Terps are 6-0-0 at home this season where they are averaging 4,142 fans ... Maryland, an NCAA Quarterfinalist last year, leads the NCAA with 28 goals, outshooting opponents 182-79 (75-27 on goal) and outscoring foes 28-7 ... MAC Hermann Trophy candidate Casey Townsend leads the UM attack with 10 goals ... John Stertzer ranks second on the team with seven goals and 17 points, while Sunny Jane tops the team with five assists ... Patrick Mullins, the 2010 ACC Freshman of the Year, adds five goals ... Will Swaim is 9-0-0 on the year with a 0.77 goals against average, needing to make only 18 saves in his first nine matches this year.
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 288-144-40 (.653) 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-Maryland Series: Maryland leads the all-time series with Creighton, 2-1-1, with all four meetings taking place in College Park and three of the four coming in the NCAA Tournament. CU's lone win in the series came in the only regular-season meeting, a 2-1 win on Sept. 7, 2001. CU last played at Maryland in the 2008 NCAA Quarterfinals, a 1-0 win for the third-ranked and second-seeded Terrapins over the second-ranked and seventh-seeded Bluejays. Current Bluejays Brian Holt, Ethan Finlay and Greg Jordan each started, while Kris Clark played 51 minutes off the bench in the 2008 match.
Hello Again: Creighton head coach Elmar Bolowich, the reigning ACC Coach of the Year, returns to familiar territory Friday. The former North Carolina coach faced Maryland 29 times as head coach of the Tar Heels, logging an 8-20-1 record against the Terrapins. Bolowich posted three wins in 11 matches at College Park during his 22-year UNC coaching tenure, the last coming in 2000. Bolowich's team split with Maryland last year, as UNC won in the regular-season, before UM topped UNC in the ACC Title match.
Road Warriors: Since the start of the 2007 season, the Bluejays are 23-6-8 (.730) overall in matches away from Omaha, including an impressive 18-1-7 (.827) mark in regular-season road matches. The Jays are 0-3-1 in true postseason road matches and 5-2-0 in neutral contests during that span, with one of the postseason losses coming at Maryland in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
CU vs. Top 25: Creighton's 2-0 win over No. 22 Kentucky (Sept. 21) moved the Bluejays to an impressive 16-2-1 (.868) against the NSCAA top 25 at Morrison Stadium. The Bluejays are now 26-9-2 (.729) against nationally-ranked opponents at home and 56-41-10 (.570) all-time against the coaches top 25. The Jays are 22-17-8 (.553) all-time against top-25 teams on the road, including a 1-1-1 mark last year.
CU vs. Top Five: Creighton game at Maryland will mark the second straight season the Bluejays will play a true road match at a top-five opponent. Last year Creighton lost 1-0 at No. 1 Akron on Oct. 27. The Bluejays are 11-8-1 (.575) all-time against top-five opponents.
Poll Position: Creighton is ranked second in the NSCAA poll after ranking third for two week, while the Bluejays remain No. 1 in the NSCAA Midwest Region ranking for the fifth straight week. Soccer America and Soccer Times kept the Bluejays ranked third, while College Soccer News ranks the Jays fourth. In addition, Goal.com's J.R. Eskilson ranks the Bluejays first in his weekly rankings for the third straight week.
Statistical Rankings: Creighton leads the NCAA in goals against average, shutout percentage, save percentage and winning percentage this week, with goalkeeper Brian Holt leading the NCAA with his perfect 1.000 save percentage and 0.00 GAA. The Bluejays are the only team remaining in Division I soccer to not have allowed a goal this season. Creighton (8-0-0) is joined by Connecticut (8-0-0) as the last two teams without a loss or tie this season. Creighton's offense also ranks in the top-25 in total goals scored (20th - 17) and points per game (21st - 2.13).
Bolowich's Best: At 8-0-0, Creighton has helped head coach Elmar Bolowich to the best start of his 23-year coaching career. In 22 seasons at North Carolina, Bolowich never won more than four matches to start a season. His 2005 team started 7-0-1 after winning its first four matches for the longest unbeaten start to a season in his career. The best start by a Bluejay coach in his first season belongs to Bob Warming, who won his first nine matches in 1990.
Historic Start: At 8-0-0, Creighton is off to its best start since the 1993 team won its first 19 matches of the season en route to earning the No. 1 ranking for the final five weeks of the regular-season. The last two times Creighton started a season with six straight wins it advanced to the College Cup (1996 and 2000). The 2000 team advanced to the NCAA Championship match and led the NCAA with 22 wins. The Bluejays have posted a school-record eight straight shutouts, never before had CU started a season with more than four straight clean sheets.
We're Going Streaking!: Creighton has won eight straight matches for the first time since 2000. That 2000 NCAA runner-up squad won 11 straight matches to reach the NCAA Championship match.
Clean Sheet Records: Creighton has set a school record by recording eight straight shutouts, topping the former mark of six established by the 2008 team. In 2008, the Bluejays posted six straight shutouts from Sept. 19 through Oct. 8 and went more than 722 minutes between goals that season. CU has not allowed a goal in 738 minutes this season. With five straight shutouts at home, the Bluejays have tied the single-season consecutive home shutout record (1999, 2003). The longest home shutout streak over two seasons is six, done so between 1999 and 2000.
Holt Breaks His Own Record: Senior goalkeeper Brian Holt has run his scoreless streak this season to 719:32 to start the season. Adding that streak to the final 20:15 of the 2010 season, Holt has not allowed a goal in his last 739:47 minutes played – establishing a school-record for consecutive minutes between goals allowed. He surpassed his own school record of better than 722 straight scoreless minutes set during his freshman season in 2008.
Consecutive CU Shutout Minutes Streak
Brian Holt - 739:47, Nov. 21, 2010 – present
Brian Holt - 722:12, Sept. 13-Oct. 11, 2008
Kevin Doyle - 562:44, Oct. 11-Nov. 7, 1992
Tom Zawislan - 500:20, Oct. 1-29, 1999
Matt Allen - 480:00, Oct. 26-Nov. 22, 2005
Home Sweet Morrison: With its 5-0-0 start at home this season, Creighton is now 64-13-12 (.787) all-time at Morrison Stadium (since 2003), including a 16-2-1 (.868) record against top 25 foes at the venue. Since 1990, the Bluejays are 166-29-16 (.825) at home.
Protecting this House: Since moving into Morrison Stadium in 2003, Creighton has not only won 78.7 percent of its games, but half of its matches have now resulted in a Bluejay shutout – 45 shutouts in 89 games. The Bluejays have outscored opponents 170-60 at the venue and posted an impressive 0.65 home goals against average at Morrison Stadium.
CU's Defense at Morrison Stadium
Year GAA GA Sho W-L-T
2011 0.00 0 5 5-0-0
2010 0.88 9 5 7-2-1
2009 0.49 4 4 5-2-1
2008 0.53 6 6 10-1-0
2007 0.85 12 5 6-3-4
2006 0.62 6 5 6-1-2
2005 0.68 7 6 8-1-1
2004 0.90 11 2 10-1-1
2003 0.44 5 7 7-2-2
Totals 0.65 60 45 64-13-12
3x Offensive Player of the Week: Senior All-American forward Ethan Finlay has been named the MVC Offensive Player of the Week in three of the first five weeks this season. He earned his first award on Sept. 6 following his two-goal, one assist match at UMKC (Aug. 31). The 2010 MVC Player of the Year scored twice and assisted another goal at UMKC, before assisting a score against Drexel (Sept. 4). Finlay scored two goals against Providence (Sept. 17) to again earn the accolade on Sept. 19. His latest honor came after he played a part in every goal against Kentucky (Sept. 21) and Saint Mary's (Sept. 24). He has now been named MVC Offensive Player of the Week six times in his career.
Defensive Players of the Week: A Bluejay has been named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week in four of the first five weeks this season, with Brian Holt bringing home the honor three times and junior center back Jake Brown winning the honor in week three. Brown earned his first two Bluejay starts and played every minute of CU's shutouts against Fordham (Sept. 9) and DePaul (Sept. 11). Holt has now earned the honor six times in his career as he 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. His latest honor came after he shut down the second-highest scoring offense in the NCAA in a 2-0 win over No. 22 Kentucky (Sept. 21).
Winning: Brian Holt became the fourth goalkeeper in school history to record 40 career wins when he picked up his 40th victory against Fordham on Sept. 9. With his 1-0 win over Saint Mary's (Sept. 24) he picked up his 44th career win to move past two-time MVC Defensive Player of the Year Matt Allen into second place on the CU career victories chart, trailing only Jay Fitzgerald's school-record 53 wins.
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. CU's second home game against Fordham on Sept. 9 brought in 4,242 fans, the seventh-largest crowd. Creighton has ranked in the top-10 in the NCAA attendance in each of the first eight seasons of Morrison Stadium.
Top 10 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
6 – 4,345 vs. Virginia (Exh.), Aug. 28, 1993
7 – 4,242 vs. Fordham, Sept. 9, 2011
8 – 4,071 vs. Gonzaga, Aug. 29, 2008
9 – 4,029 vs. UMKC (Exh.), Aug. 27, 2004
10 – 4,023 vs. Tulsa, Sept. 22, 2007
More Fan Fun: Creighton has drawn 17,964 fans to its first five home matches of 2011, an average of 3,593. The rest of the Missouri Valley Conference combined has drawn a total of 7,367 in 17 home dates, for an average of just 433 fans.
Finlay Facts: Ethan Finlay has scored a team-leading five goals this season, including a pair of two-goal matches. He now has seven career multiple-goal matches, ranking him fourth in school history. His 34 career goals ranks sixth in Bluejay history and with 14 points this season he has climbed into the Creighton career top-10 with 83 career points. He now ranks seventh in school history with 83 career points. Of his 34 career scores, a Morrison Stadium-record 19 have come at home and 16 of his career goals have accounted for game-winners. The All-American owns Morrison Stadium career records for goals (19), points (48), shots (94) and shots on goal (42).
Duran Factor: Since the start of the 2010 season the Bluejays have outscored the opposition 26-0 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 16 of CU's first 17 goals.
Offensive Output: Creighton's five goals against UMKC (Aug. 31) matched its highest scoring match of the previous four seasons and with nine goals through three matches, the Bluejays 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.
Push the Clutch: Ethan Finlay leads the team and MVC with three game-winning goals this year, nothing new for the senior as he has led the MVC in game-winning goals in each of this first three collegiate campaigns. Of his 35 career goals, 17 have been game-winners.
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).
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 CU debuts, it had not happened since Brian Kallman (older brother of current junior Brent Kallman) did so 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 his 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 be here.
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.
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.
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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