Creighton Hosts Loyola-Chicago, then Welcomes SIUE
10/1/2012 4:23:00 PM | Men's Soccer
OMAHA, Neb. - The Creighton men's soccer team welcomes Loyola-Chicago and SIUE this week to Morrison Stadium.
Last Week:
9/25: L, 0-2 at Tulsa
9/29: T, 0-0 at Drake
This Week:
10/2: Loyola-Chicago at Creighton, 7 p.m. Morrison Stadium
10/6: SIUE at Creighton, 7 p.m. Morrison Stadium
Scouting the No. 12 Creighton Bluejays (5-3-2):
Creighton has struggled over its past five contests, posting a combined 1-3-1 record. During that stretch the Jays have allowed eight goals and scored just four. The Bluejays will look to right the ship this week as Creighton hosts Loyola-Chicago (1-5-2) and Southern Illinois Edwardsville in Morrison Stadium.
Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Bolowich delivered his third shutout of
the season in the 0-0 draw at Drake on Saturday, Sept. 29. Bolowich has started the last three matches
for the Jays, but freshman Jeff Gal is still expected to see time this
season. Bolowich has a 1.07 Goals
Against Average (GAA) and 28 saves in seven matches, while Gal has a 0.67 GAA
with 11 saves in three matches.
Offensively the Jays have gotten contributions from 10 different
players, led by six points from junior Sean Kim (three goals), senior Jose
Gomez (two goals and two assists), and freshman Timo Pitter (two goals and two
assists).
Scouting the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers (1-5-2):
Facing its third team from the Missouri Valley Conference, Loyola-Chicago opened the season with losses to Central Arkansas (L, 1-2, ot) on Aug. 24 followed by a loss at Drake (L, 1-3) on Aug. 30.
The Ramblers
lone victory this season came on Sept. 14, 1-0, over Indiana Purdue Fort
Wayne. Loyola-Chicago, however, has
earned consecutive ties in its past two matches, 0-0 at Valparaiso (Sept. 22)
and 1-1 against UW-Milwaukee (Sept. 29).
Offensively the Ramblers have scored six goals in eight matches. Sophomore Andrew Raymonds has three goals to lead Loyola-Chicago, while fellow sophomore Brian Lunar leads the team with two assists.
The Ramblers
have split time in goal this season between senior Peter McKeown and freshman
Tim Dobrowolski. McKeown has seen the
majority of time, earning seven starts.
McKeown has allowed 11 goals, a 1.77 GAA and made 25 saves. Dobrowolski, meanwhile, has allowed three
goals, a 1.34 GAA and made 10 saves.
Eric Miller Named to U.S.
Under-20
National Team
Creighton sophomore Eric Miller was one of 19 players selected to play for the U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team, announced late Monday afternoon.
U.S. National Team head coach Tab Ramos will lead the U.S. team in a series of international friendlies against Canada, Scotland and Azerbaijan from Oct. 6-17 at the 2012 Marbella Cup in Marbella, Spain.
“It is a huge honor to be selected to represent your country,” said Miller. “I'm excited to be part of this team, to play against some of the best in the world.”
Miller was granted an exception to play in the Jays' match against Southern Illinois Edwardsville on Saturday, Oct. 6, then will fly to join the U.S. Team on Sunday, Oct. 7. Miller will return to the Jays on Oct. 17, but will miss the Bluejays matches at Princeton (Oct. 9), at Central Arkansas (Oct. 13) and vs. UMKC (Oct. 16).
Dominant MVC Defense
Creighton
logged its eighth consecutive shutout of a Valley opponent in the 0-0
double-overtime draw with Drake on Saturday. The last goal surrendered to an
MVC opponent by the Jays came in the conference opener last season (Oct. 12) to
Missouri State at 22:54. It has been
897:06 since Creighton allowed a goal to an MVC foe.
Extending Success
Creighton's
two opponents this week, Loyola-Chicago and SIUE, have not registered a victory
against the Jays since 1990. Creighton is 3-0-1 against Loyola-Chicago, including
a 2-0 win over the Ramblers in Chicago on Sept. 1, 2010. The Bluejays have a
4-0-1 record against SIUE in the last five meetings, including a 1-0 win over
the Cougars last season on Oct. 22.
Scoring Drought
The Jays were held without a goal in back-to-back matches this week in a 2-0 loss to Tulsa (Sept. 25) and a 0-0 double-overtime draw with Drake (Sept. 29), Creighton's last goal came at 61:25 against Saint Louis on Sept. 22, a total of 228:35. This marks the first time since 1985 that Creighton has been shutout in consecutive matches in a single season. That year the Jays fell at Western Illinois (L, 0-1) on Oct. 13 and at Rockhurst (L, 0-1). In 1985 the Jays were shutout in three straight matches, also falling to Quincy on Oct. 12 (L, 0-5).
