Men's Soccer Squares Off With Akron For Trip To NCAA College Cup

NCAA Quarterfinal • Saturday, Dec. 5 • #12 Creighton at #4 Akron • Akron, Ohio • 3:00 p.m. CST
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Getting Up To Speed
   Saturday's NCAA Championship quarterfinal match between twelfth-seeded Creighton and fourth-seeded Akron will feature two of the nation's top offenses. Creighton and host Akron are two of only four teams nationwide to have scored more than 50 goals this season.
   With a trip to the NCAA College Cup on the line, the Bluejays (19-3), who have earned wins in four of their last five matches, visit an Akron squad that has suffered just one setback since Sept. 22.—a 4-2 loss at home to UCLA. The Zips' (17-3-2) only other loss on their home turf, Cub Cadet Field at FirstEnergy Stadium, was to currently top-ranked and top-seeded Wake Forest. Akron went 10-2-1 at home this season, playing to a draw versus in-state opponent Ohio State.
   Saturday's quarterfinal match will be played at Akron's FirstEnergy Stadium and will kick off at 3:00 p.m. CST. It will be just the fourth meeting all-time between Creighton and Akron. The Zips currently lead the series, 1-0-2, with the last bout coming in the Third Round of the 2012 national tournament. After playing to a 1-1 draw, Creighton advanced on penalty kicks, 5-4, en route to the program's fifth College Cup appearance.
   The Bluejays, who spent eight consecutive weeks atop the NSCAA Top 25 rankings this season (Sept. 8-Oct. 27), will be seeking to clinch the program's third NCAA College Cup appearance in five years, coinciding with the tenure of Head Coach Elmar Bolowich.
   Since taking the reigns at Creighton in 2011, Bolowich has tallied an impressive 9-2-3 record in NCAA postseason play, including four quarterfinal appearances ('11, '12, '14, '15), and back-to-back College Cup appearances in 2011 and 2012. Prior to arriving in Omaha, Bolowich spent 22 years as the headman at North Carolina, leading the Tar Heels to 15 NCAA tournament appearances, four College Cups, and the program's first-ever national championship in 2001. Last weekend, Bolowich the Bluejays downed the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, 1-0—Bolowich's first meeting with UNC since his move to Creighton in 2011.
   The fifth-ranked Zips received the No. 4 seed in the national tournament after capturing the MAC regular-season and tournament titles. Akron has won 11 consecutive MAC regular-season championships, and four consecutive MAC tournament titles. The Zips defeated Rutgers, 6-1, in their Second Round win, before downing SMU, 2-1, in the Third Round.
   Three of the four national quarterfinal matches will be played on Saturday, Dec. 5.
To follow the action visit NCAA.com/Sports/Soccer-Men/D1.

Follow The Match
   Saturday's match will be broadcast online via GoZips.com. Fans can access the stream by visiting GoZips.com.SidearmSports.com/Watch.
   Live stats for Saturday's match can be accessed via CBSi Gametracker at CSTV.com/Gametracker/Universe.
   Scoring updates and infographics will be provided via Twitter at @CreightonMSOC.

Scouting Creighton
   The ninth-ranked and 12th-seeded Bluejays are 19-3-0 on the season following wins versus Michigan (1-0), Milwaukee (4-0), CSUN (2-1), No. 13 UC Irvine (4-0), Michigan State (1-0), Tulsa (1-0), Northern Illinois (2-0), Seton Hall (4-2), Missouri State (4-0), DePaul (1-0), Drake (2-1, 5-1), St. John's (2-1), Butler (1-0), Marquette (3-1), Villanova (5-1), Providence (3-1, 2-1), and North Carolina (1-0), and losses to Xavier (2-1) and No. 6 Georgetown (2-1, 2-1).
   The Bluejays return eight starters and 13 lettermen from last year's team that won the BIG EAST Conference regular-season title, advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, and ranked No. 7 in the year-end NSCAA poll.
   Creighton returns 30 of its 32 goals from last year, including each of its top six scorers. The Bluejays also return 24-of-30 assists from a year ago, and all but five minutes of the nearly 2,044 minutes in goal from last season.
   Junior forward Fabian Herbers (15g, 15a this year) has emerged as a frontrunner for National Player of the Year honors, as he's contributed at least one point in 19 of Creighton's 22 matches, including a point in the Bluejays' first 10 matches. With 45 total points, Herbers is the leading point scorer in NCAA Division I and the only player to rank among the nation's top 10 for both goals (15) and assists (15). This season, Herbers was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year for a second-consecutive year. He was a unanimous choice for the award this season. In 2014, he led the conference with 28 points, was second in the league with four game-winning goals, and third in both goals (10) and assists (8) en route to earning First-Team All-America accolades. Herbers earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in both 2014 (Third Team) and 2015 (First Team). He ranks fourth among active NCAA Division I players for career points per game (1.36) and is tied for fifth among active players for career points (83).
   Senior Timo Pitter (10g, 4a this year) paced the league in assists (9), shots (75) and shots on goal (36) during a 2014 campaign that saw him add Second Team All-America plaudits. Joining teammates Fabian Herbers and Vincent Keller on the All-BIG EAST First Team this season, Pitter was named BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year for a second-consecutive year. He ranks third among active NCAA D-I players with 87 career points.
   Senior goalkeeper Connor Sparrow (0.73 GAA this year) returns in net after ranking second nationally in goals against average (0.49) and 10th in save percentage (.841) a year ago. Sparrow's career 0.58 goals against average as a Bluejay is the best in Creighton history among goalies with at least 2,000 minutes in net. This season, Sparrow was named BIG EAST Co-Goalkeeper of the Year alongside Xavier's Dallas Jaye. After making four saves in Creighton's 2-1, double-overtime loss to No. 3 Georgetown in the BIG EAST tournament final, Sparrow was named to the All-Tournament team alongside teammates Timo Pitter and Ricardo Perez.
   Seven players have scored at least nine points for the Bluejays this season: Fabian Herbers (45), Timo Pitter (24), Ricardo Perez (12), Ricky Lopez-Espin (11), Fernando Castellanos (10), Myles Englis (9), and Joel Rydstrand (9).
   Creighton's five-goal outburst against Drake in the Bluejays' Second Round contest (Nov. 22) matched their single-game season high scoring output. Creighton also scored five goals on Senior Night (Oct. 24), beating BIG EAST opponent Villanova, 5-1.
   Lopez-Espin, Perez, and Pitter each scored goals for the Bluejays in the win over Drake, with Lopez-Espin recording the first multi-goal match of his career. Pitter scored once to go along with one assist, and Herbers dished out three assists, matching a program and NCAA postseason record for single-game assists. Creighton's Luiz Del Monte recorded three assists in the Bluejays' 2002 national quarterfinal win over Boston College. Pitter added another postseason score, netting the Bluejays' game-winning goal in their 1-0 win at North Carolina in last weekend's Third Round match (Nov. 28).
   The Bluejays are 6-2-0 away from home this season, with both losses coming to second-ranked and third-seeded Georgetown in Washington, D.C.
   Creighton leads the nation with 19 wins.

Scouting Akron
   Along with Creighton (51), Akron (53) is one of just four teams nationwide to have eclipsed the 50-goals-scored plateau. The Zips boast the nation's third-ranked scoring offense, averaging nearly 2.50 goals per game; however, defensively, Akron's goals against average of 1.19 ranks 95th nationally.
   Since falling to currently top-ranked Wake Forest, 2-1, on Sept. 22, the Zips have posted a 13-1-1 record. Akron will enter Saturday's contest in the midst of a five-match win streak, with four of those victories coming in postseason play (MAC and NCAA tournaments).
   Akron features five of the MAC Conference's top ten point scorers: Adam Najem (29), Richie Laryea (28), Sam Gainford (23), Stuart Holthusen (20), and Victor Souto (17). Holthusen and Najem have recorded points in each of Akron's two NCAA Championship wins, with Holthusen tallying two goals and one assist, and Najem dishing out three assists.
   Senior goalkeeper Jake Fenlason leads the MAC with 89 saves, a mark that ranks eighth nationally. His eight shutouts are tied for first in the MAC.

All-Time Series History
   Saturday's match will mark the fourth ever meeting between Creighton and Akron, with the Zips currently maintaining a 1-0-2 series lead.
   The two programs have twice met in regular season play, and once in the postseason.
   Akron's victory came in 2010 when the Zips narrowly edged Creighton, 1-0, in Akron.
   On Aug. 31, 2012, Creighton and Akron played to a regular-season draw in Omaha. Three months later, the teams met in Akron in the NCAA Third Round, playing to a 1-1 draw with Creighton advancing on penalty kicks (5-4).

Perennial Powers
   Creighton has reached the NCAA Championship tournament in 23 of the last 24 seasons, while Akron has done so in 14 of the last 15.
   Over the past five seasons, Creighton and Akron rank second and third, respectively, for total wins in NCAA Division I Men's Soccer. During that span, Creighton has tallied 82 victories, with Akron close behind with 80. Only Coastal Carolina (86) has won more games over the past five seasons. See below for the top five winningest teams from 2011-15.

Bolowich Keeps Creighton Winning
   Creighton ranks second nationally with 82 wins in the last five years, which coincides with the arrival of head coach Elmar Bolowich. Bolowich was named BIG EAST Co-Coach of the Year last season after helping the Bluejays to the BIG EAST regular-season title.
   Four of the five winningest programs since 2011—Coastal Carolina, Creighton, Akron, and North Carolina—were each in the same region in this year's NCAA Championship, comprising one of the toughest regions in the tournament.

All-BIG EAST Honors
   Five Creighton players earned All-BIG EAST honors: Fabian Herbers, Vincent Keller, Timo Pitter, Joel Rydstrand, and Connor Sparrow.
   Herbers, Keller, and Pitter were each selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team.
For the second-consecutive year, Herbers was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and Pitter was named BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year.
   Sparrow, who shared BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year honors with Xavier's Dallas Jaye, was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team.
   Rydstrand was a unanimous selection to the All-Freshman Team. Herbers was unanimously selected as the league's Offensive Player of the Year.

Two MAC Hermann Semifinalists
   As announced by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) on Dec. 1, Fabian Herbers and Timo Pitter are semifinalists for the 2015 MAC Hermann Trophy, one of the most coveted awards in college soccer.
   The MAC Hermann Trophy is the highest individual intercollegiate award administered by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, and is presented annually at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis. This year's trophy presentation and banquet will take place Friday, Jan. 8.
   A total of 30 NCAA Division I players were named semifinalists for the award. Alongside Creighton, only two other men's program's nationwide (Clemson and Stanford) saw two semifinalists nominated for the accolade.
   Herbers and Pitter, the BIG EAST Offensive Player and Midfielder of the Year, respectively, helped lead Creighton to a 15-0-0 start this season—the program's best start since 1993. The Bluejays were ranked atop the NSCAA Top 25 poll for a program-best eight consecutive weeks (Sept. 8-Oct. 27). With their win at North Carolina on Nov. 28, the Bluejays clinched the program's fourth national quarterfinal appearance in five years.
   The German duo has contributed greatly to Creighton's success this season, accounting for totals of 25 goals and 19 assists.
   Herbers, the nation's leading point scorer, has tallied 15 goals and 15 assists and ranks first or tied for first in seven of the nine offensive categories tracked by the BIG EAST. He has excelled off the field, as well, earning CoSIDA Academic All-America honors for a second-consecutive season.
   Pitter ranks among Creighton's all-time Top 10 for career goals (33) and points (87), with the latter mark ranking third among active NCAA Division I players. He is one of 30 men's soccer student-athletes who excel both on and off the field that were selected as candidates for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award®.
   Herbers and Pitter each earned BIG EAST All-First Team honors this season.
   Creighton Assistant Coach Johnny Torres is the program's lone MAC Hermann Trophy winner to date, garnering the accolade in 1997.

Herbers For Hermann
   Junior forward Fabian Herbers finished the regular season as the nation's leading point scoring (14g, 12a, 40pts). In postseason play, he has added one goal and three assists, improving his season totals to 15 goals and 15 assists (45pts). Herbers scored the game-winning goal in Creighton's semifinal win versus Providence on a penalty kick. He leads Creighton with five game-winning goals this season.
   With his game-winning penalty kick against Providence, Herbers became the first Creighton player to convert four penalty kicks in a single season since Mike Tranchilla did so in 2002.
   Herbers is the only player in NCAA Division I Men's Soccer to rank in the national top 10 for both goals (15) and assists (15).
   This season marked Herbers' second-consecutive season in which he earned BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and All-BIG EAST First Team honors. He was unanimously chosen as Offensive Player of the Year this year.
   Herbers recorded at least one point (a goal or an assist) in each of Creighton's first ten regular-season games this fall. He was the first Bluejay to start a season in such fashion since restarting the program in 1990. MLS All-Star and Creighton alumnus, Ethan Finlay, had a run of nine straight such games from Sept. 17-Oct. 23, 2010.
   Herbers' 15 assists this season is just one shy of matching Richard Mulrooney's program single-season record of 16 ('96, 98). His three assists in Creighton's NCAA Second Round win over Drake matched a program and NCAA postseason record for single-game assists. Creighton's Luiz Del Monte also recorded three assists in the Bluejays' 2002 national quarterfinal win over Boston College.

Starting Strong
   Creighton's 15-0-0 start to the 2015 season marked the program's best start to a season since 1993 when the Bluejays began 19-0-0.
   Creighton was the nation's last remaining unbeaten and untied team in Division I (men's or women's) remaining in 2015 prior to the Bluejays' narrow, 2-1 loss to Xavier on Oct. 28.
   The Bluejays' 15-0-0 start to a season marked the best start in NCAA Division I Men's Soccer since 2009 when Akron began its campaign with 23 consecutive wins en route to a College Cup appearance.

Top 10 Crowds
   The Bluejays' total home attendance of 46,171 this season is the top mark nationally, and is a program-best, surpassing 2011's total of 40,720. Creighton is currently averaging 3,298 fans through 14 home dates, which ranks third nationally through games as of Nov. 24.
   Creighton's average home attendance of 3,298 is more than triple that of any other BIG EAST institution. Georgetown and Butler rank second and third with averages just less than 1,000 per game.
   The 4,838 fans for Michigan on Aug. 28 ranked as the largest crowd in school history to witness a season-opener, while the crowd of 4,907 vs. CSUN on Sept. 4 was the program's largest crowd since 2012. CU's crowd of 6,453 on Sept. 19 vs. Tulsa was the second-largest home crowd in program history.
   Creighton finished last season 10th nationally in average home attendance and fifth overall in total home attendance.
   This season marks the 12th-consecutive season the Bluejays have finished in the top-10 nationally in average home attendance.

Postseason Success
   Since arriving at Creighton in 2011, Head Coach Elmar Bolowich is 9-2-3 in NCAA postseason play, including consecutive trips to the NCAA College Cup in 2011 and 2012. Creighton has advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals four times under Bolowich ('11, '12, '14, '15).

Pitter Continues To Shine
   With his goal versus Georgetown in the BIG EAST final, Timo Pitter moved past Ray Nikoden (1980-82) into eighth-place among Creighton's all-time point scorers. He currently ranks seventh on Creighton's all-time list for career goals (33), and third among active NCAA D-I players for career points (87). The senior midfielder netted the game-winning goal in Creighton's 1-0, NCAA Third Round victory at UNC on Nov. 28.

Sparrow A Rare Bird
   Senior GK Connor Sparrow remains Creighton's all-time leader in goals against average, allowing just 0.58 goals per 90 minutes in a Bluejay uniform.
   Sparrow's numbers are even more impressive at home, where he owns a 0.48 GAA in a Creighton uniform at Morrison Stadium.
   The St. Louis, Mo., native has allowed one goal or less in 43 of his 48 career starts at Creighton.
   The only teams to score against him multiple times in the same game has been Seton Hall (2014 and 2015), Xavier (2015), and Georgetown (2015, 2x). In his other 43 starts as a Bluejay, Sparrow has allowed just 19 total goals.
   Of the 29 goals that Sparrow has allowed as a Bluejay, only eight have come prior to halftime.
   Sparrow is Creighton's all-time leader for win percentage with a .796 mark (37-8-4).

Herbers, Keller Earn Academic Accolades
   As announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Nov. 24, Creighton's Fabian Herbers and Vincent Keller have been selected as CoSIDA Academic All-America honorees.
   CoSIDA's Academic All-America Men's Soccer Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.
   Herbers was named to the First Team, while Keller earned Third Team honors, marking just the third time in Creighton Athletics history that multiple student-athletes from the same sport have garnered such distinctions in the same season.
   With this year's distinction, Herbers becomes the second student-athlete in Creighton Men's Soccer program history, alongside Brian Holt (2011)—and seventh in Creighton Athletics history—to earn Academic All-America First Team honors.
   Last season, Herbers was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District VII First Team and CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team. Meanwhile, Keller earned BIG EAST All-Academic honors and was the recipient of Creighton's Carl M. Reinert, S.J., Men's Scholar Athlete of the Year award.

Ethan Finlay, All-Star
   Former Creighton All-American, and 2015 MLS All Star, Ethan Finlay has emerged as a key contributor for the Columbus Crew.
   Finlay ended the regular season ranked fifth in the MLS with 13 assists to go with 12 goals in 34 starts with the Crew this year.
   The Crew will host Western Conference champion Portland in the MLS title match on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 3:00 p.m. CST. The match will be televised on ESPN.
   In the Crew's Eastern Conference semifinal match-up versus the Montreal Impact, Finlay scored a game-tying goal in the 77th minute to force overtime. The Crew went on to win the match in the 111th minute and advance to the Eastern Conference Championship against the New York Red Bulls. Columbus then defeated New York by a 2-1 aggregate margin to advance to the MLS Final.
       Earlier this summer, Finlay played in the MLS All-Star Game.
   Finlay played at Creighton from 2008-11, leading the Bluejays to a pair of College Cups before being 10th overall in the 2012 MLS Super Draft.

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Men's Soccer Squares Off With Akron For Trip To NCAA College Cup

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Players Mentioned

Fernando Castellanos

Myles Englis

Fabian Herbers

Vincent Keller

Ricky Lopez-Espin

Ricardo Perez

Timo Pitter

Joel Rydstrand

Connor Sparrow