Saturday, December 5
Akron, OH
3:00 PM
Creighton University
2
at
3
Akron
Photo by Jeff Harwell
Photo by: Jeff Harwell
Bluejays Comeback Bid Falls Short In NCAA Quarterfinal As Creighton Ends Season At 19-4
12/5/2015 7:05:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Creighton finishes 2015 campaign with third-most wins in program history
AKRON, Ohio — Creighton's impressive 2015 campaign came to a close on Saturday, as the twelfth-seeded Bluejays were edged in double overtime, 3-2, in NCAA Quarterfinal action by fourth-seeded Akron. The Bluejays finished the season with a 19-4 record, tying the 1993 Creighton squad for the third-most wins in single-season program history.
"Obviously, we are extremely disappointed not to be advancing," Creighton Head Coach Elmar Bolowich said. "But, on that note, we knew going in that only one team would move on from this. Congratulations to Akron. They played a fantastic game.
"I thought the game overall was well-played on both sides with both teams putting everything on the field," Bolowich added. "I'm very proud of our team and the way they conducted themselves."
Saturday's bout between two of the nation's top scoring offenses did not disappoint, as all five goals came after intermission. Entering the match, Akron (2.41) and Creighton (2.32) ranked second and fourth in the nation, respectively, for scoring average.
The Bluejays (19-4-0) controlled the bulk of possession in the match's first half, outshooting the Zips (18-3-2) by an 8-5 margin, and earning four corner kick tries to Akron's one. However, Creighton was unable to find the scoring column in the opening half, and the two teams headed to halftime knotted in a scoreless draw.
"Ironically, I felt like it was the shots that we weren't taking that were hurting us," Bolowich said. "We were too indecisive in the final third, wanting to pass one too many times, giving Akron a chance to recover, and then not getting the shot off. I felt like, in the first half, we had those opportunities, and we squandered them. We did not take advantage of them."
Creighton emerged from the locker room with newfound determinition, outshooting Akron, 4-0, through the opening 14 minutes of the period. However, the tide of the match began to take a stark turn around the 50-minute mark, as both squads began displaying evident senses of urgency, resulting in more physical play and an uptick of fouls.
The mutually hard-nosed play culminated in a three-minute stretch between 54:54 and 57:21 in which three yellow cards were issued—two to Akron and one to Creighton.
Despite the Bluejays dominating the shot margin in the early second half, host Akron capitalized on the tone and physicality of the second half when the Zips drew a foul in the box, setting up a 60th-minute penalty kick for Victor Souto. Souto converted the attempt to give Akron a narrow, 1-0 advantage.
Creighton's offensive attack continued applying pressure to the Zips, and the Bluejays broke through just four minutes later with senior Fernando Castellanos converting a header off of a Fabian Herbers' assist.
The score remained 1-1 for the next 16 minutes until Holthusen regained the lead for Akron, scoring his third goal of the NCAA tournament.
Again, Creighton responded. Herbers sent a pass to fellow senior Timo Pitter, who found Ricardo Perez atop the box. Perez unleashed a shot that fooled Akron keeper Jake Fenlason, tying the match at 2-2. With the assist—his second of the match—Herbers (17) eclipsed Richard Mulrooney's program single-season assist record of 16 set in 1996 and 1998.
Creighton and Akron closed out regulation knotted in a 2-2 draw, sending the match to extra time.
A total of 35 fouls and five yellow cards were issued in regulation, with all five yellow card bookings occurring in the second half.
"Both teams knew that their season could be over," Bolowich said of the foul-ridden first 90 minutes of play. "I still thought it was competitive, but it wasn't out of control. In the heat of competition, that can happen. Nobody wants to lose a 50/50 ball. Akron competed. We competed. I thought, overall, the two teams did a great job."
The Bluejays enjoyed a 24-16 shot advantage during regulation; however, Akron, fueled by its home crowd of 3,043, maintained a 5-2 advantage in extra time, forcing Creighton senior goalkeeper Connor Sparrow to make three saves in the first overtime period.
Junior midfielder Adam Najem, who had recorded three total assists in the Zips' opening two NCAA wins, scored off of a booming free kick atop the box following a Creighton foul, keeping Akron's 74-day unbeaten streak in tact and sending the Zips to their fourth national semifinal in program history. Since falling to top-seeded Wake Forest on Sept. 22 in Akron, the Zips have not suffered a loss.
"I'm very proud of our team," Bolowich said. "We had to come back from a deficit twice, and still managed to tie the game and take it into overtime," Bolowich said. It was a well-played college game. It was great advertising for college soccer."
The setback closes the book on Creighton's stellar 2015 campaign that saw the Bluejays begin the season 15-0-0—the program's best start since 1993—and maintain the nation's top ranking for a program-best eight consecutive weeks (Sept. 7-Oct. 28).
Reflecting on the Bluejays' outgoing senior class, Bolowich emphasized the group's collective accomplishments.
"It is a great group of guys—tremendous players," Bolowich said. "What they have accomplished for the program is fantastic. Going to a College Cup and two national quarterfinals is something to be proud of. Certainly, after today, they may look back and say, 'Well, we did do a good job.' Obviously, right now, everybody is just gutted about the loss and not advancing."
Creighton's outgoing senior class—consisting of Castellanos, Eric DeJulio, Vincent Keller, Mike Paye, Pitter, and Sparrow—helped the Bluejays to an impressive 61-20-8 record over the past four years, maintaining a win percentage of .730.
"Obviously, we are extremely disappointed not to be advancing," Creighton Head Coach Elmar Bolowich said. "But, on that note, we knew going in that only one team would move on from this. Congratulations to Akron. They played a fantastic game.
"I thought the game overall was well-played on both sides with both teams putting everything on the field," Bolowich added. "I'm very proud of our team and the way they conducted themselves."
Saturday's bout between two of the nation's top scoring offenses did not disappoint, as all five goals came after intermission. Entering the match, Akron (2.41) and Creighton (2.32) ranked second and fourth in the nation, respectively, for scoring average.
The Bluejays (19-4-0) controlled the bulk of possession in the match's first half, outshooting the Zips (18-3-2) by an 8-5 margin, and earning four corner kick tries to Akron's one. However, Creighton was unable to find the scoring column in the opening half, and the two teams headed to halftime knotted in a scoreless draw.
"Ironically, I felt like it was the shots that we weren't taking that were hurting us," Bolowich said. "We were too indecisive in the final third, wanting to pass one too many times, giving Akron a chance to recover, and then not getting the shot off. I felt like, in the first half, we had those opportunities, and we squandered them. We did not take advantage of them."
Creighton emerged from the locker room with newfound determinition, outshooting Akron, 4-0, through the opening 14 minutes of the period. However, the tide of the match began to take a stark turn around the 50-minute mark, as both squads began displaying evident senses of urgency, resulting in more physical play and an uptick of fouls.
The mutually hard-nosed play culminated in a three-minute stretch between 54:54 and 57:21 in which three yellow cards were issued—two to Akron and one to Creighton.
Despite the Bluejays dominating the shot margin in the early second half, host Akron capitalized on the tone and physicality of the second half when the Zips drew a foul in the box, setting up a 60th-minute penalty kick for Victor Souto. Souto converted the attempt to give Akron a narrow, 1-0 advantage.
Creighton's offensive attack continued applying pressure to the Zips, and the Bluejays broke through just four minutes later with senior Fernando Castellanos converting a header off of a Fabian Herbers' assist.
The score remained 1-1 for the next 16 minutes until Holthusen regained the lead for Akron, scoring his third goal of the NCAA tournament.
Again, Creighton responded. Herbers sent a pass to fellow senior Timo Pitter, who found Ricardo Perez atop the box. Perez unleashed a shot that fooled Akron keeper Jake Fenlason, tying the match at 2-2. With the assist—his second of the match—Herbers (17) eclipsed Richard Mulrooney's program single-season assist record of 16 set in 1996 and 1998.
Creighton and Akron closed out regulation knotted in a 2-2 draw, sending the match to extra time.
A total of 35 fouls and five yellow cards were issued in regulation, with all five yellow card bookings occurring in the second half.
"Both teams knew that their season could be over," Bolowich said of the foul-ridden first 90 minutes of play. "I still thought it was competitive, but it wasn't out of control. In the heat of competition, that can happen. Nobody wants to lose a 50/50 ball. Akron competed. We competed. I thought, overall, the two teams did a great job."
The Bluejays enjoyed a 24-16 shot advantage during regulation; however, Akron, fueled by its home crowd of 3,043, maintained a 5-2 advantage in extra time, forcing Creighton senior goalkeeper Connor Sparrow to make three saves in the first overtime period.
Junior midfielder Adam Najem, who had recorded three total assists in the Zips' opening two NCAA wins, scored off of a booming free kick atop the box following a Creighton foul, keeping Akron's 74-day unbeaten streak in tact and sending the Zips to their fourth national semifinal in program history. Since falling to top-seeded Wake Forest on Sept. 22 in Akron, the Zips have not suffered a loss.
"I'm very proud of our team," Bolowich said. "We had to come back from a deficit twice, and still managed to tie the game and take it into overtime," Bolowich said. It was a well-played college game. It was great advertising for college soccer."
The setback closes the book on Creighton's stellar 2015 campaign that saw the Bluejays begin the season 15-0-0—the program's best start since 1993—and maintain the nation's top ranking for a program-best eight consecutive weeks (Sept. 7-Oct. 28).
Reflecting on the Bluejays' outgoing senior class, Bolowich emphasized the group's collective accomplishments.
"It is a great group of guys—tremendous players," Bolowich said. "What they have accomplished for the program is fantastic. Going to a College Cup and two national quarterfinals is something to be proud of. Certainly, after today, they may look back and say, 'Well, we did do a good job.' Obviously, right now, everybody is just gutted about the loss and not advancing."
Creighton's outgoing senior class—consisting of Castellanos, Eric DeJulio, Vincent Keller, Mike Paye, Pitter, and Sparrow—helped the Bluejays to an impressive 61-20-8 record over the past four years, maintaining a win percentage of .730.
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