Men's Soccer Hosts Northwestern on Saturday in Final Exhibition
8/20/2015 4:44:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Exhibition Game #3 • Saturday, Aug. 22 • Northwestern at #6 Creighton • Omaha, Neb. • 7 pm
• Creighton plays its final exhibition game of the fall on Saturday night at 7 pm at Morrison Stadium when Northwestern comes to town. Creighton defeated Bradley 3-0 in Peoria on Tuesday, while Northwestern played to a scoreless tie at Drake on Wednesday.
The regular-season for both teams begins the following week when Creighton hosts Michigan (Friday at 7:30 pm) and Northwestern hosts Colgate (Saturday at 6:00 pm).
• Creighton and Georgetown tied for first in the preseason BIG EAST poll that was released on Tuesday. Both teams had 77 points and five first-place votes in the poll. GK Connor Sparrow, M Timo Pitter and F Fabian Herbers were each named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. Pitter was a unanimous selection, while Sparrow was named BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
This is the eighth time in the last 11 years, and 15th time since 1990, that Creighton has been picked to win its league in the preseason.
• Creighton's 16-3-3 record last year led the nation in winning percentage (.795). The Bluejays were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament after falling in penalty kicks vs. UMBC during the team's 10th appearance in the national quarterfinals in the last 19 years.
• Creighton returns 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 finished last season 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 Fabian Herbers earned First Team All-America accolades and BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year honors after a magnificent 2014 season. 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). Herbers is also a standout in the classroom and was a Third Team CoSIDA Academic All-American last year.
• Senior Timo Pitter 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. Pitter was also named BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year in 2014.
• Senior goalkeeper Connor Sparrow 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 0.47 goals against average as a Bluejay is the best in Creighton history among goalies with at least 2,000 minutes in net.
• Creighton ranks tied for third nationally with 63 wins in the last four 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 a league title.
• Creighton is unbeaten in its last 15 fall exhibition matches (8-0-7) against other college teams, including a 4-0-5 mark under Elmar Bolowich. Creighton's last exhibition loss came on Aug. 26, 2005 to Stanford.
• Seniors Vincent Keller and Eric DeJulio have been named captains on this year's team. Both men started all 22 games a season ago for Creighton's BIG EAST champion club.
• Creighton spent nearly two weeks in Europe in early July, spending most of that time in Germany and Austria. The team went 2-2-0 against strong competition, but also bonded in a foreign culture that included trips Neuschwanstein Castle, Allianz Arena and Munich's Olympic Stadium, among other areas.
• Creighton's 2015 schedule will see it face nine teams that finished last year in the top 55 of the RPI, including games against five teams that reached the Sweet 16.
Follow The Match
Saturday's exhibition will be streamed with free video on GoCreighton.com. Live stats of the match will be available at
http://Creighton.StatBroadcast.com.
About Northwestern
Northwestern returns seven starters and 16 lettermen from last year's team that went 9-4-6 overall, tied for second in the Big Ten, and reached the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats graduated Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year Tyler Miller and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Nikko Boxall, but do return seniors Joey Calistri (6g, 2a) and Cole Missimo (5g, 4a).
Northwestern defeated Schwaben AC 1-0 in an exhibition on Aug. 16 before playing a scoreless tie at Drake on Wednesday night.
Series History
Creighton won the only previous regular-season meeting vs. Northwestern, a 3-2 decision in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. In that contest, the Bluejays fell behind 1-0 and 2-1 before scoring twice in the final 25 minutes to earn the win at Morrison Stadium. Joan Carvajal scored CU's first two goals before Brian Biggerstaff tallied the game-winner with 4:54 left.
2015 Creighton Outlook
Expectations for 2015 are sky-high for a Creighton program that went 16-3-3 and led the nation in winning percentage a year ago en route to its first BIG EAST regular-season title.
A top-notch recruiting class helps support the return of eight starters, including the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year (Fabian Herbers) and the BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year (Timo Pitter) for fifth-year head coach Elmar Bolowich, last year's BIG EAST Coach of the Year. In all, 30-of-32 goals scored and all but five goalkeeping minutes return to a program that seeks a sixth College Cup appearance in the past 20 seasons.
Herbers earned First Team All-America accolades and top honors from the BIG EAST after a magnificent sophomore season. 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).
Pitter paced the league in assists (9), shots (75) and shots on goal (36) during a junior campaign that saw him add Second Team All-America plaudits.
The Jays also boast four other returners who scored multiple times in 2014. Midfielder Lucas Stauffer had four goals and a pair of assists to earn a spot on the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team, while classmate Ricky Lopez-Espin was one of the nation's most impressive freshmen before a knee injury in early October ended his season prematurely.
Helping to distribute in the midfield are junior Ricardo Perez and the sophomore duo of Fernando Castellanos and Noah Franke who combined for five goals and four assists a year ago.
The return of Myles Englis from injury, plus recruits like Joel Rystrand, Evan Waldrep and Bryce Gibson should give CU plenty of offensive firepower.
Creighton's defense figures to remain strong and experienced, as well, paced by the return of seniors Eric DeJulio, Mike Paye, Vincent Keller and Connor Sparrow. An influx of talented defenders, headed by Peter Prescott and Felix Kollmannthaler, will also contend for playing time.
Sparrow finished second nationally in goals against average (0.49 GAA) and 10th in save percentage (.841), allowing just 11 scores in 22 contests.
Impressively, Creighton allowed just one first half goal during the 2014 campaign.
DeJulio was the only Bluejay to play every minute last season, while Keller was nearly as durable, starting all 22 contests.
Creighton has annually played one of the top schedules in college soccer, and the 2015 campaign figures to be no different.
Half of Creighton's 18 opponents on the docket finished with top-55 RPI's nationally a year ago, including non-conference showdowns vs. Michigan State, UC Irvine, Tulsa and CSUN.
Creighton also faces a rigorous BIG EAST slate, which features 6the likes of Georgetown, Providence, Xavier and Marquette in a league that was tabbed third nationally in the final 2014 RPI.
Fueling expectations for Creighton was a foreign trip to Europe for two weeks in July.
While away, the team played against some top clubs from both Germany and Austria, finishing with a 2-2-0 record.
In addition to the extra competition, the team bonded off-the-field while adjusting a new culture and visiting many international landmarks such as Allianz Arena, Neuschwanstein Castle and the former Olympic Stadium in Munich.
Exhibition Recaps
In Creighton's intrasquad scrimmage on August 14th, the “White” team defeated the “Blue” Team, 1-0. Myles Englis scored the lone goal for the White squad in the 20th minute off an assist from Fabian Herbers.
On Tuesday, Creighton visited former MVC rival Bradley and defeated the Braves, 3-0. Ricky Lopez-Espin, Fabian Herbers and Timo Pitter all scored for CU, while Connor Sparrow notched the shutout in net. Creighton outshot the Braves 33-5, putting 13 shots on net, and had 14 corner kicks.
Defensive Battle Likely
When Creighton and Northwestern meet up on Saturday, the game will feature two of the nation's best defenses from a year ago.
Creighton ranked second nationally with a 0.48 goals against average as a team, while Northwestern was fifth after allowing 0.58 goals per contest.
All three of Creighton's 2014 losses were by 1-0 scores, while three of NU's four losses last fall were by a 1-0 score.
Another Strong Class
College Soccer News has dubbed Creighton's recruiting class as the nation's 31st best. Among the newcomers the website highlights are Evan Waldrep, Jacob Rooth and Peter Prescott.
Perennial Power
Creighton won the program's first BIG EAST title last season when it claimed the regular-season crown with a 7-1-1 mark.
The Bluejays now own 13 regular-season and 13 conference tournament titles in program history, all since 1992.
Top 10 Jays, Again
Creighton has been ranked sixth nationally in the preseason edition of the NSCAA Top 25 Coaches poll.
It's the fourth time in the last five years the Bluejays have been ranked in the top-10 of the preseason poll, and 11th time since 1998.
Creighton has now spent at least one week in the top 10 of the NSCAA poll in each of the last 24 seasons.
Top 10 Crowds
Creighton finished last season 10th nationally in average home attendance and fifth overall in total home attendance.
It was the 11th straight season the Bluejays have finished in the top-10 nationally in average home attendance.
Hermann Trophy Watch List and Top XI Duo
Fabian Herbers and Timo Pitter have both been recognized nationally in the preseason. Both men are among the 30 players on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. Creighton is one of six schools with two players on the list, joining Charlotte, CSU Bakersfield, Georgetown, Kentucky and Stanford.
Top Drawer Soccer also honored Herbers and Pitter on their Preseason Best XI Teams. Herbers was a first-team pick at forward, while Pitter was a second-teamer as a midfielder.
Top 100 Trio
Fabian Herbers, Timo Pitter and Connor Sparrow all earned a spot on Top Drawer Soccer's Preseason Top 100 list of the nation's top players. Herbers checked in at No. 5, while Pitter (No. 18) and Sparrow (No. 74) made the Bluejays one of eight teams nationally with three players in the top-75.
Tough 2015 Slate
The Bluejays' 2015 schedule features four regular-season contests against teams that were nationally-ranked in the preseason NSCAA poll, as CU meets No. 7 Providence, No. 9 Michigan State, No. 19 Xavier and No. 20 UC Irvine.
Creighton also has a game vs. Tulsa and an exhibition vs. Northwestern, two teams that were listed among those 'also receiving votes.”
• Creighton plays its final exhibition game of the fall on Saturday night at 7 pm at Morrison Stadium when Northwestern comes to town. Creighton defeated Bradley 3-0 in Peoria on Tuesday, while Northwestern played to a scoreless tie at Drake on Wednesday.
The regular-season for both teams begins the following week when Creighton hosts Michigan (Friday at 7:30 pm) and Northwestern hosts Colgate (Saturday at 6:00 pm).
• Creighton and Georgetown tied for first in the preseason BIG EAST poll that was released on Tuesday. Both teams had 77 points and five first-place votes in the poll. GK Connor Sparrow, M Timo Pitter and F Fabian Herbers were each named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. Pitter was a unanimous selection, while Sparrow was named BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
This is the eighth time in the last 11 years, and 15th time since 1990, that Creighton has been picked to win its league in the preseason.
• Creighton's 16-3-3 record last year led the nation in winning percentage (.795). The Bluejays were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament after falling in penalty kicks vs. UMBC during the team's 10th appearance in the national quarterfinals in the last 19 years.
• Creighton returns 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 finished last season 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 Fabian Herbers earned First Team All-America accolades and BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year honors after a magnificent 2014 season. 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). Herbers is also a standout in the classroom and was a Third Team CoSIDA Academic All-American last year.
• Senior Timo Pitter 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. Pitter was also named BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year in 2014.
• Senior goalkeeper Connor Sparrow 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 0.47 goals against average as a Bluejay is the best in Creighton history among goalies with at least 2,000 minutes in net.
• Creighton ranks tied for third nationally with 63 wins in the last four 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 a league title.
• Creighton is unbeaten in its last 15 fall exhibition matches (8-0-7) against other college teams, including a 4-0-5 mark under Elmar Bolowich. Creighton's last exhibition loss came on Aug. 26, 2005 to Stanford.
• Seniors Vincent Keller and Eric DeJulio have been named captains on this year's team. Both men started all 22 games a season ago for Creighton's BIG EAST champion club.
• Creighton spent nearly two weeks in Europe in early July, spending most of that time in Germany and Austria. The team went 2-2-0 against strong competition, but also bonded in a foreign culture that included trips Neuschwanstein Castle, Allianz Arena and Munich's Olympic Stadium, among other areas.
• Creighton's 2015 schedule will see it face nine teams that finished last year in the top 55 of the RPI, including games against five teams that reached the Sweet 16.
Follow The Match
Saturday's exhibition will be streamed with free video on GoCreighton.com. Live stats of the match will be available at
http://Creighton.StatBroadcast.com.
About Northwestern
Northwestern returns seven starters and 16 lettermen from last year's team that went 9-4-6 overall, tied for second in the Big Ten, and reached the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats graduated Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year Tyler Miller and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Nikko Boxall, but do return seniors Joey Calistri (6g, 2a) and Cole Missimo (5g, 4a).
Northwestern defeated Schwaben AC 1-0 in an exhibition on Aug. 16 before playing a scoreless tie at Drake on Wednesday night.
Series History
Creighton won the only previous regular-season meeting vs. Northwestern, a 3-2 decision in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. In that contest, the Bluejays fell behind 1-0 and 2-1 before scoring twice in the final 25 minutes to earn the win at Morrison Stadium. Joan Carvajal scored CU's first two goals before Brian Biggerstaff tallied the game-winner with 4:54 left.
2015 Creighton Outlook
Expectations for 2015 are sky-high for a Creighton program that went 16-3-3 and led the nation in winning percentage a year ago en route to its first BIG EAST regular-season title.
A top-notch recruiting class helps support the return of eight starters, including the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year (Fabian Herbers) and the BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year (Timo Pitter) for fifth-year head coach Elmar Bolowich, last year's BIG EAST Coach of the Year. In all, 30-of-32 goals scored and all but five goalkeeping minutes return to a program that seeks a sixth College Cup appearance in the past 20 seasons.
Herbers earned First Team All-America accolades and top honors from the BIG EAST after a magnificent sophomore season. 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).
Pitter paced the league in assists (9), shots (75) and shots on goal (36) during a junior campaign that saw him add Second Team All-America plaudits.
The Jays also boast four other returners who scored multiple times in 2014. Midfielder Lucas Stauffer had four goals and a pair of assists to earn a spot on the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team, while classmate Ricky Lopez-Espin was one of the nation's most impressive freshmen before a knee injury in early October ended his season prematurely.
Helping to distribute in the midfield are junior Ricardo Perez and the sophomore duo of Fernando Castellanos and Noah Franke who combined for five goals and four assists a year ago.
The return of Myles Englis from injury, plus recruits like Joel Rystrand, Evan Waldrep and Bryce Gibson should give CU plenty of offensive firepower.
Creighton's defense figures to remain strong and experienced, as well, paced by the return of seniors Eric DeJulio, Mike Paye, Vincent Keller and Connor Sparrow. An influx of talented defenders, headed by Peter Prescott and Felix Kollmannthaler, will also contend for playing time.
Sparrow finished second nationally in goals against average (0.49 GAA) and 10th in save percentage (.841), allowing just 11 scores in 22 contests.
Impressively, Creighton allowed just one first half goal during the 2014 campaign.
DeJulio was the only Bluejay to play every minute last season, while Keller was nearly as durable, starting all 22 contests.
Creighton has annually played one of the top schedules in college soccer, and the 2015 campaign figures to be no different.
Half of Creighton's 18 opponents on the docket finished with top-55 RPI's nationally a year ago, including non-conference showdowns vs. Michigan State, UC Irvine, Tulsa and CSUN.
Creighton also faces a rigorous BIG EAST slate, which features 6the likes of Georgetown, Providence, Xavier and Marquette in a league that was tabbed third nationally in the final 2014 RPI.
Fueling expectations for Creighton was a foreign trip to Europe for two weeks in July.
While away, the team played against some top clubs from both Germany and Austria, finishing with a 2-2-0 record.
In addition to the extra competition, the team bonded off-the-field while adjusting a new culture and visiting many international landmarks such as Allianz Arena, Neuschwanstein Castle and the former Olympic Stadium in Munich.
Exhibition Recaps
In Creighton's intrasquad scrimmage on August 14th, the “White” team defeated the “Blue” Team, 1-0. Myles Englis scored the lone goal for the White squad in the 20th minute off an assist from Fabian Herbers.
On Tuesday, Creighton visited former MVC rival Bradley and defeated the Braves, 3-0. Ricky Lopez-Espin, Fabian Herbers and Timo Pitter all scored for CU, while Connor Sparrow notched the shutout in net. Creighton outshot the Braves 33-5, putting 13 shots on net, and had 14 corner kicks.
Defensive Battle Likely
When Creighton and Northwestern meet up on Saturday, the game will feature two of the nation's best defenses from a year ago.
Creighton ranked second nationally with a 0.48 goals against average as a team, while Northwestern was fifth after allowing 0.58 goals per contest.
All three of Creighton's 2014 losses were by 1-0 scores, while three of NU's four losses last fall were by a 1-0 score.
Another Strong Class
College Soccer News has dubbed Creighton's recruiting class as the nation's 31st best. Among the newcomers the website highlights are Evan Waldrep, Jacob Rooth and Peter Prescott.
Perennial Power
Creighton won the program's first BIG EAST title last season when it claimed the regular-season crown with a 7-1-1 mark.
The Bluejays now own 13 regular-season and 13 conference tournament titles in program history, all since 1992.
Top 10 Jays, Again
Creighton has been ranked sixth nationally in the preseason edition of the NSCAA Top 25 Coaches poll.
It's the fourth time in the last five years the Bluejays have been ranked in the top-10 of the preseason poll, and 11th time since 1998.
Creighton has now spent at least one week in the top 10 of the NSCAA poll in each of the last 24 seasons.
Top 10 Crowds
Creighton finished last season 10th nationally in average home attendance and fifth overall in total home attendance.
It was the 11th straight season the Bluejays have finished in the top-10 nationally in average home attendance.
Hermann Trophy Watch List and Top XI Duo
Fabian Herbers and Timo Pitter have both been recognized nationally in the preseason. Both men are among the 30 players on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. Creighton is one of six schools with two players on the list, joining Charlotte, CSU Bakersfield, Georgetown, Kentucky and Stanford.
Top Drawer Soccer also honored Herbers and Pitter on their Preseason Best XI Teams. Herbers was a first-team pick at forward, while Pitter was a second-teamer as a midfielder.
Top 100 Trio
Fabian Herbers, Timo Pitter and Connor Sparrow all earned a spot on Top Drawer Soccer's Preseason Top 100 list of the nation's top players. Herbers checked in at No. 5, while Pitter (No. 18) and Sparrow (No. 74) made the Bluejays one of eight teams nationally with three players in the top-75.
Tough 2015 Slate
The Bluejays' 2015 schedule features four regular-season contests against teams that were nationally-ranked in the preseason NSCAA poll, as CU meets No. 7 Providence, No. 9 Michigan State, No. 19 Xavier and No. 20 UC Irvine.
Creighton also has a game vs. Tulsa and an exhibition vs. Northwestern, two teams that were listed among those 'also receiving votes.”
Players Mentioned
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