#17 Men's Soccer Meets Marquette For BIG EAST Semifinal Match On Wednesday Night

Wednesday, Nov. 7 | (4) Marquette (7-8-2) at (1) #17 Creighton (11-4-2) | Omaha, Neb. | 7:00 p.m. (CST)

Download Complete Notes

Up Next
Creighton hosts Marquette on Wednesday night for a semifinal match of the 2018 BIG EAST Championship presented by Jeep.

Follow the Match
Wednesday's match will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN), which can be found at FOXSportsGo.com or on the FOX Sports Go app. Donny Baarns will provide play-by-play while Jon Schriner will handle color commentary and Emma Braasch will be reporting from the sideline.

Live stats for Wednesday's match can be found at Creighton.Statbroadcast.com.

Bluejay fans can stay updated through the Creighton men's soccer Twitter feed: Twitter.com/CreightonMSOC.

Scouting #17 Creighton (11-4-2)
Creighton, the regular-season BIG EAST champion, finished league play at 7-1-1.

The Bluejays fell 2-1 in overtime to Georgetown (Oc.t 31) for their lone BIG EAST loss during the final match of the regular season.

Creighton ranks 11th nationally with a 0.624 goals against average as the Bluejays have conceded only 11 goals through 17 matches and have allowed more than one goal in a single match only once.

Offensively, Sven Koenig, the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, paces the squad and leads the BIG EAST in goals (10), while nine different Bluejays have scored at least one goal.

Joel Rydstrand, the BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year, leads Creighton with five assists, while Akeem Ward and Younes Boudadi each have four.

All-BIG EAST Second Team and unanimous All-Freshman team selection Paul Kruse has played each minute for Creighton and claims a 0.624 goals against average, which is the best mark in the BIG EAST and ranks 12th nationally.

Head coach Elmar Bolowich is in his eighth season at the helm of the Bluejays.

Scouting Marquette (7-8-2)
The fourth-seeded Golden Eagles advanced to Wednesday's semifinal matchup by outlasting Xavier 7-6 in penalty kicks.

Leo Villa converted the game-winner during the ninth round of the shootout.

Marquette holds a 7-8-2 overall record, but only a 1-5 mark during road matches, with its lone win coming on Oct. 28 at Butler.

All-BIG EAST First Team midfielder Luka Prpa leads Marquette in points with 16 from five goals and six assists.

BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year Luis Barraza holds a 0.92 goals against average and owns 68 saves with a .850 save percentage, which ranks sixth nationally.

Prpa, Barraza and Patrick Seagrist each made the All-BIG EAST First Team, while Connor Alba earned a spot on the second team and Lukas Sunneson claimed a unanimous spot on the All-Freshman team.

Head coach Louis Bennett is in his 13th season at the helm of Marquette.

Series History Against Golden Eagles
The all-time series between Creighton and Marquette is tied at 7-7-0.

The Bluejays defeated the Golden Eagles 2-1 at Morrison Stadium during the regular season (Oct. 24).

Creighton is 3-0-0 against Marquette in Omaha since joining the BIG EAST.

The two squads have never met during postseason play.

Bluejays Claim Regular-Season Crown
Creighton claimed the 2018 BIG EAST regular-season championship with a victory at DePaul (Oct. 27) for the program's first regular-season conference title since 2014 and 14th overall.

The Bluejays own two BIG EAST regular-season titles (2014, 2018) and earned 12 while a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012).

Creighton also claims 13 conference tournament titles, its last in 2012 during the program's final season in the MVC.

The Bluejays earned home-field advantage throughout the BIG EAST postseason tournament with their regular-season crown.

Creighton BIG EAST Tourney History
The Bluejays have made the six-team BIG EAST Championship field each year since joining the league in 2013.

Creighton has reached the title match twice (2015, 2016) and claimed runner-up each time.

The Bluejays are 3-5-0 during BIG EAST Championship matches, including a 2-0-0 mark at Morrison Stadium.

Creighton hosted a First Round match in 2016 (3-1 win vs. Xavier) and a Semifinal match in 2015 (2-1 win vs. Providence).

The last time the program hosted more than one conference tournament match in the same season was in 2011 when the Bluejays defeated Bradley and Missouri State en route to the MVC Tournament title.

Overall, Creighton is 6-1-1 during conference tournament matches played at Morrison Stadium, and 21-4-2 during all postseason matches at Morrison (includes NCAA tournament).

MSOC Seeking First BE Men's Tourney Title
The Creighton men's soccer team is looking to become the first Creighton men's team to win a BIG EAST Tournament title in any sport.

Across all sports, Creighton has played in 13 BIG EAST Tournament championship games, but only the volleyball program has won a title.

The volleyball team is 4-1 in the BIG EAST title matches, with victories in 2014 (over Seton Hall), 2015 (Villanova), 2016 (Xavier) and 2017 (Marquette). Creighton's other teams to reach the finals include its baseball team (0-3), the men's soccer team (0-2), the men's basketball team (0-2) and the women's basketball team (0-1).

The Bluejay men's soccer team's two BIG EAST title match appearances came in 2015 (2-1 double overtime loss at Georgetown) and 2016 (2-1 loss at Butler).

The Creighton men's soccer program captured 13 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament titles as a member of the conference from 1991-2012 (22 seasons).

Bluejays All-BIG EAST Selections
Creighton men's soccer seniors Sven Koenig and Joel Rydstrand each earned BIG EAST Men's Soccer major awards and a total of five Bluejays claimed spots on the All-BIG EAST teams, the league announced on Friday afternoon.

Koenig earned BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year accolades and Rydstrand was named the BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year. Additionally, the Creighton coaching staff, led by eighth-year head coach Elmar Bolowich, earned the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year award after leading the Bluejays to the regular-season crown with a 7-1-1 league record.

Koenig, Rydstrand and Akeem Ward each made the All-BIG EAST First Team, while Mitch LaGro and Paul Kruse made the All-BIG EAST Second Team. Kruse also earned unanimous selection to the league's All-Freshman Team.

A native of Westhofen, Germany, Koenig led the BIG EAST in goals during the regular season with 10, including seven during league play.

During all matches, the senior averages 2.06 shots on goal per match, which ranks sixth nationally, and owns a shot accuracy of .614, which ranks 13th-best among Division I players.

Koenig is the third Creighton player to be named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, joining Ricky Lopez-Espin (2017) and Fabian Herbers (2014, 2015) as the Bluejays have claimed conference offensive player of the year accolades four out of the past five seasons.

In addition to his major award, Koenig was also the lone player unanimously selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team.

Rydstrand heads into the postseason as Creighton's leader in assists with five. The Almunge, Sweden native, tied for the league lead with four assists during nine league matches. He also ranked second on the team for shots (19) and minutes played (831) during BIG EAST action.

The senior owns 23 careers assists during 81 matches played, which ranks tied for 11th on Creighton's career assists list. He is one of four Bluejays to start each match this season and has not missed a match during his four-year career in Omaha, which includes starts in all but one of those contests.

Rydstrand earned BIG EAST All-Freshman team honors in 2015.

He is the third Bluejay to be named the league's midfielder of the year (also Ricardo Perez, 2016 and Timo Pitter, 2014 and 2015) and Creighton boasts four BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year honors since 2014.

Ward earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST First Team and enters the postseason second on the Bluejays in points with eight from two goals and four assists. The Vienna, Virginia native missed a total of 36 minutes of game action during 17 matches.

LaGro, one of six seniors on this year's squad, did not miss a minute of action during BIG EAST play while helping the Bluejay defense allow a BIG EAST-low six goals over the course of nine league matches. The Dallas, Texas native, also had four shot attempts, including one on goal. LaGro also made the All-BIG EAST Second Team as a
sophomore in 2016.

Kruse currently ranks 12th nationally with a 0.624 goals against average while playing all 1,588 possible minutes in goal. He also owns seven shutouts. During BIG EAST play, the Heilbronn, Germany native, allowed only six goals -- the best mark in the league -- and earned four shutouts.

In addition to his All-BIG EAST Second Team selection, Kruse was also one of four players to be unanimously selected to the All-Freshman Team.

Under the direction of head coach Elmar Bolowich and assistants Johnny Torres, Michael Gabb and Mitch Kavanagh, the Bluejays finished the regular-season 11-4-2 overall and 7-1-1 in league play for their first BIG EAST regular-season title since 2014. Creighton finished BIG EAST play with the best marks in goals (16), points (48) and goals allowed (6), while listing second in goals against average (0.65) and shutouts (4).

Last Time Out
Creighton fell 2-1 in overtime to Georgetown during the regular-season finale on Oct. 31 at Morrison Stadium.

The Bluejays fell to 11-4-2 overall and finished 7-1-1 during BIG EAST play, while the Hoyas improved to 10-4-3 overall and earned a 6-2-1 mark in league play.

Georgetown's Derek Dodson converted the game-winning goal during the 93rd minute. Kyle Zajec sent in a corner kick from the bench side of the field before the ball skimmed across a few players in the box and fell to the feet of Dodson who slotted the ball into the back of the net.

The Bluejays gained a 1-0 lead during the 25th minute as Sven Koenig scored his BIG-EAST best 10th goal of the year. The senior recovered the ball inside the right side of the 18-yard box after a pass from Younes Boudadi before placing the ball between the near post and Georgetown's Giannis Nikopolidis in goal. Boudadi and Julius Fohr each recorded assists on the play.

Georgetown knotted the match at 1-1 during the 65th minute. Peter Schropp placed a free kick from about 20 yards out inside the far post and into the back of the net.

Georgetown recorded the only shot during overtime with its golden goal less than three minutes into the extra period.

Koenig paced Creighton with seven shots, six on goal, as the Bluejays held a slight 14-13 advantage in shots, including 11-8 on goal.

Creighton Matches Best BE Regular-Season Mark
The Bluejays finished 7-1-1 in league play for the second time since joining the conference. Creighton also went 7-1-1 on its way to the 2014 BIG EAST regular-season crown.

The Bluejays started league play 5-0-0 for the second time since joining the conference in 2013.

Creighton went unbeaten through its first eight conference contests (7-0-1) for the first time since joining the BIG EAST prior to the 2013 season.

The Bluejays' last unbeaten conference season was 2012 (5-0-1), the program's last year in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Scoring First, Leading At Half Produces Success
Under the direction of head coach Elmar Bolowich, the Bluejays are 100-10-4 when scoring first, and 67-3-3 when leading at the half.

This season, Creighton is 11-1-0 when scoring first and 5-1-0 when leading at the half.

Comparatively, the Bluejays are 15-30-4 when the opposition scores first, 7-18-2 when trailing at halftime, and 41-19-11 when the score is tied after 45 minutes of play (since start of 2011 season).

The Bluejays' last two losses when scoring first both came against Georgetown (Oct. 31, 2018 and Nov. 1, 2017).

Creighton's three losses when leading at the half with Bolowich as head coach occurred on Oct. 31 against Georgetown, Sept. 16, 2017 at Butler and Oct. 11, 2016 at Tulsa.

Creighton Ranked No. 30 In Latest RPI
Creighton was listed 30th in the most recent official NCAA RPI released on Monday, Nov. 5.

The Bluejays are one of two BIG EAST schools in the top 50 of the RPI (Georgetown, No. 16). The conference has a total of five schools listed in the top 100 (of 206 Division I programs).

Marquette claimed the No. 97 ranking.

Bluejays Ranked 17th in Coaches Poll
The Creighton men's soccer team will enter postseason play ranked 17th in the United Soccer Coaches poll, as the organization released the rankings on Tuesday.

The BIG EAST regular-season champion Bluejays ended the regular season with an 11-4-2 overall record and will host a BIG EAST semifinal match on Wednesday against Marquette. Kickoff at Morrison Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Creighton fell three spots from last week's ranking following a 2-1 overtime loss against Georgetown during the regular-season finale.

Creighton is one of two BIG EAST schools listed in this week's poll as Georgetown checked in at No. 19.

The top six in the rankings remained unchanged as Wake Forest received 27 out of 28 possible first-place votes. Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Saint Mary's and Stanford rounded out the top six.

Creighton Reaches Double-Digit Victory Plateau
With Creighton's victory against Marquette (Oct. 24) the Bluejays have now won 10 or more matches six out of Elmar Bolowich's eight seasons at Creighton.

The Bluejays have also qualified for the NCAA Tournament 24 out of the last 26 seasons.

The two times Creighton did not make the NCAAs (2009, 2017) were two out of three years since 1990 in which the program failed to reach the 10-win plateau.

The Bluejays reached the NCAA tourney and ended the season with only nine victories in 2013.

Fortress Morrison
Creighton is 136-25-20 overall at Morrison Stadium, including a 6-2-2 mark this season.

The Bluejays own shutouts during six of their 10 home matches this year.

Creighton has never lost consecutive matches at Morrison Stadium during the same season (since 2003).

Creighton's loss at Morrison Stadium against No. 17 Virginia Tech to open the 2017 season followed the team's loss at home to end the 2016 campaign (2-1 vs. Providence), marking the first time since 1985 that Creighton had lost consecutive home matches (spanning across two seasons).

The Bluejays are 21-1-2 in their next home match following a home loss at Morrison, including an 0-0-1 mark this season.

Creighton went 7-1-1 during 2017 at home and is 54-10-7 at Morrison Stadium since the start of 2013 when the program joined the BIG EAST.

#17 Men's Soccer Meets Marquette For BIG EAST Semifinal Match On Wednesday Night

Players Mentioned

Younes Boudadi

Julius Fohr

Sven Koenig

Paul Kruse

Mitch LaGro

Ricky Lopez-Espin

Joel Rydstrand

Akeem Ward

Related Videos