Gutierrez, O'Neill and Ventura Claim BIG EAST Weekly Honors
11/1/2021 2:15:00 PM | Men's Soccer
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Creighton senior forward Diego Gutierrez keyed Creighton's 2-0 road win at Butler, assisting on a game-winning goal in the 59th minute before scoring his ninth goal of the year in the 63rd minute. His assist came off a corner kick which led to the go-ahead goal, while his own score was a rocket off the post from the corner of the box. Opening the season as the Preseason Co-Offensive Player of the Year, Gutierrez continues to lead the BIG EAST in goals (nine), goals per game (0.60), points (23) and points per game (1.53) and has now claimed a pair of Offensive Player of the Week honors over the past three weeks. The senior owns five goals and four assists during CU's five-game unbeaten streak (4-0-1), vaulting the Bluejays into a tie for fourth place after an 0-4-0 start in league play.
Making a difference on both ends of the pitch Saturday night, Creighton sophomore midfielder Mark O'Neill helped the Bluejays limit Butler to just two shots on goal in the outing after Butler entered the night having scored multiple goals in six of its previous seven home contests. Overall, he helped Creighton secure a 2-0 shutout victory to vault Creighton three spots up the BIG EAST standings. O'Neill also played a pivotal role on the offensive side of the pitch, tallying his first goal of the season, with the match-winner via a header in the 59th minute.
Creighton freshman defender Miguel Ventura earned the start and played the full 90 minutes on the backline, contributing to a 2-0 shutout win at Butler. Asked for the first time in his young career to play a full match for the Bluejays, Ventura and his teammates limited the Bulldogs to just two shots on goal in the match.
Gutierrez, O'Neill, Ventura will join their Bluejay teammates on Wednesday as Creighton hosts Providence with a chance to secure a home game in the BIG EAST Tournament. The match with the Friars is set to kick off at 7:00 pm.
The remainder of the BIG EAST's weekly award are below.
BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week
Chandler Hallwood, Marquette, RJr., GK (Halifax, England)Â
Marquette keeper Chandler Hallwood played a major role in the Golden Eagles upset victory over top-ranked Georgetown Saturday night in Wisconsin. Bombarded by a relentless Georgetown attack all night, Hallwood corralled a career-best nine saves in the contest to earn a 1-0 shutout victory. His performance was highlighted by two heroic stops in the 87th minute, first with a diving save on a penalty kick attempt, then on the ensuing attempt off a deflection.
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BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
AJ Franklin, Marquette
Redshirt sophomore forward AJ Franklin scored the match-winning goal for Marquette in the team's 1-0 win over No. 1 Georgetown, a left-footed laser into the top corner of the net in the 86th minute. Franklin's goal led the Golden Eagles to their first win over a top-ranked team in program history.
Jared Juleau, St. John's
Junior Jared Juleau scored his first goal of the season, a left-footed rocket from 25 yards out, in the Johnnies' 2-0 win at DePaul. In addition, he played all 90 minutes in the midfield as St. John's logged its NCAA-best 10th shutout of the season.
Lukas Burns, Providence
Sophomore goalkeeper Lukas Burns made two saves as he posted his fifth shutout of the season in the Friars 0-0 draw with Villanova Saturday night. The tie allowed the Friars to remain in sole possession of second place, and he now has a 0.97 GAA and a .745 save percentage on the year.
Carson Williams, Villanova
Senior goalkeeper Carson Williams made seven saves to help Villanova earn a point in a 0-0 draw Saturday night at No. 18 Providence. The clean sheet was Williams' fifth of the fall.
Karsen Henderlong, XavierÂ
Sophomore forward Karsen Henderlong notched three points Saturday night at UConn, assisting on Bryce Curran's goal in the fifth minute and scoring the game-winning goal in the 65th minute of the Mountaineers 2-1 triumph. Overall, he leads the team in points with 20 (eight goals, four assists) on the year.
