Thursday, November 18
Springfield, Mo.
6:00 PM
Creighton University
at
Missouri State
Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
Men's Soccer Opens NCAA Tournament Play on Thursday at #10 Missouri State
11/16/2021 12:42:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Creighton has won multiple games in each of past two appearances
Match #18 • Thursday, Nov. 18 • Creighton at #10 Missouri State • 6 pm
ESPN+ VIDEO ($) | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | DIGITAL PROGRAM (PDF)
Up Next
Creighton (8-7-2) returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 when it visits two-time defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Missouri State (17-1-0) on Thursday, Nov. 18.
Kickoff at Allison South Stadium in Springfield, Mo., is set for 6 p.m. Central.
The winner of Thursday's contest will play at second-ranked and No. 6 seeded Tulsa (15-1-1) on Sunday at 6 p.m.
Follow the Match
Live video of Thursday's match is scheduled for ESPN+, with the direct link at https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/6447331e-a182-4842-8bd8-0e1053235d51. A subscription may be required.
Once finalized, links to video and live stats will be provided on the Creighton Men's Soccer schedule page at GoCreighton.com.
Updates will be provided during the match on Twitter (@CreightonMSOC).
Scouting Creighton (8-7-2, 5-4-1 BE)
Creighton went 5-1-1 in its last seven games to improve to 8-7-2 in the regular-season. The Bluejays tied for fourth in the BIG EAST Conference and enter the NCAA Tournament with a No. 26 RPI.
Senior co-captain goalkeeper Paul Kruse has started all 17 matches overall, owns five total shutouts (four individual, one combined) and is second in the BIG EAST in saves per match (4.06). He also holds a 1.34 goals against average.
Senior Diego Gutierrez has produced 16 points in the last seven games and leads the Bluejays with 25 points thanks to nine goals and seven assists. The two-time BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year leads the league in goals scored (9), goals per game (0.53), assists (7), assists per game (0.41), points (25) and points per game (1.47).
Freshman Manu Toledano owns six goals for the Bluejays, while nine other Bluejays have found the back of the net once or twice.
Head coach Johnny Torres is 22-20-4 in his third year at the helm of the Bluejays after spending 12 years as an assistant coach.
Scouting Missouri State (17-1-0, 10-00 MVC)
Missouri State is 17-1-0 on the season, with the lone blemish coming to Tulsa (3-0) on Sept. 3rd. Since then MSU has reeled off 15 straight wins.
The Bears have outscored foes 39-10 this fall, including a 3-0 win vs. Evansville in the MVC Tournament title game.
Josh Dolling owns a team-best 14 points for the Bears, scoring four times and assisting on six others. He's one of 15 different Bears that has scored at least one goal.
Michael Creek has a 0.59 goals against average, having made 28 saves while surrendering nine goals and recording eight shutouts this season.
Missouri State leads the nation in wins (17), winning percentage (.944) and home wins (12), and also boasts the nation's longest active win streak (15) and active home win streak (14).
Series History Against Bears
Creighton is 22-9-4 all-time against Missouri State, but just 4-5-4 in games contested in Springfield. The Bluejays and Bears were rivals in the Missouri Valley Conference for 30 of those meetings from 1992-2012.
Since Creighton moved to the BIG EAST in 2013, the teams have faced off twice in the regular-season. CU won 4-0 in 2015 in Omaha before the Bears won a match-up on a windy day in March of 2021 in Kansas City by a 2-0 margin.
Each of the last 11 meetings, and 15 of the past 16 encounters, have featured a shutout for at least one team. There's also been two 0-0 ties in that time.
The teams have never met in the postseason.
Johnny Torres is 0-1 in his career as a head coach vs. Missouri State after going 4-1 as a player and 6-2-2 while an assistant at CU vs. MSU.
NCAA Tournament History
Creighton is making its 25th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and first since 2016. The Bluejays made 17 straight tournaments from 1992-2008, missed out in 2009, and then made seven trips in a row from 2010-2016.
Creighton is 34-20-7 during NCAA action, and has advanced to the College Cup five times (1996, 2000, 2002, 2011, 2012), including a runner-up
finish during the 2000 season.
Creighton has won two or more games in each of its past three NCAA trips and have reached the quarterfinals 11 times (all since 1996).
During NCAA Tournament play, Creighton is 17-8-5 all-time in road matches, 1-6-1 at neutral sites and 16-6-1 in home matches.
Johnny Torres advanced to the NCAA Tournament during each of his four years as a player at Creighton (1994-97) and has been on the bench for the Big Dance as an assistant coach nine times. This year will mark his first appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach.
The Bluejays are one of five schools to make the NCAA tournament at least 25 times since 1992 (Creighton's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament).
Teams with at least 25 NCAA appearances since 1992:
Indiana - 30
Virginia - 28
Maryland - 27
UCLA - 27
Creighton - 25
Against The NCAA Tourney Field
Creighton went 3-5 against teams that made the field for the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
The Bluejays defeated Villanova, Indiana and Providence but lost to Villanova, St. John's, Georgetown, Tulsa and Saint Louis.
Missouri State went 0-1-0 against teams to make the 2021 NCAA Tournament, losing 3-0 to Tulsa.
Similar Opponents
Creighton and Missouri State share just one common opponent in 2021, Tulsa.
Creighton opened the season with a 2-1 loss to Tulsa in Omaha. Missouri State lost 3-0 at Tulsa on Sept. 3.
The winner of Thursday's game will visit Tulsa on Sunday at 6 p.m.
Fun Facts
Creighton owns the fewest wins of any NCAA Tournament team (8), while Missouri State owns the most wins in the country this fall (17).
Creighton played the No. 8 strength of schedule (of 208), while Missouri State played the No. 134 strength of schedule.
Only eight teams enter the NCAA Tournament with 0 or 1 loss. Missouri State will mark the third opponent in that grouping that Creighton has faced, joining Tulsa and Saint Louis.
The team to score first is 13-0-1 in the last 16 CU/MSU games, which includes two scoreless ties. The last team to score first and lose in the series was MSU in 2002.
Though Creighton has played a game that counted at Missouri State 13 times, it has never played at Allison South Stadium. The facility opened in 2014, while Creighton left the Missouri Valley Conference in the summer of 2013. CU has not played a game in Springfield since 2011.
Creighton's 34 NCAA Tournament wins rank 13th-most of any program in NCAA history, and are eighth-most among teams in the 2021 field.
Only Indiana (95), UCLA (70), Saint Louis (68), Maryland (60), Clemson (55), North Carolina (41), Wake Forest (35) have more than Creighton's 34 among the 2021 field, while Virginia (67), UConn (39), SMU (37), Hartwick (36) and Brown (35) were not selected in 2021.
Missouri State owns the nation's active longest home win streak (14), one longer than Tulsa (the CU/MSU winner's next opponent). The third-longest streak belongs to Georgetown (12), a potential third-round opponent.
Seems Like It Was Just March
Missouri State defeated Creighton, 2-0, when the teams played on March 10, 2021 on a neutral field at Swope Park in Kansas City, Mo.
The Bears took advantage of windy conditions to outshoot CU 8-1 in the first half and take 14 corner kicks in the opening 45 minutes.
MSU won the game with a pair of scores in the second half while going against the wind, getting goals from Kyle Hiebert in the 51st minute and Jesus Barea in the 70th minute.
Missouri State finished the contest with an 18-6 lead in shots and an 11-3 edge in shots on goal.
All 11 starters from both sides of that game returned to the pitch this fall.
NCAA Experience
Only two student-athletes currently on the Creighton team have previously participated in the NCAA Tournament at the Division I level.
Diego Gutierrez played in the 2017 NCAA Tournament for Nebraska-Omaha. though he did not record a shot or assist in 83 minutes of a 2-0 loss to Florida International.
Antonio Chavez Borrelli was on Boston College's 2019 team that reached the NCAA Tournament and lost 2-0 to Washington, but did not play..
The same can't be said for Creighton's staff. Johnny Torres played in four NCAA Tournaments and has served as an assistant coach in nine others, including College Cup trips in 1996 as a player and 2011 and 2012 as an assistant.
Assistant coach Ian Sarachan played in three NCAA Tournaments as a student-athlete at Illinois-Chicago, including a trip to the 2007 Elite Eight.
Fellow assistant Mike Gabb was on five NCAA Tournament teams as a student-athlete at Creighton and served as the starting goalkeeper on the 2000 team that was the national runner-up and the 2002 College Cup squad. Gabb was also an assistant on Creighton's 2016 team that reached the NCAA's.
Bluejays All-Time vs. Top 25 Competition
Creighton's win vs. No. 16 Providence on Nov. 3 improved the Bluejays to 82-62-17 (.562) all-time against United Soccer Coaches (formerly NSCAA) Top-25 opponents, including 2-1-0 this season.
Creighton is 3-3-0 all-time against teams ranked exactly No. 16, with each game ending in an identical 2-1 score. Creighton has alternated losses and wins against teams ranked No. 16, including the 2-1 triumph vs. Providence.
Creighton's win vs. No. 16 Indiana in 2000 is perhaps its best win in school history, a 2-1 triple-overtime victory in the 2000 College Cup that sent the Bluejays to its only national championship game appearance in any sport in program history.
The Bluejays are 44-17-4 (.708) at home against the top 25, including a 34-10-3 (.755) mark at Morrison Stadium.
Creighton's 3-0 win at No. 1 Indiana on Sept. 3 was the Bluejays' first victory against a ranked opponent since a 2-1 victory at home against No. 21 Akron on Sept. 6, 2019 and the first shutout of a ranked opponent since the 2018 season-opener against No. 11 Clemson.
Creighton also recorded its first win on the road against a ranked team since a 1-0 win at No. 24 UNO on Sept. 26, 2017.
All-Conference Selections
Creighton had four men recognized when the BIG EAST handed out All-Conference honors on Nov. 8.
Senior Diego Gutierrez became the seventh player to repeat as the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and first player since Creighton's Fabian Herbers (2014 & 2015). It marks the sixth time in eight seasons a Creighton student-athlete has received the honor (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020).
The BIG EAST leader in points (25), goals (9) and assist (7), Gutierrez also sits atop the conference leader board in goals per game (0.53), assists (0.41) and points per game (1.47) during the 2021 season. Gutierrez was a unanimous choice for All-BIG EAST First Team.
Senior Callum Watson earned All-BIG EAST Second Team, while seniors Charles Auguste and Paul Kruse earned All-BIG EAST Third Team honors. Watson closed the season with two goals and two assists (six points) in 15 matches, while Auguste delivered one goal and a pair of assists.
Kruse closed out the 2021 campaign with a 1.34 goals against average, posting five shutouts and making 69 saves in 1,542 minutes.
Brains & Brawn
Seniors Paul Kruse and Daniel Espeleta each earned a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District VII First Team on Thursday, November 11.
Kruse entered the fall with a 3.52 cumulative GPA, majoring in International Business / Marketing / Business Intelligence & Analytics. Kruse closed out the 2021 regular-season with a 1.34 goals against average, posting five shutouts and making 69 saves in 1,542 minutes and earning All-BIG EAST Third Team honors.
Another four-year player for the Bluejays, Espeleta boasts in 3.56 GPA in Neuroscience. The midfielder has appeared in 60 matches, delivered five goals and three assists (13 points) in combined career of 3,082 minutes.
Gutierrez Creates Magic
Diego Gutierrez became the first player since former Creighton All-American Fabian Herbers in 2014 & 2015 to be named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons.
Gutierrez won the recognition for the 2020 season (in the spring of 2021) and leads the league in goals, assists, points, goals per game, assists per game and points per game this fall.
Gutierrez has been integral to CU's success this season. In Creighton's eight wins, Gutierrez has contributed seven goals and six assists while averaging 3.25 shots per game. In CU's seven losses, Gutierrez has one goal (a penalty kick) and just 18 shots. In CU's two ties, Gutierrez has one goal and six total shots.
Since the 2014 season Creighton has had the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year in six of eight seasons.
BIG EAST Offensive Players of the Year Since 2014
Year Name, School
2014 Fabian Herbers, Creighton
2015 Fabian Herbers, Creighton
2016 David Goldsmith, Butler
Julian Gressel, Providence
2017 Brandon Guhl, Butler
Ricky Lopez-Espin, Creighton
2018 Sven Koenig, Creighton
2019 Tani Oluwasey, St. John's
2020 Diego Gutierrez, Creighton
2021 Diego Gutierrez, Creighton
Shootout Notes
Now that the NCAA Tournament has arrived, it's possible a game could go to a shootout if it's tied after 90 minutes of regulation and two 10 minute overtime periods.
Creighton has made 4-of-5 penalty kick opportunities this season. Diego Gutierrez, Manu Toledano and Daniel Espeleta all have experience scoring from the spot this fall.
It's also worth noting that Creighton was a perfect 5-for-5 on penalty kicks following a 2-2 tie at UMKC in the exhibition season. In 2019 following an exhibition match vs. Missouri State, the Bluejays and Bears went to penalty kicks just for fun, with CU winning 5-2.
Creighton - Penalty Kick Conversions
Name '21 '20 '19 '18 Total
Diego Gutierrez 2-2 2-2 - - 4-4
Manu Toledano 1-2 - - - 1-2
Daniel Espeleta 1-1 - - - 1-1
Defensively, Paul Kruse has stopped 1-of-5 penalty kicks (excluding overtime shootouts) he's faced in his career, while Nathan Schnur has stopped 2-of-3 attempts.
Creighton - Penalty Kick Stops
Name '21 '20 '19 '18 Total
Paul Kruse 1-3 - 0-2 - 1-5
Nathan Schnur - 2-3 - - 2-3
More PK Knowledge
The last time Creighton was in a penalty kick shootout that counted was on Nov. 7, 2018, and it was a doozy. Playing in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championship against Marquette, Creighton lost 10-9 in a 12-round penalty kick shootout.
Of the men to participate in that shootout still on the Bluejay roster, Daniel Epseleta converted his attempt in the ninth round. Current Bluejay keeper Paul Kruse was in net for all 12 rounds of the shootouts, making stops in the second and fourth rounds.
Creighton is 0-2 all-time in conference tournament shootouts and 3-4 in NCAA Tournament shootouts. Creighton's last shootout victory came in 2012, a 5-4 penalty kick victory at No. 1 Akron.
Creighton is 0-3 all-time at Morrison Stadium in shootouts, falling in 2004 (Tulsa), 2014 (UMBC) and 2018 (Marquette).
O'Neill & Toledano Honored By BIG EAST
Mark O'Neill was honored as the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week and Manu Toledano recognized as BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for their performances on Wednesday, Nov. 3.
O'Neill helped limit Providence's BIG EAST's top scoring offense to just five shots on frame, and its lone tally was an own goal on a failed Bluejay clearance. O'Neill also scored for the second time in five days when he headed home a goal off a corner kick in the fourth minute to give CU an early 1-0 lead. It was just his second goal of the season.
Toledano scored his sixth goal of the season in the 16th minute as Creighton kept its season alive with a 2-1 victory vs. No. 16 Providence on Wednesday night.
Toledano controlled a pass with his body with his back to the goal, turned and fired a left-footed rocket into the side netting to give Creighton a 2-1 lead that would hold up and ultimately clinch a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament.
It was his second game-winning goal of the season in league play, tied for most in the conference. Toledano also leads all BIG EAST freshmen with six goals, and his three goals in conference play are also most among league freshmen.
DIEGOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!!
Senior Diego Gutierrez owns 24 goals and 26 assists in his fantastic college career, including 14 goals and 13 assists during the 2021 calendar year as a Bluejay after three strong seasons across town at Nebraska-Omaha.
Gutierrez's 26 assists rank third-most among active players nationally, his 74 points rank 15th-most and his 24 goals are 33rd-most. The nation's only other active player with at least 24 goals and 24 assists is SMU's Gabriel Costa.
Gutierrez owns at least one point in each of Creighton's last seven games. That's the longest streak by a Bluejay since Fabian Herbers did it in each of Creighton's first 10 games of the 2015 season.
Trio Earn BIG EAST Weekly Honors
Senior Diego Gutierrez, sophomore Mark O'Neill and freshman Miguel Ventura captured the BIG EAST Offensive, Defensive and Freshman of the Week honors on Monday, November 1.
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.
Making a difference on both ends of the pitch Saturday night, O'Neill helped the Bluejays limit Butler to just two shots on goal in the outing after the Bulldogs 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.
Ventura earned the start and played the full 90 minutes on the back line, 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.
Scoring In Bunches
Creighton had scored multiple goals in six straight games before Villanova limited the Jays to one tally on Nov. 6th.
Creighton had not scored two or more goals in six straight contests since a seven-game stretch in the 2000 campaign. That club, which included current Creighton assistant coach Michael Gabb, went on to reach the final of the College Cup.. The 1996 team, which starred Johnny Torres and also made the College Cup, had a pair of six-game (or longer) streaks with multiple goals.
Creighton is 7-0-1 this season and 18-2-3 under Johnny Torres when scoring multiple goals in a game.
Four Is More
October 13th at Villanova marked the first time Creighton scored four goals in a single half since Oct. 10, 2017 against Drake when the Bluejays had four goals in the first half before winning 6-1.
The last time Creighton had scored four goals in a single half against a conference opponent was Oct. 24, 2015, also against Villanova (four in first half).
The last time Creighton scored four goals after being shutout in the first half of that same game was Sept. 27, 2006 vs. Central Arkansas. CU won that contest 6-1 after a scoreless first half.
O'Neill A Thorn In Butler's Side
Sophomore Mark O'Neill had three shots in Creighton's first 14 games before unleashing three shots on Oct. 30 at Butler.
O'Neill also scored his first goal of the season in the victory at BU, which came on his first shot on frame all fall.
The game was the 27th of O'Neill's career at Creighton, but just his second career goal. His first goal came on March 17, 2021, also against Butler.
O'Neill scored on a corner kick for the second straight game when he headed home another feed from Diego Gutierrez in the fourth minute of CU's win vs. Providence on Wednesday, Nov. 3.
Lucky #13
After starting league play 0-4-0, Creighton went 5-0-1 in BIG EAST action after October 13th. CU's five wins, 16 points and 15 goals scored were all the most in the BIG EAST in that period.
In that span, Diego Gutierrez led all BIG EAST players with 0.83 goals per game and 0.83 assists per game. His 15 points were six more than any other league player.
The Torres 22
Johnny Torres owns 22 career victories on the Bluejay sideline. Only four men in program history have more, and Torres worked with or played for three of them.
Torres, who is 22-20-4 on the Bluejay sideline, has moved past Don Klosterman and Wayne Rasmussen this season on CU's all-time wins list.
Creighton Wins Leaders
Name W-L-T Pct. Years
Bob Warming 190-61-34 .726 1990-94, 2001-09
Elmar Bolowich 115-40-17 .718 2011-18
Bret Simon 96-26-8 .769 1995-00
Mark Schmechel 25-12-2 .667 1979-80
Johnny Torres 22-20-4 .522 2019-Pres.
Scoreless Draws
Creighton has played 46 matches under Johnny Torres, but none of them have been scoreless on both sides. CU is the only program in the BIG EAST without a scoreless tie since the start of the 2019 campaign.
Creighton's last 0-0 tie came on Oct. 20, 2018 vs. Providence, which was 51 games ago for the Jays.
Saving The Best For Last
Creighton's Jackson Castro's steal and score in the final minute of regulation at UConn on Oct. 16 helped Creighton earn a crucial point in a 2-2 tie.
Castro's goal was the latest game-tying or go-ahead goal in regulation since Ricky Lopez-Espin found the back of the net with 16 seconds left on Sept. 19, 2017 to tie the score vs. Tulsa. That score was memorable because it featured an assist by goalkeeper Michael Kluver when the Jays sent all 11 men into the box for its final push.
Creighton went on to win that game vs. Tulsa in even more dramatic fashion as Lopez-Espin assisted Luke Haakenson's game-winner with 14 seconds left in the first overtime for a 2-1 victory.
First Of Many?
Not only did Jackson Castro earn his first career goal vs. UConn, but teammate Duncan McGuire notched his first score of the fall earlier last week when he slotted home the game-winner vs. Villanova.
Seven of Creighton's 28 goals this season have come from freshmen, as Manu Toledano's six scores supplement Castro's tally. Seventeen of CU's goals have come from seniors, three by sophomores and the junior class has contributed one goal.
Sixth Official RPI Rankings Released
The sixth official RPI Rankings were released by the NCAA on Monday. The Bluejays are listed at No. 26 in the release, after being 50th (Oct. 11), 48th (Oct. 18), 37th (Oct. 25), 28th (Nov. 1) and 23rd (Nov. 8) in the initial five announcements. Creighton is one of five BIG EAST teams listed inside the top 30.
All 11 BIG EAST programs are listed inside the top 100.
BIG EAST in the RPI (Nov. 15 edition)
3. Georgetown
15. Providence
26. Creighton
28. Villanova
29. St. John's
41. Butler
59. Marquette
69. UConn
71. DePaul
83. Xavier
99. Seton Hall
Battle Tested Bluejays
Creighton enters the NCAA Tournament with an 8-7-2 record this season, but the 17 different teams (including Villanova twice) the Bluejays had played to that point so far this fall have a combined record of 163-104-32 (.599).
Of the first 17 teams Creighton has faced this season, three (Tulsa, Saint Louis and Georgetown) still own two losses or less, as does Missouri State.
With the sixth RPI rankings released on Monday, the Bluejays have faced five teams currently listed in the top 25 (2-3-0 vs. those opponents) and nine teams in the top 50 (4-5-0). CU has played just two teams outside the top-100, winning both.
Team (RPI rank) W-L-T (11/14) CU's Result
Tulsa (6) 15-1-1 L, 1-2
Saint Louis (14) 14-0-4 L, 0-4
Indiana (13) 13-5-1 W, 3-0
Ohio State (91) 6-9-1 T, 1-1
Georgetown (3) 16-2-0 L, 1-2
St. John's (29) 10-5-3 L, 0-2
Neb-Omaha (171) 5-10-1 W, 1-0
UIC (115) 9-8-2 W, 4-0
DePaul (71) 7-7-3 L, 0-1
Marquette (59) 7-8-1 L, 1-3
Villanova (28) 11-7-1 W, 4-2
UConn (69) 7-7-2 T, 2-2
Xavier (83) 9-7-1 W, 2-0
Seton Hall (99) 6-8-3 W, 3-1
Butler (41) 7-9-3 W, 2-0
Providence (15) 10-4-4 W, 2-1
Villanova (28) 11-7-1 L, 1-2
Scoring First Yields Success
The team who has scored first during 28 of the last 31 Creighton matches has proceeded to claim the victory. The three exceptions have been Creighton's two ties in that time, on Sept. 6 vs. Ohio State and on Oct. 16 at UConn, as well as a 2-1 loss to Villanova on Nov. 6.
The Bluejays are 8-1-0 this season when scoring first and 0-6-2 when the opposition finds the back of the net first.
Creighton finished 6-0-0 during the 2020 season when scoring first, but 0-6-0 when its opponent scored first.
Head coach Johnny Torres is 19-2-1 when scoring first during his tenure at Creighton, but just 3-18-3 when the opposition finds the back of the net first.
Additionally, the Bluejays are 5-0-0 when leading at the half this season, but 3-7-2 when trailing or tied at halftime.
Creighton's last come-from-behind victory came during the 2019 regular-season finale against Butler.
The Bluejays' last victory when trailing at the half was on Sept. 24, 2019 against Tulsa as Creighton fell behind 1-0 at the half before winning 4-3 in overtime.
Since Torres took over prior to the 2019 season, the Bluejays have just one win after trailing at halftime (1-9-2).
BIG EAST Recognized Bluejay Duo
Callum Watson and Paul Kruse each earned BIG EAST Weekly Honors on Monday, October 25th. Watson was named the Offensive Player of the Week, while Kruse earned Goalkeeper of the Week.
Watson tied for the BIG EAST lead in points and goals during the week, sparking Creighton to a 2-0-0 mark with two goals and an assist. The senior midfielder's first goal of the season came in the 64th minute against Xavier on Wednesday as the Bluejays went on to win 2-0. He followed that with a goal and assist against Seton Hall on Saturday, scoring the match's first goal in the 40th minute before assisting on Manu Toledano's game winner in the 83rd.
Kruse posted a 2-0-0 record in net for the Bluejays during the week, showing a .923 save percentage while surrendering just one goal in victories over Xavier and Seton Hall. The senior made six stops in each contest to lead the BIG EAST in saves per game last week, while also posting the top save percentage among goalkeepers with multiple appearances. Kruse earned the shutout win over Xavier on Wednesday, marking his third solo shutout of the season.
Bluejays During Road BIG EAST Matches
Since joining the BIG EAST prior to the 2013 season, the Bluejays are 18-17-6 during regular-season league matches on the road.
Creighton went 2-2 during league road matches last season (during spring semester) and 1-3-1 in 2019.
The Bluejays were 2-2-1 this season during BIG EAST road contests, but earned points in each of its last three league road games.
Creighton Ranks Sixth Nationally In Home Attendance
Creighton ranks sixth nationally in average home attendance (through matches played Nov. 14) with an average of 1,985 fans per match.
2021 Division I Avg. Attendance Leaders (11/14)
Rk. Team Games Total Avg.
1. UConn 11 30,038 2,731
2. Saint Louis 11 27,885 2,535
3. Maryland 10 24,456 2,446
4. Clemson 12 28,211 2,351
5. Indiana 13 26,292 2,022
6. Creighton 9 17,861 1,985
7. Cal Poly 9 16,896 1,877
8. UC Santa Barbara 11 20,380 1,853
9. New Hampshire 10 18,242 1,824
10. Wake Forest 12 20,497 1,708
Creighton hosted 6,577 fans at Morrison Stadium on Sept. 18 against #1 Georgetown, the second largest crowd in program history and third largest crowd to watch a Division I soccer match this fall.
Shutouts, Shutouts and More Shutouts
Five of Creighton's eight victories this season have come via shutouts. Conversely, the Bluejays have been kept off the scoreboard during three of their seven losses.
Consecutive Shutouts For First Time In Three Years
Creighton posted shutouts in back-to-back matches against Nebraska-Omaha (Sept. 29) and UIC (Oct. 2) marking the first time the Bluejays posted consecutive shutouts since September of 2018.
Creighton earned shutouts in three consecutive matches from Sept. 7-22, 2018 against Memphis, Butler and Villanova.
The Bluejays own five shutouts overall this season, their most in a season since a 29-season streak of five or more clean sheets was completed in 2018.
Creighton had just one clean sheet in the 2020 season and three during 2019.
Converting Penalty Kick Opportunities
Creighton is 4-for-5 in penalty kick opportunities this season.
The four successful penalty kicks this season are the most since 2016 when the Bluejays ended the year 5-for-6 during PK opportunities.
Since 1991, the Creighton single-season mark for most successful penalty kicks is six in 2001 when the Bluejays ended the season a perfect 6-for-6.
Three of Creighton's four PKs during 2021 have come during conference play, including scores vs. Georgetown, Marquette and Villanova.
Kruse Named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week
Senior goalkeeper Paul Kruse earned BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week accolades, the league announced on Oct. 4.
The Heilbronn, Germany native helped the Bluejays record a pair of shutouts against Nebraska-Omaha (Sept. 29) and UIC (Oct. 2). Kruse earned the solo clean sheet on Sept. 29 before earning a combined shutout on Oct. 2.
The senior co-captain made four saves on Sept. 29 during Creighton's 1-0 victory against the Mavericks and did not need to make a stop during 62 minutes of action as the Bluejays' cruised to a 4-0 win against the Flames.
Mike Tranchilla Enters Hall of Fame
Former Bluejay Mike Tranchilla entered the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 9th along with former volleyball player Kelli Browning and baseball standout Pat Venditte.
Tranchilla guided the Creighton men's soccer team to four NCAA Tournament appearances from 1999-2002, helping the Bluejays reach the national championship match in 2000 and the College Cup twice (2000, 2002). He remains Creighton's only two-time All-College Cup team honoree.
Tranchilla was a two-time finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy (2001, 2002) and finished fourth overall in the voting after his senior season. He claimed a spot on the NSCAA All-America First Team in 2002 and the NSCAA All-Region team twice.
He holds the Missouri Valley Conference career records for points scored (140) and goals (55). Tranchilla also paces CU in career NCAA Tournament points scored (17 in 11 games) and goals (6).
He ranks second on the program's career lists for points and goals (trailing Creighton Hall of Famer Keith DeFini in each), while ranking third in multiple-goal games with 11. Tranchilla is one of seven players in Creighton history to score four goals in a single game.
The Dallas Burn selected Tranchilla with the 34th overall pick in the Fourth Round of the 2003 MLS SuperDraft.
The men's soccer program welcomed back members of the 1990, 2000 and 2011 teams as part of alumni weekend in conjunction with Tranchilla entering the Hall of Fame.
Scoring Surge Quiets Flames
The Bluejays scored just seven goals during the first seven matches before finding the back of the net a total of four times against UIC on Oct. 2
Creighton also scored three goals in the first half against the Flames, the most in a single half by the Bluejays since scoring three in the first half against DePaul last season (April 2).
Four different players scored goals during the against UIC and a total of seven different Bluejays had at least one point.
Fortress Morrison
Creighton is 152-33-21 overall at Morrison Stadium (opened in 2003), which includes a 5-4-0 record this season.
The four home losses this season is CU's most in a single season at Morrison Stadium, breaking the old mark of three from the 2007 and 2019 campaigns.
The Bluejays are 27-2-3 in their next home match following a home loss at Morrison, including 2-1-0 this season.
This season is the first time Creighton has lost consecutive matches at Morrison Stadium during the same season.
The Bluejays are 70-18-8 at Morrison Stadium since the start of 2013 when the program joined the BIG EAST and 29-9-2 during home league matches.
Creighton Soccer Green Games
Spearheaded by Creighton's women's soccer sophomore Emma Yackley, the Creighton men's and women's soccer programs hosted Green Games on Thursday, September 30th (women's vs. Marquette) and Saturday, October 2nd (men's vs. UIC)..
Both matches were carbon neutral and zero waste, meaning the electricity consumed at the games were be offset by credits purchased by a sponsor (FCC) and all concessions were composted or recycled.
Bins were set out to collect gently used athletic equipment and gear. These items were donated to CUES, an organization representing three diverse, low-income Catholic elementary schools in Omaha.
The goal of these games was to promote a sustainable culture at Creighton and within our community, as well as to educate attendees about environmental stewardship.
Creighton In BIG EAST Openers
Since joining the BIG EAST prior to the 2013 season, Creighton is 7-2-0 during the first conference match of the season, including its 2-1 loss against Georgetown on Sept. 18.
Creighton's 3-2 overtime loss at Butler in 2017 marked the Bluejays' first loss in a conference opener since 2011 when Creighton fell to Missouri State during its Missouri Valley Conference opener.
The Bluejays own a 47-26-8 record during regular-season BIG EAST matchups.
Creighton is 8-1-0 during the first home BIG EAST match of the season and 6-2-1 during the first BIG EAST road match of the year.
The Bluejays have captured two BIG EAST regular-season titles (2014, 2018) and finished runner-up at the conference tournament twice (2015, 2016).
Creighton owns a total of 14 regular-season conference titles (most recent in 2018) and 13 conference tournament titles (last in 2012) as the Bluejays were a member of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1991-2012.
Creighton's BIG EAST Opener History
Year Opener (Result) Final Record (Place)
2013 #7 St. John's (W) 4-4-1 (5th)
2014 at Villanova (W) 7-1-1 (1st)
2015 at Seton Hall (W) 7-2-0 (2nd)
2016 Seton Hall (W) 5-3-1 (T-3rd)
2017 at Butler (L) 3-4-2 (T-5th)
2018 Butler (W) 7-1-1 (1st)
2019 Marquette (W) 4-4-1 (T-4th)
2020 Marquette (W) 5-3-0 (MW 2nd)
2021 Georgetown (L) 5-4-1 (T-4th)
Socctoberfest Success
Saturday, Sept. 18 marked Creighton's ninth Socctoberfest event.
The Bluejays are 8-1 during Socctoberfest matches with wins over Bradley, Columbia, Western Illinois, Cal State Northridge, Penn, South Florida, Memphis and Akron. Creighton has outscored the opposition 16-3 in those eight victories.
Creighton's 2-1 loss on Sept. 18 against #1 Georgetown was the program's first loss during a Socctoberfest match.
After hosting 1,843 fans for the inaugural Socctoberfest in 2012, Creighton has averaged a crowd of 4,537 during the last eight events,
including four of the largest crowds in program history.
Socctoberfest Matches
Date Opponent, Result Atten.
Oct. 20, 2012 Bradley, W, 1-0 1,843
Sept. 6, 2013 Columbia, W, 3-1 5,102+
Sept. 5, 2014 Western Illinois, W, 1-0 3,750
Sept. 4, 2015 CSUN, W, 2-1 4,907^
Sept. 9, 2016 Penn, W, 3-0 2,888
Sept. 8, 2017 South Florida, W, 2-0 3,889
Sept. 7, 2018 Memphis, W, 2-0 4,367
Sept. 6, 2019 #21 Akron, W, 2-1 4,818#
Sept. 18, 2021 #1 Georgetown, L, 1-2 6,577$
+ - 10th-best single match attendance
^ - 11th-best single match attendance
# - 13th-best single match attendance
$ - 2nd-best single match attendance
Largest Crowds In Bluejay History
Creighton hosted 6,577 fans at Morrison Stadium on Sept. 18 against #1 Georgetown, the second largest crowd in program history.
The attendance also marked the third-highest attended game this fall across all of Division I Men's Soccer.
Morrison Stadium has hosted more than 6,000 fans three times, more than 5,000 fans on 11 occasions and more than 4,000 fans a total of 24 times.
Top Home Crowds in Bluejay History
1. 6,848 vs. Old Dominion, Sept. 14, 2012 (L, 1-2)
2. 6,577 vs. Georgetown, Sept. 18, 2021 (L, 1-2) #
3. 6,453 vs. Tulsa, Sept. 29, 2015 (W, 1-0)
4. 5,812 vs. UCLA, Sept. 8, 2007 (T, 0-0, 2OT)
5. 5,743 vs. Stanford (exhibition), Aug. 26, 2005 (L, 0-1)
6. 5,609 vs. Missouri State, Sept. 19, 2009 (L, 0-1)
7. 5,473 vs. Clemson, Aug. 24, 2018 (W, 2-0)
8. 5,425 vs. Drexel, Sept. 4, 2011 (W, 3-0)
9. 5,386 vs. Seton Hall, Sept. 17, 2016 (W, 4-1)
10. 5,282 vs. St. John's, Sept. 21, 2013 (W, 1-0, 2OT)
11. 5,102 vs. Columbia, Sept. 6, 2013 (W, 3-1) #
12. 4,907 vs. CSUN, Sept. 4, 2015 (W, 2-1) #
13. 4,838 vs. Michigan, Aug. 28, 2015 (W, 1-0)
14. 4,818 vs. Akron, Sept. 6, 2019 (W, 2-1) #
15. 4,766 vs. Nebraska-Omaha, Sept. 5, 2016 (T, 1-1, 2OT)
16. 4,711 vs. Butler, Sept. 15, 2018 (W, 3-0)
17. 4,544 vs. Saint Louis, Sept. 20, 2014 (L, 0-1 OT)
18. 4,367 vs. Memphis, Sept. 7, 2018 (W, 2-0)
19. 4,242 vs. Fordham, Sept. 9, 2011 (W, 1-0)
20. 4,223 vs. Villanova, Oct. 24, 2015 (W, 5-1)
21. 4,096 vs. Nebraska-Omaha, Sept. 16, 2019 (W, 2-1)
22. 4,089 vs. Virginia Tech, Aug. 25, 2017 (L, 0-2)
23. 4,071 vs. Gonzaga, Aug. 29, 2008 (W, 4-1)
24. 4,023 vs. Tulsa, Sept. 22, 2007 (L, 1-3)
#-Denotes Socctoberfest match
Creighton vs. No. 1
The Bluejays' match against Georgetown on Sept. 18 marked Creighton's eighth match played in program history (second this season) against a team ranked No. 1 in the ISAA/NSCAA/United Soccer Coaches Poll.
The contest against the Hoyas was the first time Creighton has ever hosted a team ranked No. 1 in the national coaches poll.
The last time any Creighton Athletics team hosted the No. 1 team in the country was on Dec. 1, 2018 when the men's basketball team hosted No. 1 Gonzaga.
Creighton earned its first win against a No. 1 ranked team in program history on Sept. 3 at Indiana, 3-0.
The Bluejays are 1-6-1 in matches against teams ranked No. 1 at the time of the match.
Creighton advanced to the 2010 Elite Eight after knocking off No. 1 Akron 5-4 in PKs following a 1-1 tie after 110 minutes.
Creighton vs. No. 1 Ranked Teams
11/27/94 at #1 Indiana L, 0-1
10/14/01 at #1 SMU L, 2-4
11/18/01 vs. #1 SMU L, 1-2 (4OT)
10/27/10 at #1 Akron L, 0-1
11/25/12 at #1 Akron T, 1-1 (2OT)*
09/01/17 at #1 Stanford L, 0-3
09/03/21 at #1 Indiana W, 3-0
09/18/21 #1 Georgetown L, 1-2
*Creighton advanced in NCAA Tournament on PKs
Across the Creighton sports landscape, prior to men's soccer's win against Indiana, the last time the Bluejays beat a No. 1-ranked team in any sport was April 24, 2001. On that night, the Creighton baseball team beat No. 1 Nebraska in Lincoln, with an 11-8 win in 10 innings at Buck Beltzer Field.
Match Against Drake Cancelled
Creighton's match against Drake, scheduled for Sept. 10, was cancelled because of COVID-19 issues within the Bulldogs' program.
The match marked the Bluejays' first cancelled contest since Creighton had to cancel its match against Green Bay on Oct. 1, 2019 because of inclement weather.
Long Break
Because of the cancelled match on Sept. 10, the Bluejays played on Sept. 18 for the first time since Sept. 6.
The 12-day break between matches is Creighton's longest stretch without a contest during the regular season since 2009 when the Bluejays had a full two-week break between Sept. 5 and Sept. 19.
Bluejays' Defense Tested
Creighton tallied a total of nine saves during the lid-lifter against Tulsa on Aug. 26.
Senior goalkeeper Paul Kruse made eight saves, while senior defender Musa Qongo contributed to a team save during the first half of action.
The nine saves were the most by Creighton since a neutral site contest last season against Missouri State (March 10, 2021) when the Bluejays also had nine.
The last time the Bluejays posted double-digit saves was during the 2019 regular-season finale at Georgetown (10 saves). Kruse made a career-high nine saves during that contest, while Creighton also recorded one team save.
Prior to the 10 saves against the Hoyas on Nov. 6, 2019, the last time Creighton needed to make double-digit saves was on Sept. 14, 2012 against Old Dominion (10).
Gutierrez Selected in MLS SuperDraft
The Portland Timbers selected Diego Gutierrez with the 70th overall pick during the third round of the 2021 MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 21.
Creighton owns 46 MLS draft picks since the league started in 1996, including at least one in all but one draft.
Gutierrez transferred to Creighton prior to the start of the 2020 fall semester. He played in 44 matches during three seasons at Nebraska-Omaha before making his way to the Bluejays, earning 37 starts and recording 10 goals and 13 assists. The Ralston, Nebraska native, moved into the top-10 in UNO history in assists (3rd), shots on goal (3rd), points (4th), shots (4th), game-winning goals (5th) and goals (7th.)
As a junior he had one goal and led the Mavericks with four assists and 30 shots, while starting all 13 appearances. Gutierrez earned First Team All-Summit League as a sophomore in 2018, with seven goals and seven assists and claimed selections to the Summit League All-Tournament Team and All-Newcomer Team in 2017.
He played at UNO for head coaches Bob Warming and Jason Mims, both of whom spent more than a decade at Creighton.
Gutierrez Earns BIG EAST Honor
Creighton forward Diego Gutierrez was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, Oct. 17th after helping the Bluejays pick up four points on the road.
Gutierrez had three goals and an assist as Creighton went 1-0-1 to help the Bluejays pick up their first points of the season in BIG EAST play. It's the first time this season the Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year been honored by the BIG EAST with a weekly award, and joins an a similar accolade bestowed on him April 5, 2021 in the spring.
Gutierrez had two goals and an assist in Creighton's 4-2 win at Villanova. He opened the scoring in the 51st minute when he converted his second penalty kick of the season. After Villanova scored twice to tie the game at 2-2, Gutierrez assisted Duncan McGuire's game-winning goal in the 79th minute that gave CU a 3-2 advantage. Five minutes later Gutierrez iced the game with a goal in the 84th minute that provided the final margin.
He then recorded his BIG EAST-leading seventh goal of the season in the 19th minute at UConn to help level the score at 1-1, scoring just three minutes after UConn had taken an early lead.
On This Date...(Nov. 18 edition)
Creighton is 3-3-0 all-time on Nov. 18th. The last time Creighton played on Nov. 18 was a 4-2 win in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament against Washington. That 2012 team went on to reach the College Cup.
Creighton is 3-1-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament play on November 18th.
ESPN+ VIDEO ($) | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | DIGITAL PROGRAM (PDF)
Up Next
Creighton (8-7-2) returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 when it visits two-time defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Missouri State (17-1-0) on Thursday, Nov. 18.
Kickoff at Allison South Stadium in Springfield, Mo., is set for 6 p.m. Central.
The winner of Thursday's contest will play at second-ranked and No. 6 seeded Tulsa (15-1-1) on Sunday at 6 p.m.
Follow the Match
Live video of Thursday's match is scheduled for ESPN+, with the direct link at https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/6447331e-a182-4842-8bd8-0e1053235d51. A subscription may be required.
Once finalized, links to video and live stats will be provided on the Creighton Men's Soccer schedule page at GoCreighton.com.
Updates will be provided during the match on Twitter (@CreightonMSOC).
Scouting Creighton (8-7-2, 5-4-1 BE)
Creighton went 5-1-1 in its last seven games to improve to 8-7-2 in the regular-season. The Bluejays tied for fourth in the BIG EAST Conference and enter the NCAA Tournament with a No. 26 RPI.
Senior co-captain goalkeeper Paul Kruse has started all 17 matches overall, owns five total shutouts (four individual, one combined) and is second in the BIG EAST in saves per match (4.06). He also holds a 1.34 goals against average.
Senior Diego Gutierrez has produced 16 points in the last seven games and leads the Bluejays with 25 points thanks to nine goals and seven assists. The two-time BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year leads the league in goals scored (9), goals per game (0.53), assists (7), assists per game (0.41), points (25) and points per game (1.47).
Freshman Manu Toledano owns six goals for the Bluejays, while nine other Bluejays have found the back of the net once or twice.
Head coach Johnny Torres is 22-20-4 in his third year at the helm of the Bluejays after spending 12 years as an assistant coach.
Scouting Missouri State (17-1-0, 10-00 MVC)
Missouri State is 17-1-0 on the season, with the lone blemish coming to Tulsa (3-0) on Sept. 3rd. Since then MSU has reeled off 15 straight wins.
The Bears have outscored foes 39-10 this fall, including a 3-0 win vs. Evansville in the MVC Tournament title game.
Josh Dolling owns a team-best 14 points for the Bears, scoring four times and assisting on six others. He's one of 15 different Bears that has scored at least one goal.
Michael Creek has a 0.59 goals against average, having made 28 saves while surrendering nine goals and recording eight shutouts this season.
Missouri State leads the nation in wins (17), winning percentage (.944) and home wins (12), and also boasts the nation's longest active win streak (15) and active home win streak (14).
Series History Against Bears
Creighton is 22-9-4 all-time against Missouri State, but just 4-5-4 in games contested in Springfield. The Bluejays and Bears were rivals in the Missouri Valley Conference for 30 of those meetings from 1992-2012.
Since Creighton moved to the BIG EAST in 2013, the teams have faced off twice in the regular-season. CU won 4-0 in 2015 in Omaha before the Bears won a match-up on a windy day in March of 2021 in Kansas City by a 2-0 margin.
Each of the last 11 meetings, and 15 of the past 16 encounters, have featured a shutout for at least one team. There's also been two 0-0 ties in that time.
The teams have never met in the postseason.
Johnny Torres is 0-1 in his career as a head coach vs. Missouri State after going 4-1 as a player and 6-2-2 while an assistant at CU vs. MSU.
NCAA Tournament History
Creighton is making its 25th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and first since 2016. The Bluejays made 17 straight tournaments from 1992-2008, missed out in 2009, and then made seven trips in a row from 2010-2016.
Creighton is 34-20-7 during NCAA action, and has advanced to the College Cup five times (1996, 2000, 2002, 2011, 2012), including a runner-up
finish during the 2000 season.
Creighton has won two or more games in each of its past three NCAA trips and have reached the quarterfinals 11 times (all since 1996).
During NCAA Tournament play, Creighton is 17-8-5 all-time in road matches, 1-6-1 at neutral sites and 16-6-1 in home matches.
Johnny Torres advanced to the NCAA Tournament during each of his four years as a player at Creighton (1994-97) and has been on the bench for the Big Dance as an assistant coach nine times. This year will mark his first appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach.
The Bluejays are one of five schools to make the NCAA tournament at least 25 times since 1992 (Creighton's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament).
Teams with at least 25 NCAA appearances since 1992:
Indiana - 30
Virginia - 28
Maryland - 27
UCLA - 27
Creighton - 25
Against The NCAA Tourney Field
Creighton went 3-5 against teams that made the field for the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
The Bluejays defeated Villanova, Indiana and Providence but lost to Villanova, St. John's, Georgetown, Tulsa and Saint Louis.
Missouri State went 0-1-0 against teams to make the 2021 NCAA Tournament, losing 3-0 to Tulsa.
Similar Opponents
Creighton and Missouri State share just one common opponent in 2021, Tulsa.
Creighton opened the season with a 2-1 loss to Tulsa in Omaha. Missouri State lost 3-0 at Tulsa on Sept. 3.
The winner of Thursday's game will visit Tulsa on Sunday at 6 p.m.
Fun Facts
Creighton owns the fewest wins of any NCAA Tournament team (8), while Missouri State owns the most wins in the country this fall (17).
Creighton played the No. 8 strength of schedule (of 208), while Missouri State played the No. 134 strength of schedule.
Only eight teams enter the NCAA Tournament with 0 or 1 loss. Missouri State will mark the third opponent in that grouping that Creighton has faced, joining Tulsa and Saint Louis.
The team to score first is 13-0-1 in the last 16 CU/MSU games, which includes two scoreless ties. The last team to score first and lose in the series was MSU in 2002.
Though Creighton has played a game that counted at Missouri State 13 times, it has never played at Allison South Stadium. The facility opened in 2014, while Creighton left the Missouri Valley Conference in the summer of 2013. CU has not played a game in Springfield since 2011.
Creighton's 34 NCAA Tournament wins rank 13th-most of any program in NCAA history, and are eighth-most among teams in the 2021 field.
Only Indiana (95), UCLA (70), Saint Louis (68), Maryland (60), Clemson (55), North Carolina (41), Wake Forest (35) have more than Creighton's 34 among the 2021 field, while Virginia (67), UConn (39), SMU (37), Hartwick (36) and Brown (35) were not selected in 2021.
Missouri State owns the nation's active longest home win streak (14), one longer than Tulsa (the CU/MSU winner's next opponent). The third-longest streak belongs to Georgetown (12), a potential third-round opponent.
Seems Like It Was Just March
Missouri State defeated Creighton, 2-0, when the teams played on March 10, 2021 on a neutral field at Swope Park in Kansas City, Mo.
The Bears took advantage of windy conditions to outshoot CU 8-1 in the first half and take 14 corner kicks in the opening 45 minutes.
MSU won the game with a pair of scores in the second half while going against the wind, getting goals from Kyle Hiebert in the 51st minute and Jesus Barea in the 70th minute.
Missouri State finished the contest with an 18-6 lead in shots and an 11-3 edge in shots on goal.
All 11 starters from both sides of that game returned to the pitch this fall.
NCAA Experience
Only two student-athletes currently on the Creighton team have previously participated in the NCAA Tournament at the Division I level.
Diego Gutierrez played in the 2017 NCAA Tournament for Nebraska-Omaha. though he did not record a shot or assist in 83 minutes of a 2-0 loss to Florida International.
Antonio Chavez Borrelli was on Boston College's 2019 team that reached the NCAA Tournament and lost 2-0 to Washington, but did not play..
The same can't be said for Creighton's staff. Johnny Torres played in four NCAA Tournaments and has served as an assistant coach in nine others, including College Cup trips in 1996 as a player and 2011 and 2012 as an assistant.
Assistant coach Ian Sarachan played in three NCAA Tournaments as a student-athlete at Illinois-Chicago, including a trip to the 2007 Elite Eight.
Fellow assistant Mike Gabb was on five NCAA Tournament teams as a student-athlete at Creighton and served as the starting goalkeeper on the 2000 team that was the national runner-up and the 2002 College Cup squad. Gabb was also an assistant on Creighton's 2016 team that reached the NCAA's.
Bluejays All-Time vs. Top 25 Competition
Creighton's win vs. No. 16 Providence on Nov. 3 improved the Bluejays to 82-62-17 (.562) all-time against United Soccer Coaches (formerly NSCAA) Top-25 opponents, including 2-1-0 this season.
Creighton is 3-3-0 all-time against teams ranked exactly No. 16, with each game ending in an identical 2-1 score. Creighton has alternated losses and wins against teams ranked No. 16, including the 2-1 triumph vs. Providence.
Creighton's win vs. No. 16 Indiana in 2000 is perhaps its best win in school history, a 2-1 triple-overtime victory in the 2000 College Cup that sent the Bluejays to its only national championship game appearance in any sport in program history.
The Bluejays are 44-17-4 (.708) at home against the top 25, including a 34-10-3 (.755) mark at Morrison Stadium.
Creighton's 3-0 win at No. 1 Indiana on Sept. 3 was the Bluejays' first victory against a ranked opponent since a 2-1 victory at home against No. 21 Akron on Sept. 6, 2019 and the first shutout of a ranked opponent since the 2018 season-opener against No. 11 Clemson.
Creighton also recorded its first win on the road against a ranked team since a 1-0 win at No. 24 UNO on Sept. 26, 2017.
All-Conference Selections
Creighton had four men recognized when the BIG EAST handed out All-Conference honors on Nov. 8.
Senior Diego Gutierrez became the seventh player to repeat as the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and first player since Creighton's Fabian Herbers (2014 & 2015). It marks the sixth time in eight seasons a Creighton student-athlete has received the honor (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020).
The BIG EAST leader in points (25), goals (9) and assist (7), Gutierrez also sits atop the conference leader board in goals per game (0.53), assists (0.41) and points per game (1.47) during the 2021 season. Gutierrez was a unanimous choice for All-BIG EAST First Team.
Senior Callum Watson earned All-BIG EAST Second Team, while seniors Charles Auguste and Paul Kruse earned All-BIG EAST Third Team honors. Watson closed the season with two goals and two assists (six points) in 15 matches, while Auguste delivered one goal and a pair of assists.
Kruse closed out the 2021 campaign with a 1.34 goals against average, posting five shutouts and making 69 saves in 1,542 minutes.
Brains & Brawn
Seniors Paul Kruse and Daniel Espeleta each earned a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District VII First Team on Thursday, November 11.
Kruse entered the fall with a 3.52 cumulative GPA, majoring in International Business / Marketing / Business Intelligence & Analytics. Kruse closed out the 2021 regular-season with a 1.34 goals against average, posting five shutouts and making 69 saves in 1,542 minutes and earning All-BIG EAST Third Team honors.
Another four-year player for the Bluejays, Espeleta boasts in 3.56 GPA in Neuroscience. The midfielder has appeared in 60 matches, delivered five goals and three assists (13 points) in combined career of 3,082 minutes.
Gutierrez Creates Magic
Diego Gutierrez became the first player since former Creighton All-American Fabian Herbers in 2014 & 2015 to be named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons.
Gutierrez won the recognition for the 2020 season (in the spring of 2021) and leads the league in goals, assists, points, goals per game, assists per game and points per game this fall.
Gutierrez has been integral to CU's success this season. In Creighton's eight wins, Gutierrez has contributed seven goals and six assists while averaging 3.25 shots per game. In CU's seven losses, Gutierrez has one goal (a penalty kick) and just 18 shots. In CU's two ties, Gutierrez has one goal and six total shots.
Since the 2014 season Creighton has had the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year in six of eight seasons.
BIG EAST Offensive Players of the Year Since 2014
Year Name, School
2014 Fabian Herbers, Creighton
2015 Fabian Herbers, Creighton
2016 David Goldsmith, Butler
Julian Gressel, Providence
2017 Brandon Guhl, Butler
Ricky Lopez-Espin, Creighton
2018 Sven Koenig, Creighton
2019 Tani Oluwasey, St. John's
2020 Diego Gutierrez, Creighton
2021 Diego Gutierrez, Creighton
Shootout Notes
Now that the NCAA Tournament has arrived, it's possible a game could go to a shootout if it's tied after 90 minutes of regulation and two 10 minute overtime periods.
Creighton has made 4-of-5 penalty kick opportunities this season. Diego Gutierrez, Manu Toledano and Daniel Espeleta all have experience scoring from the spot this fall.
It's also worth noting that Creighton was a perfect 5-for-5 on penalty kicks following a 2-2 tie at UMKC in the exhibition season. In 2019 following an exhibition match vs. Missouri State, the Bluejays and Bears went to penalty kicks just for fun, with CU winning 5-2.
Creighton - Penalty Kick Conversions
Name '21 '20 '19 '18 Total
Diego Gutierrez 2-2 2-2 - - 4-4
Manu Toledano 1-2 - - - 1-2
Daniel Espeleta 1-1 - - - 1-1
Defensively, Paul Kruse has stopped 1-of-5 penalty kicks (excluding overtime shootouts) he's faced in his career, while Nathan Schnur has stopped 2-of-3 attempts.
Creighton - Penalty Kick Stops
Name '21 '20 '19 '18 Total
Paul Kruse 1-3 - 0-2 - 1-5
Nathan Schnur - 2-3 - - 2-3
More PK Knowledge
The last time Creighton was in a penalty kick shootout that counted was on Nov. 7, 2018, and it was a doozy. Playing in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championship against Marquette, Creighton lost 10-9 in a 12-round penalty kick shootout.
Of the men to participate in that shootout still on the Bluejay roster, Daniel Epseleta converted his attempt in the ninth round. Current Bluejay keeper Paul Kruse was in net for all 12 rounds of the shootouts, making stops in the second and fourth rounds.
Creighton is 0-2 all-time in conference tournament shootouts and 3-4 in NCAA Tournament shootouts. Creighton's last shootout victory came in 2012, a 5-4 penalty kick victory at No. 1 Akron.
Creighton is 0-3 all-time at Morrison Stadium in shootouts, falling in 2004 (Tulsa), 2014 (UMBC) and 2018 (Marquette).
O'Neill & Toledano Honored By BIG EAST
Mark O'Neill was honored as the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week and Manu Toledano recognized as BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for their performances on Wednesday, Nov. 3.
O'Neill helped limit Providence's BIG EAST's top scoring offense to just five shots on frame, and its lone tally was an own goal on a failed Bluejay clearance. O'Neill also scored for the second time in five days when he headed home a goal off a corner kick in the fourth minute to give CU an early 1-0 lead. It was just his second goal of the season.
Toledano scored his sixth goal of the season in the 16th minute as Creighton kept its season alive with a 2-1 victory vs. No. 16 Providence on Wednesday night.
Toledano controlled a pass with his body with his back to the goal, turned and fired a left-footed rocket into the side netting to give Creighton a 2-1 lead that would hold up and ultimately clinch a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament.
It was his second game-winning goal of the season in league play, tied for most in the conference. Toledano also leads all BIG EAST freshmen with six goals, and his three goals in conference play are also most among league freshmen.
DIEGOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!!
Senior Diego Gutierrez owns 24 goals and 26 assists in his fantastic college career, including 14 goals and 13 assists during the 2021 calendar year as a Bluejay after three strong seasons across town at Nebraska-Omaha.
Gutierrez's 26 assists rank third-most among active players nationally, his 74 points rank 15th-most and his 24 goals are 33rd-most. The nation's only other active player with at least 24 goals and 24 assists is SMU's Gabriel Costa.
Gutierrez owns at least one point in each of Creighton's last seven games. That's the longest streak by a Bluejay since Fabian Herbers did it in each of Creighton's first 10 games of the 2015 season.
Trio Earn BIG EAST Weekly Honors
Senior Diego Gutierrez, sophomore Mark O'Neill and freshman Miguel Ventura captured the BIG EAST Offensive, Defensive and Freshman of the Week honors on Monday, November 1.
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.
Making a difference on both ends of the pitch Saturday night, O'Neill helped the Bluejays limit Butler to just two shots on goal in the outing after the Bulldogs 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.
Ventura earned the start and played the full 90 minutes on the back line, 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.
Scoring In Bunches
Creighton had scored multiple goals in six straight games before Villanova limited the Jays to one tally on Nov. 6th.
Creighton had not scored two or more goals in six straight contests since a seven-game stretch in the 2000 campaign. That club, which included current Creighton assistant coach Michael Gabb, went on to reach the final of the College Cup.. The 1996 team, which starred Johnny Torres and also made the College Cup, had a pair of six-game (or longer) streaks with multiple goals.
Creighton is 7-0-1 this season and 18-2-3 under Johnny Torres when scoring multiple goals in a game.
Four Is More
October 13th at Villanova marked the first time Creighton scored four goals in a single half since Oct. 10, 2017 against Drake when the Bluejays had four goals in the first half before winning 6-1.
The last time Creighton had scored four goals in a single half against a conference opponent was Oct. 24, 2015, also against Villanova (four in first half).
The last time Creighton scored four goals after being shutout in the first half of that same game was Sept. 27, 2006 vs. Central Arkansas. CU won that contest 6-1 after a scoreless first half.
O'Neill A Thorn In Butler's Side
Sophomore Mark O'Neill had three shots in Creighton's first 14 games before unleashing three shots on Oct. 30 at Butler.
O'Neill also scored his first goal of the season in the victory at BU, which came on his first shot on frame all fall.
The game was the 27th of O'Neill's career at Creighton, but just his second career goal. His first goal came on March 17, 2021, also against Butler.
O'Neill scored on a corner kick for the second straight game when he headed home another feed from Diego Gutierrez in the fourth minute of CU's win vs. Providence on Wednesday, Nov. 3.
Lucky #13
After starting league play 0-4-0, Creighton went 5-0-1 in BIG EAST action after October 13th. CU's five wins, 16 points and 15 goals scored were all the most in the BIG EAST in that period.
In that span, Diego Gutierrez led all BIG EAST players with 0.83 goals per game and 0.83 assists per game. His 15 points were six more than any other league player.
The Torres 22
Johnny Torres owns 22 career victories on the Bluejay sideline. Only four men in program history have more, and Torres worked with or played for three of them.
Torres, who is 22-20-4 on the Bluejay sideline, has moved past Don Klosterman and Wayne Rasmussen this season on CU's all-time wins list.
Creighton Wins Leaders
Name W-L-T Pct. Years
Bob Warming 190-61-34 .726 1990-94, 2001-09
Elmar Bolowich 115-40-17 .718 2011-18
Bret Simon 96-26-8 .769 1995-00
Mark Schmechel 25-12-2 .667 1979-80
Johnny Torres 22-20-4 .522 2019-Pres.
Scoreless Draws
Creighton has played 46 matches under Johnny Torres, but none of them have been scoreless on both sides. CU is the only program in the BIG EAST without a scoreless tie since the start of the 2019 campaign.
Creighton's last 0-0 tie came on Oct. 20, 2018 vs. Providence, which was 51 games ago for the Jays.
Saving The Best For Last
Creighton's Jackson Castro's steal and score in the final minute of regulation at UConn on Oct. 16 helped Creighton earn a crucial point in a 2-2 tie.
Castro's goal was the latest game-tying or go-ahead goal in regulation since Ricky Lopez-Espin found the back of the net with 16 seconds left on Sept. 19, 2017 to tie the score vs. Tulsa. That score was memorable because it featured an assist by goalkeeper Michael Kluver when the Jays sent all 11 men into the box for its final push.
Creighton went on to win that game vs. Tulsa in even more dramatic fashion as Lopez-Espin assisted Luke Haakenson's game-winner with 14 seconds left in the first overtime for a 2-1 victory.
First Of Many?
Not only did Jackson Castro earn his first career goal vs. UConn, but teammate Duncan McGuire notched his first score of the fall earlier last week when he slotted home the game-winner vs. Villanova.
Seven of Creighton's 28 goals this season have come from freshmen, as Manu Toledano's six scores supplement Castro's tally. Seventeen of CU's goals have come from seniors, three by sophomores and the junior class has contributed one goal.
Sixth Official RPI Rankings Released
The sixth official RPI Rankings were released by the NCAA on Monday. The Bluejays are listed at No. 26 in the release, after being 50th (Oct. 11), 48th (Oct. 18), 37th (Oct. 25), 28th (Nov. 1) and 23rd (Nov. 8) in the initial five announcements. Creighton is one of five BIG EAST teams listed inside the top 30.
All 11 BIG EAST programs are listed inside the top 100.
BIG EAST in the RPI (Nov. 15 edition)
3. Georgetown
15. Providence
26. Creighton
28. Villanova
29. St. John's
41. Butler
59. Marquette
69. UConn
71. DePaul
83. Xavier
99. Seton Hall
Battle Tested Bluejays
Creighton enters the NCAA Tournament with an 8-7-2 record this season, but the 17 different teams (including Villanova twice) the Bluejays had played to that point so far this fall have a combined record of 163-104-32 (.599).
Of the first 17 teams Creighton has faced this season, three (Tulsa, Saint Louis and Georgetown) still own two losses or less, as does Missouri State.
With the sixth RPI rankings released on Monday, the Bluejays have faced five teams currently listed in the top 25 (2-3-0 vs. those opponents) and nine teams in the top 50 (4-5-0). CU has played just two teams outside the top-100, winning both.
Team (RPI rank) W-L-T (11/14) CU's Result
Tulsa (6) 15-1-1 L, 1-2
Saint Louis (14) 14-0-4 L, 0-4
Indiana (13) 13-5-1 W, 3-0
Ohio State (91) 6-9-1 T, 1-1
Georgetown (3) 16-2-0 L, 1-2
St. John's (29) 10-5-3 L, 0-2
Neb-Omaha (171) 5-10-1 W, 1-0
UIC (115) 9-8-2 W, 4-0
DePaul (71) 7-7-3 L, 0-1
Marquette (59) 7-8-1 L, 1-3
Villanova (28) 11-7-1 W, 4-2
UConn (69) 7-7-2 T, 2-2
Xavier (83) 9-7-1 W, 2-0
Seton Hall (99) 6-8-3 W, 3-1
Butler (41) 7-9-3 W, 2-0
Providence (15) 10-4-4 W, 2-1
Villanova (28) 11-7-1 L, 1-2
Scoring First Yields Success
The team who has scored first during 28 of the last 31 Creighton matches has proceeded to claim the victory. The three exceptions have been Creighton's two ties in that time, on Sept. 6 vs. Ohio State and on Oct. 16 at UConn, as well as a 2-1 loss to Villanova on Nov. 6.
The Bluejays are 8-1-0 this season when scoring first and 0-6-2 when the opposition finds the back of the net first.
Creighton finished 6-0-0 during the 2020 season when scoring first, but 0-6-0 when its opponent scored first.
Head coach Johnny Torres is 19-2-1 when scoring first during his tenure at Creighton, but just 3-18-3 when the opposition finds the back of the net first.
Additionally, the Bluejays are 5-0-0 when leading at the half this season, but 3-7-2 when trailing or tied at halftime.
Creighton's last come-from-behind victory came during the 2019 regular-season finale against Butler.
The Bluejays' last victory when trailing at the half was on Sept. 24, 2019 against Tulsa as Creighton fell behind 1-0 at the half before winning 4-3 in overtime.
Since Torres took over prior to the 2019 season, the Bluejays have just one win after trailing at halftime (1-9-2).
BIG EAST Recognized Bluejay Duo
Callum Watson and Paul Kruse each earned BIG EAST Weekly Honors on Monday, October 25th. Watson was named the Offensive Player of the Week, while Kruse earned Goalkeeper of the Week.
Watson tied for the BIG EAST lead in points and goals during the week, sparking Creighton to a 2-0-0 mark with two goals and an assist. The senior midfielder's first goal of the season came in the 64th minute against Xavier on Wednesday as the Bluejays went on to win 2-0. He followed that with a goal and assist against Seton Hall on Saturday, scoring the match's first goal in the 40th minute before assisting on Manu Toledano's game winner in the 83rd.
Kruse posted a 2-0-0 record in net for the Bluejays during the week, showing a .923 save percentage while surrendering just one goal in victories over Xavier and Seton Hall. The senior made six stops in each contest to lead the BIG EAST in saves per game last week, while also posting the top save percentage among goalkeepers with multiple appearances. Kruse earned the shutout win over Xavier on Wednesday, marking his third solo shutout of the season.
Bluejays During Road BIG EAST Matches
Since joining the BIG EAST prior to the 2013 season, the Bluejays are 18-17-6 during regular-season league matches on the road.
Creighton went 2-2 during league road matches last season (during spring semester) and 1-3-1 in 2019.
The Bluejays were 2-2-1 this season during BIG EAST road contests, but earned points in each of its last three league road games.
Creighton Ranks Sixth Nationally In Home Attendance
Creighton ranks sixth nationally in average home attendance (through matches played Nov. 14) with an average of 1,985 fans per match.
2021 Division I Avg. Attendance Leaders (11/14)
Rk. Team Games Total Avg.
1. UConn 11 30,038 2,731
2. Saint Louis 11 27,885 2,535
3. Maryland 10 24,456 2,446
4. Clemson 12 28,211 2,351
5. Indiana 13 26,292 2,022
6. Creighton 9 17,861 1,985
7. Cal Poly 9 16,896 1,877
8. UC Santa Barbara 11 20,380 1,853
9. New Hampshire 10 18,242 1,824
10. Wake Forest 12 20,497 1,708
Creighton hosted 6,577 fans at Morrison Stadium on Sept. 18 against #1 Georgetown, the second largest crowd in program history and third largest crowd to watch a Division I soccer match this fall.
Shutouts, Shutouts and More Shutouts
Five of Creighton's eight victories this season have come via shutouts. Conversely, the Bluejays have been kept off the scoreboard during three of their seven losses.
Consecutive Shutouts For First Time In Three Years
Creighton posted shutouts in back-to-back matches against Nebraska-Omaha (Sept. 29) and UIC (Oct. 2) marking the first time the Bluejays posted consecutive shutouts since September of 2018.
Creighton earned shutouts in three consecutive matches from Sept. 7-22, 2018 against Memphis, Butler and Villanova.
The Bluejays own five shutouts overall this season, their most in a season since a 29-season streak of five or more clean sheets was completed in 2018.
Creighton had just one clean sheet in the 2020 season and three during 2019.
Converting Penalty Kick Opportunities
Creighton is 4-for-5 in penalty kick opportunities this season.
The four successful penalty kicks this season are the most since 2016 when the Bluejays ended the year 5-for-6 during PK opportunities.
Since 1991, the Creighton single-season mark for most successful penalty kicks is six in 2001 when the Bluejays ended the season a perfect 6-for-6.
Three of Creighton's four PKs during 2021 have come during conference play, including scores vs. Georgetown, Marquette and Villanova.
Kruse Named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week
Senior goalkeeper Paul Kruse earned BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week accolades, the league announced on Oct. 4.
The Heilbronn, Germany native helped the Bluejays record a pair of shutouts against Nebraska-Omaha (Sept. 29) and UIC (Oct. 2). Kruse earned the solo clean sheet on Sept. 29 before earning a combined shutout on Oct. 2.
The senior co-captain made four saves on Sept. 29 during Creighton's 1-0 victory against the Mavericks and did not need to make a stop during 62 minutes of action as the Bluejays' cruised to a 4-0 win against the Flames.
Mike Tranchilla Enters Hall of Fame
Former Bluejay Mike Tranchilla entered the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 9th along with former volleyball player Kelli Browning and baseball standout Pat Venditte.
Tranchilla guided the Creighton men's soccer team to four NCAA Tournament appearances from 1999-2002, helping the Bluejays reach the national championship match in 2000 and the College Cup twice (2000, 2002). He remains Creighton's only two-time All-College Cup team honoree.
Tranchilla was a two-time finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy (2001, 2002) and finished fourth overall in the voting after his senior season. He claimed a spot on the NSCAA All-America First Team in 2002 and the NSCAA All-Region team twice.
He holds the Missouri Valley Conference career records for points scored (140) and goals (55). Tranchilla also paces CU in career NCAA Tournament points scored (17 in 11 games) and goals (6).
He ranks second on the program's career lists for points and goals (trailing Creighton Hall of Famer Keith DeFini in each), while ranking third in multiple-goal games with 11. Tranchilla is one of seven players in Creighton history to score four goals in a single game.
The Dallas Burn selected Tranchilla with the 34th overall pick in the Fourth Round of the 2003 MLS SuperDraft.
The men's soccer program welcomed back members of the 1990, 2000 and 2011 teams as part of alumni weekend in conjunction with Tranchilla entering the Hall of Fame.
Scoring Surge Quiets Flames
The Bluejays scored just seven goals during the first seven matches before finding the back of the net a total of four times against UIC on Oct. 2
Creighton also scored three goals in the first half against the Flames, the most in a single half by the Bluejays since scoring three in the first half against DePaul last season (April 2).
Four different players scored goals during the against UIC and a total of seven different Bluejays had at least one point.
Fortress Morrison
Creighton is 152-33-21 overall at Morrison Stadium (opened in 2003), which includes a 5-4-0 record this season.
The four home losses this season is CU's most in a single season at Morrison Stadium, breaking the old mark of three from the 2007 and 2019 campaigns.
The Bluejays are 27-2-3 in their next home match following a home loss at Morrison, including 2-1-0 this season.
This season is the first time Creighton has lost consecutive matches at Morrison Stadium during the same season.
The Bluejays are 70-18-8 at Morrison Stadium since the start of 2013 when the program joined the BIG EAST and 29-9-2 during home league matches.
Creighton Soccer Green Games
Spearheaded by Creighton's women's soccer sophomore Emma Yackley, the Creighton men's and women's soccer programs hosted Green Games on Thursday, September 30th (women's vs. Marquette) and Saturday, October 2nd (men's vs. UIC)..
Both matches were carbon neutral and zero waste, meaning the electricity consumed at the games were be offset by credits purchased by a sponsor (FCC) and all concessions were composted or recycled.
Bins were set out to collect gently used athletic equipment and gear. These items were donated to CUES, an organization representing three diverse, low-income Catholic elementary schools in Omaha.
The goal of these games was to promote a sustainable culture at Creighton and within our community, as well as to educate attendees about environmental stewardship.
Creighton In BIG EAST Openers
Since joining the BIG EAST prior to the 2013 season, Creighton is 7-2-0 during the first conference match of the season, including its 2-1 loss against Georgetown on Sept. 18.
Creighton's 3-2 overtime loss at Butler in 2017 marked the Bluejays' first loss in a conference opener since 2011 when Creighton fell to Missouri State during its Missouri Valley Conference opener.
The Bluejays own a 47-26-8 record during regular-season BIG EAST matchups.
Creighton is 8-1-0 during the first home BIG EAST match of the season and 6-2-1 during the first BIG EAST road match of the year.
The Bluejays have captured two BIG EAST regular-season titles (2014, 2018) and finished runner-up at the conference tournament twice (2015, 2016).
Creighton owns a total of 14 regular-season conference titles (most recent in 2018) and 13 conference tournament titles (last in 2012) as the Bluejays were a member of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1991-2012.
Creighton's BIG EAST Opener History
Year Opener (Result) Final Record (Place)
2013 #7 St. John's (W) 4-4-1 (5th)
2014 at Villanova (W) 7-1-1 (1st)
2015 at Seton Hall (W) 7-2-0 (2nd)
2016 Seton Hall (W) 5-3-1 (T-3rd)
2017 at Butler (L) 3-4-2 (T-5th)
2018 Butler (W) 7-1-1 (1st)
2019 Marquette (W) 4-4-1 (T-4th)
2020 Marquette (W) 5-3-0 (MW 2nd)
2021 Georgetown (L) 5-4-1 (T-4th)
Socctoberfest Success
Saturday, Sept. 18 marked Creighton's ninth Socctoberfest event.
The Bluejays are 8-1 during Socctoberfest matches with wins over Bradley, Columbia, Western Illinois, Cal State Northridge, Penn, South Florida, Memphis and Akron. Creighton has outscored the opposition 16-3 in those eight victories.
Creighton's 2-1 loss on Sept. 18 against #1 Georgetown was the program's first loss during a Socctoberfest match.
After hosting 1,843 fans for the inaugural Socctoberfest in 2012, Creighton has averaged a crowd of 4,537 during the last eight events,
including four of the largest crowds in program history.
Socctoberfest Matches
Date Opponent, Result Atten.
Oct. 20, 2012 Bradley, W, 1-0 1,843
Sept. 6, 2013 Columbia, W, 3-1 5,102+
Sept. 5, 2014 Western Illinois, W, 1-0 3,750
Sept. 4, 2015 CSUN, W, 2-1 4,907^
Sept. 9, 2016 Penn, W, 3-0 2,888
Sept. 8, 2017 South Florida, W, 2-0 3,889
Sept. 7, 2018 Memphis, W, 2-0 4,367
Sept. 6, 2019 #21 Akron, W, 2-1 4,818#
Sept. 18, 2021 #1 Georgetown, L, 1-2 6,577$
+ - 10th-best single match attendance
^ - 11th-best single match attendance
# - 13th-best single match attendance
$ - 2nd-best single match attendance
Largest Crowds In Bluejay History
Creighton hosted 6,577 fans at Morrison Stadium on Sept. 18 against #1 Georgetown, the second largest crowd in program history.
The attendance also marked the third-highest attended game this fall across all of Division I Men's Soccer.
Morrison Stadium has hosted more than 6,000 fans three times, more than 5,000 fans on 11 occasions and more than 4,000 fans a total of 24 times.
Top Home Crowds in Bluejay History
1. 6,848 vs. Old Dominion, Sept. 14, 2012 (L, 1-2)
2. 6,577 vs. Georgetown, Sept. 18, 2021 (L, 1-2) #
3. 6,453 vs. Tulsa, Sept. 29, 2015 (W, 1-0)
4. 5,812 vs. UCLA, Sept. 8, 2007 (T, 0-0, 2OT)
5. 5,743 vs. Stanford (exhibition), Aug. 26, 2005 (L, 0-1)
6. 5,609 vs. Missouri State, Sept. 19, 2009 (L, 0-1)
7. 5,473 vs. Clemson, Aug. 24, 2018 (W, 2-0)
8. 5,425 vs. Drexel, Sept. 4, 2011 (W, 3-0)
9. 5,386 vs. Seton Hall, Sept. 17, 2016 (W, 4-1)
10. 5,282 vs. St. John's, Sept. 21, 2013 (W, 1-0, 2OT)
11. 5,102 vs. Columbia, Sept. 6, 2013 (W, 3-1) #
12. 4,907 vs. CSUN, Sept. 4, 2015 (W, 2-1) #
13. 4,838 vs. Michigan, Aug. 28, 2015 (W, 1-0)
14. 4,818 vs. Akron, Sept. 6, 2019 (W, 2-1) #
15. 4,766 vs. Nebraska-Omaha, Sept. 5, 2016 (T, 1-1, 2OT)
16. 4,711 vs. Butler, Sept. 15, 2018 (W, 3-0)
17. 4,544 vs. Saint Louis, Sept. 20, 2014 (L, 0-1 OT)
18. 4,367 vs. Memphis, Sept. 7, 2018 (W, 2-0)
19. 4,242 vs. Fordham, Sept. 9, 2011 (W, 1-0)
20. 4,223 vs. Villanova, Oct. 24, 2015 (W, 5-1)
21. 4,096 vs. Nebraska-Omaha, Sept. 16, 2019 (W, 2-1)
22. 4,089 vs. Virginia Tech, Aug. 25, 2017 (L, 0-2)
23. 4,071 vs. Gonzaga, Aug. 29, 2008 (W, 4-1)
24. 4,023 vs. Tulsa, Sept. 22, 2007 (L, 1-3)
#-Denotes Socctoberfest match
Creighton vs. No. 1
The Bluejays' match against Georgetown on Sept. 18 marked Creighton's eighth match played in program history (second this season) against a team ranked No. 1 in the ISAA/NSCAA/United Soccer Coaches Poll.
The contest against the Hoyas was the first time Creighton has ever hosted a team ranked No. 1 in the national coaches poll.
The last time any Creighton Athletics team hosted the No. 1 team in the country was on Dec. 1, 2018 when the men's basketball team hosted No. 1 Gonzaga.
Creighton earned its first win against a No. 1 ranked team in program history on Sept. 3 at Indiana, 3-0.
The Bluejays are 1-6-1 in matches against teams ranked No. 1 at the time of the match.
Creighton advanced to the 2010 Elite Eight after knocking off No. 1 Akron 5-4 in PKs following a 1-1 tie after 110 minutes.
Creighton vs. No. 1 Ranked Teams
11/27/94 at #1 Indiana L, 0-1
10/14/01 at #1 SMU L, 2-4
11/18/01 vs. #1 SMU L, 1-2 (4OT)
10/27/10 at #1 Akron L, 0-1
11/25/12 at #1 Akron T, 1-1 (2OT)*
09/01/17 at #1 Stanford L, 0-3
09/03/21 at #1 Indiana W, 3-0
09/18/21 #1 Georgetown L, 1-2
*Creighton advanced in NCAA Tournament on PKs
Across the Creighton sports landscape, prior to men's soccer's win against Indiana, the last time the Bluejays beat a No. 1-ranked team in any sport was April 24, 2001. On that night, the Creighton baseball team beat No. 1 Nebraska in Lincoln, with an 11-8 win in 10 innings at Buck Beltzer Field.
Match Against Drake Cancelled
Creighton's match against Drake, scheduled for Sept. 10, was cancelled because of COVID-19 issues within the Bulldogs' program.
The match marked the Bluejays' first cancelled contest since Creighton had to cancel its match against Green Bay on Oct. 1, 2019 because of inclement weather.
Long Break
Because of the cancelled match on Sept. 10, the Bluejays played on Sept. 18 for the first time since Sept. 6.
The 12-day break between matches is Creighton's longest stretch without a contest during the regular season since 2009 when the Bluejays had a full two-week break between Sept. 5 and Sept. 19.
Bluejays' Defense Tested
Creighton tallied a total of nine saves during the lid-lifter against Tulsa on Aug. 26.
Senior goalkeeper Paul Kruse made eight saves, while senior defender Musa Qongo contributed to a team save during the first half of action.
The nine saves were the most by Creighton since a neutral site contest last season against Missouri State (March 10, 2021) when the Bluejays also had nine.
The last time the Bluejays posted double-digit saves was during the 2019 regular-season finale at Georgetown (10 saves). Kruse made a career-high nine saves during that contest, while Creighton also recorded one team save.
Prior to the 10 saves against the Hoyas on Nov. 6, 2019, the last time Creighton needed to make double-digit saves was on Sept. 14, 2012 against Old Dominion (10).
Gutierrez Selected in MLS SuperDraft
The Portland Timbers selected Diego Gutierrez with the 70th overall pick during the third round of the 2021 MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 21.
Creighton owns 46 MLS draft picks since the league started in 1996, including at least one in all but one draft.
Gutierrez transferred to Creighton prior to the start of the 2020 fall semester. He played in 44 matches during three seasons at Nebraska-Omaha before making his way to the Bluejays, earning 37 starts and recording 10 goals and 13 assists. The Ralston, Nebraska native, moved into the top-10 in UNO history in assists (3rd), shots on goal (3rd), points (4th), shots (4th), game-winning goals (5th) and goals (7th.)
As a junior he had one goal and led the Mavericks with four assists and 30 shots, while starting all 13 appearances. Gutierrez earned First Team All-Summit League as a sophomore in 2018, with seven goals and seven assists and claimed selections to the Summit League All-Tournament Team and All-Newcomer Team in 2017.
He played at UNO for head coaches Bob Warming and Jason Mims, both of whom spent more than a decade at Creighton.
Gutierrez Earns BIG EAST Honor
Creighton forward Diego Gutierrez was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, Oct. 17th after helping the Bluejays pick up four points on the road.
Gutierrez had three goals and an assist as Creighton went 1-0-1 to help the Bluejays pick up their first points of the season in BIG EAST play. It's the first time this season the Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year been honored by the BIG EAST with a weekly award, and joins an a similar accolade bestowed on him April 5, 2021 in the spring.
Gutierrez had two goals and an assist in Creighton's 4-2 win at Villanova. He opened the scoring in the 51st minute when he converted his second penalty kick of the season. After Villanova scored twice to tie the game at 2-2, Gutierrez assisted Duncan McGuire's game-winning goal in the 79th minute that gave CU a 3-2 advantage. Five minutes later Gutierrez iced the game with a goal in the 84th minute that provided the final margin.
He then recorded his BIG EAST-leading seventh goal of the season in the 19th minute at UConn to help level the score at 1-1, scoring just three minutes after UConn had taken an early lead.
On This Date...(Nov. 18 edition)
Creighton is 3-3-0 all-time on Nov. 18th. The last time Creighton played on Nov. 18 was a 4-2 win in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament against Washington. That 2012 team went on to reach the College Cup.
Creighton is 3-1-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament play on November 18th.
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/ Men's SoccerCreighton MSOC Highlights & Postgame vs Omaha 9-10-25
Thursday, September 11
Creighton Men's Soccer Media Availability September 9
Tuesday, September 09
Creighton Men's Soccer Highlights & Postgame vs Denver 9-5-25
Saturday, September 06
Creighton Media Availability 9.3.25 - Men's Soccer
Wednesday, September 03
