Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
O'Neill and Toledano Claim a Pair of BIG EAST Final Weekly Honors
11/4/2021 3:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Omaha, Neb. -- Mark O'Neill and Manu Toledano each earned one of the final BIG EAST Weekly Honors on Thursday, November 4. O'Neill claimed his second consecutive Defensive Player of the Week honor, while Toledano earned the Freshman of the Week nod. Creighton goalkeeper Paul Kruse was also recognized with a spot on the BIG EAST Honor Roll.
O'Neill played a key role as Creighton knocked off No. 16 Providence 2-1 to earn a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament. The Colorado native helped limit the BIG EAST's top scoring offense (Providence) 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 Creighton an early 1-0 lead. It was just his second goal of the season. The victory clinched a spot in the BIG EAST Championship for the Bluejays, who are 5-0-1 in their last six matches after an 0-4-0 start in league play.
Toledano scored his sixth goal of the season in the 16th minute as the Creighton men's soccer team kept its season alive with a 2-1 victory over No. 16 Providence on Wednesday night in Omaha. 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.
Kruse made five saves as the league's top scoring offense only tally came on an own goal after a misdirected clearance ended up in the back of the Bluejay net, including one on a header in the final minutes.
The Bluejays open the BIG EAST Tournament as the four-seed on Saturday, November 6, hosting the five-seed Villanova at 6:00 pm.
The remainder of the weekly awards are below.
BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week
Hemi Nasser, Butler, Jr., F (Dearborn, Mich.)
Needing extra time to solidify a berth in the BIG EAST Championship, Butler forward Hemi Nasser sent the Butler bench into jubilation with a golden-goal tally in the 94th minute of a 1-0 road victory over No. 24 St. John's. The win earned Butler the No. 6 seed in the BIG EAST Championship, and the Bulldogs are set to return to Queens, N.Y., for a rematch with No. 3 seed St. John's Saturday at 5 p.m. The tally was the second of the year for Nasser, who caps the regular season with six points (2 goals, 2 assists). The junior also registered a match-high two shots on frame in Wednesday night's contest.
BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week
Gabriel Gjergji, Butler, Sr., GK (Vinenza, Italy)Â
Locked in all night, Butler goalkeeper Gabriel Gjergji did everything in his power to help the Bulldogs lock up a berth in the BIG EAST Championship Wednesday night at No. 24 St. John's. Challenged from the start, off a give-and-go, St. John's hit an open shot from 17-yards out, but Gjergji extended out and made his first of six saves on the night to push the Bulldogs past the Red Storm, 1-0, in overtime. The shutout was his fourth of the season and the win locked up the No. 6 seed in the tournament for Butler.
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Gandhi Cruz, DePaul
DePaul goalkeeper Gandhi Cruz made seven saves, matching his conference-season-high, as the Blue Demons came back to draw with Xavier, 1-1, Wednesday night. Cruz capped the regular season making five or more saves in four of the last five matches of the season.
Giannis Nikopolidis, Georgetown
Georgetown goalkeeper Giannis Nikopolidis helped Georgetown secure its third-straight BIG EAST regular season title with a 1-0 shutout victory over UConn Wednesday afternoon. With three saves on the day, the biggest came early in the opening half when a shot from the top of the box forced him to make a dive to the right and punch the ball out of harm's way.
Anthony Cousins, Jr., Villanova
Needing a goal to solidify a spot in the BIG EAST Championship, Villanova defender Anthony Cousins, Jr., delivered in a big way, sprinting into the box before collecting a rebound and firing a one-timer into the back of the net. The tally marked the first of his career.
Carson Williams, Villanova
Villanova goalkeeper Carson Williams was sharp throughout, collecting five saves, all in the second half, in a 1-0 shutout win over Seton Hall on his senior night.
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O'Neill played a key role as Creighton knocked off No. 16 Providence 2-1 to earn a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament. The Colorado native helped limit the BIG EAST's top scoring offense (Providence) 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 Creighton an early 1-0 lead. It was just his second goal of the season. The victory clinched a spot in the BIG EAST Championship for the Bluejays, who are 5-0-1 in their last six matches after an 0-4-0 start in league play.
Toledano scored his sixth goal of the season in the 16th minute as the Creighton men's soccer team kept its season alive with a 2-1 victory over No. 16 Providence on Wednesday night in Omaha. 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.
Kruse made five saves as the league's top scoring offense only tally came on an own goal after a misdirected clearance ended up in the back of the Bluejay net, including one on a header in the final minutes.
The Bluejays open the BIG EAST Tournament as the four-seed on Saturday, November 6, hosting the five-seed Villanova at 6:00 pm.
The remainder of the weekly awards are below.
BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week
Hemi Nasser, Butler, Jr., F (Dearborn, Mich.)
Needing extra time to solidify a berth in the BIG EAST Championship, Butler forward Hemi Nasser sent the Butler bench into jubilation with a golden-goal tally in the 94th minute of a 1-0 road victory over No. 24 St. John's. The win earned Butler the No. 6 seed in the BIG EAST Championship, and the Bulldogs are set to return to Queens, N.Y., for a rematch with No. 3 seed St. John's Saturday at 5 p.m. The tally was the second of the year for Nasser, who caps the regular season with six points (2 goals, 2 assists). The junior also registered a match-high two shots on frame in Wednesday night's contest.
BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week
Gabriel Gjergji, Butler, Sr., GK (Vinenza, Italy)Â
Locked in all night, Butler goalkeeper Gabriel Gjergji did everything in his power to help the Bulldogs lock up a berth in the BIG EAST Championship Wednesday night at No. 24 St. John's. Challenged from the start, off a give-and-go, St. John's hit an open shot from 17-yards out, but Gjergji extended out and made his first of six saves on the night to push the Bulldogs past the Red Storm, 1-0, in overtime. The shutout was his fourth of the season and the win locked up the No. 6 seed in the tournament for Butler.
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Gandhi Cruz, DePaul
DePaul goalkeeper Gandhi Cruz made seven saves, matching his conference-season-high, as the Blue Demons came back to draw with Xavier, 1-1, Wednesday night. Cruz capped the regular season making five or more saves in four of the last five matches of the season.
Giannis Nikopolidis, Georgetown
Georgetown goalkeeper Giannis Nikopolidis helped Georgetown secure its third-straight BIG EAST regular season title with a 1-0 shutout victory over UConn Wednesday afternoon. With three saves on the day, the biggest came early in the opening half when a shot from the top of the box forced him to make a dive to the right and punch the ball out of harm's way.
Anthony Cousins, Jr., Villanova
Needing a goal to solidify a spot in the BIG EAST Championship, Villanova defender Anthony Cousins, Jr., delivered in a big way, sprinting into the box before collecting a rebound and firing a one-timer into the back of the net. The tally marked the first of his career.
Carson Williams, Villanova
Villanova goalkeeper Carson Williams was sharp throughout, collecting five saves, all in the second half, in a 1-0 shutout win over Seton Hall on his senior night.
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Players Mentioned
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Creighton MSOC Highlights & Postgame vs Xavier-10-11-25
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