Kruse Named BIG EAST Preseason Co-Goalkeeper of the Year, Men's Soccer Picked Second In Midwest Division
2/1/2021 12:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Kruse also earned BIG EAST Preseason Co-Goalkeeper of the Year recognition prior to 2019 season
OMAHA, Neb. -- Creighton men's soccer junior goalkeeper Paul Kruse earned BIG EAST Preseason Co-Goalkeeper of the Year and Preseason All-BIG EAST honors, while the Bluejays claimed the second position in the Midwest Division of the Preseason Coaches' Polls, the league announced on Monday.
Monday's recognition is Kruse's second BIG EAST preseason honor as he also claimed Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year status in 2019. The Heilbronn, Germany native started 10 matches in 2019 and posted 42 saves, including a career-high nine during Creighton's 1-1 double overtime tie against eventual national champion Georgetown.
The BIG EAST will be split into two divisions for the 2021 spring season – the Midwest Division and the East Division. Creighton will compete in the five-team Midwest division, along with Butler, DePaul, Marquette and Xavier. The Bluejays are slated to play home and home matches against each divisional opponent (eight matches). The East division will comprise of six teams (Connecticut, Georgetown, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall and Villanova) and each team will play 10 league matches (home and home against each East Division opponent). Both divisional schedules have two built in make-up dates for rescheduling purposes if needed. For the preseason awards, coaches only voted for the order of teams in their own division but could place any player from any of the 11 teams on the All-BIG EAST team.
The Bluejays, who finished tied for fourth overall (4-4-1) in the BIG EAST during the 2019 season, earned the second spot in the Midwest Division of this season's edition of the preseason polls. Creighton received two first-place votes and overall only one point fewer than Butler. Georgetown, the 2019 national champion, earned the top spot in the East Division poll.
The Spring 2021 BIG EAST Championship presented by JEEP is scheduled to take place April 14-17 and will be hosted by the highest overall seed across both divisions. The championship will consist of four teams, the top two from each division.
Creighton opens its 2021 spring BIG EAST season on Feb. 20 at Marquette. The Bluejays start home league action on March 6 against Xavier.
Â
Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Polls
First-place votes in ()
|
East Division |
Midwest Division |
||
|
1. Georgetown (5) |
25 pts. |
1. Butler (3) |
15 pts. |
|
2. Providence (1) |
20 |
2. Creighton (2) |
14 |
|
3. St. John's |
17 |
3. Xavier |
10 |
|
4. Connecticut |
13 |
4. Marquette |
7 |
|
5. Seton Hall |
8 |
5. DePaul |
4 |
|
6. Villanova |
7 |
||
Â
BIG EAST Men's Soccer Preseason Honors
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Tani Oluwaseyi, St. John's, Jr., F
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Rio Hope-Gund, Georgetown, Sr., D
Preseason Co-Goalkeepers of the Year
Paul Kruse, Creighton, Jr., GK
Giannis Nikopolidis, Georgetown, Jr., GKÂ
Men's Soccer Preseason All-BIG EAST #
Wilmer Cabrera Jr., Butler, So., F
Derek Dodson, Georgetown, Sr., F
Tani Oluwaseyi, St. John's, Jr., F
Einar Lye, St. John's, Jr., M
Paulo Lima, Providence, Jr., M
Jacob Montes, Georgetown, Sr., M
Sean Zawadzki, Georgetown, Jr., M
Rio Hope-Gund, Georgetown, Sr., D
Rhys Myers, Butler, D
Brandon Knapp, St. John's, Jr. M/D
Paul Kruse, Creighton, Jr., GK
Giannis Nikopolidis, Georgetown, Jr., GK
 # there is an extra player on the preseason All-BIG EAST team due to a tie in voting
