Creighton University
Montana
Women's Soccer Opens 2022 Season Thursday at Montana
8/17/2022 12:12:00 PM | Women's Soccer
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Match #1: Creighton Bluejays at Montana Grizzles
Thursday,  Aug. 18, 2022 • 5:00 p.m. CT
Missoula, Mont.
Television: ESPN+Â
Series History: Creighton leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: Creighton 2, Montana 1Â on Aug. 19, 2021Â in Omaha, Neb.
LIVE VIDEOÂ |Â Â LIVE STATSÂ |Â CU NOTESÂ (PDF)
Up Next
Creighton opens the 2022 regular season on the road against Montana on Thursday, Aug. 17Â at 5 p.m. CT as part of the Rumble in the Rockies.Â
Follow the Match
Thursday's match will feature both live video and live stats.
Live video for the contest will be available on ESPN+, while live stats will be featured through StatBroadcast.com. Â
Creighton's match on Thursday vs. Montana can be viewed on ESPN+, which is available at espn.com/espnplus. A cable login or additional subscription might be required.
Links to video and live stats will be provided on the Creighton Women's Soccer schedule page.
Updates will be provided during the match on Twitter (@CreightonWSoc).
Scouting Creighton (0-0-0)
The Bluejays enter the 2022 season with 18 letterwinners returning from last season's squad that posted a 7-10-2 record. Creighton returns 11 players who started 10 or more matches in 2021 led by senior Aida Kardovic.
Kardovic was named Preseason All-BIG EAST and produced on the pitch earning All-BIG EAST First Team honors for the second straight season.Â
Kardovic finished second on the team with three goals and two assists last
season. The senior owns 21 starts during two seasons of action in Omaha and will be relied on to provide an offensive spark this season.Â
Junior Abigail Santana returns as the only player to record at least 10 points last season after pacing the team with 18 points on eight goals and two assists.Â
In addition to Kardovic and Santana, seniors Ansley Atkinson and Keelan Terrell return to the pitch for the Bluejays this season.Â
Atkinson was leading the country in assists with nine before going down with a knee injury in the ninth game of the year. Terrell, the Bluejays netminder, will be back in goal, where she posted seven shutouts and a 0.98 goals against average a season ago.
Creighton also welcomed 12 newcomers, including transfer Ariana Mondiri and freshmen Jess Torres (Puerto Rico) and Ella Findlay (New Zealand) who are each expected to contribute during their first seasons in Omaha.
Head coach Ross Paule is in his eighth year at the helm of the Bluejays.
Scouting Montana (0-0-0)
The Grizzles closed the 2021 season with a 13-6-1 overall record, the most wins in a single-season since the 2000 season. Montana finished second in league play with a 7-1-1 record but won the Big Sky tournament title for the second year in a row with a 1-0 win over Weber State to earn their sixth trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Montana returns 13 letterwinners, including eight starters from last season, and welcomed 10 newcomers to the roster.Â
Sophomore Camellia Xu guides Montana's returners after being named the Big Sky Goalkeeper of the Year, Big Sky Tournament MVP and First Team All-Conference last season. The Port Moody, B.C. native ranked fifth in Division I with 11 shutouts and posted a 0.72 goals against average.
In addition to Xu, Sydney Haustein was named to the All-Big Sky Second Team after ranking second on the team in points with 11 on five goals and a assist a season ago.
Defender Allie Larsen also returns after helping Montana's backline limit their opponents to just 15 goals in 20 matches and earning All-Big Sky Honorable Mention honors last season.
The Grizzles were picked to finish second in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Head Coach Chris Citowicki is in his fifth season at the helm, and has an overall record of 36-23-13 at Montana and a 83-80-17 career record.
Series History Against Grizzles
Creighton leads the all-time series against Montana, 3-0-0.Â
The Bluejays defeated the Grizzlies 2-1 (2OT) in the season opener last season in Morrison Stadium.
Creighton's Hailey Rothwell headed a looping shot into the back of the net during the 110th minute, off a pass from Maddie Radke to give the Bluejays the victory.Â
The Bluejays are 1-0-0 against Montana in Missoula, with the one win coming on Sept. 13, 2015.Â
Season-Opener Success
Creighton has a 17-14-2 mark in season openers all-time, including its thrilling 2-1 overtime win over Montana last season.Â
Under Paule the Bluejays are 4-3-0 in season openers, including 4-0-0 in contests at home to start a season and 5-2-0 in home openers.Â
Thursday will mark the 17th time in program history that the Bluejays will open the season on the road. Creighton is 6-10-0 the previous 16 times.
The Bluejays are also 14-18-1 in its first road match of the season since the program started in 1989.Â
Production Returns
Creighton returns 11 players who started 10 or more matches from last fall's team that finished 7-10-2 and 1-8-1 in the BIG EAST Conference.Â
All told, CU returns 91.4 percent of its starts, 87.1 percent of its minutes, 81.8 percent of its goals, 95.5 percent of its assists, 86.4 percent of its points, and 95.7 percent of its saves off of last year's squad.
Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Starts   191 (91.4%)   18 (8.6%)
Minutes   17,110 (87.1%)   2,536 (12.9%)
Goals   18 (81.8%)   4 (18.2%)
Assists   21 (95.5%)   1 (4.5%)
Points   57 (86.4%)   9 (13.6%)
Saves   66 (95.7%)   3 (4.3%)
Chasing History
Senior Ansley Atkinson enters her senior season sixth in Creighton history with 18 career assists. Atkinson needs three assists to move into the top-three and 13 to surpass Lulu Quigley (2000-03) for the most assists in program history.Â
Last season Atkinson was leading the country with nine assists, the fourth most in a single-season, through the first eight matches before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Her nine assists ranked third in the BIG EAST behind Georgetown's Maya Fernandez-Powell (12) and St. John's Jessica Garziano (10).
Assists
1.   Lulu Quigley   30   2000-03
2.   Sara Hovland   25   1998-01
3.   Jennifer Norman   20   1993-96
4.   Jill Richgels   19   2012-15
   Kristine Willrett   19   2004-06
6.   Ansley Atkinson   18   2018-present
   Emily Orbell   18   2007-10
   Anne Eveler   18   1989-92
9.   Lauren Cingoranelli   17   2010-13
   Sam Russell   17   2003-07
   Jessica Powers   17   1997-98
   Gretta Matthews   17   1989-92
Findlay Represents New Zealand on U20 FIFA National Team
True freshman Ella Findlay earned a spot and represented her home country of New Zealand in the 2022 FIFA U20 World Cup in Costa Rica this past week.Â
On Aug. 10, Ella and her New Zealand squad earned a 1-1 draw in the U20 World Cup opener against Mexico. New Zealand fell 3-0 to Germany in their second match, before earning a 2-2 draw with Colombia.Â
The New Zealand native has been a member of the New Zealand's U17 and U20 National Teams since 2018. In 2019, Findlay helped guide her U17 National Team to the New Zealand Women's National Cup.Â
Creighton Picked Seventh in BIG EASTÂ
The Bluejays were picked to finish seventh in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league announced on Aug. 11
Creighton received 43 points for seventh in the coaches' poll. Georgetown, the defending BIG EAST tournament champions, were picked as the favorites after receiving 8-of-11 first place votes and 98 points.Â
Xavier was second with 91 points and two of the three remaining first-place votes. Butler received the final first-place vote and 83 points to finish third, while Providence claimed 69 points for fourth. St. John's (59) and Connecticut (57) hold the five and six spots after sliding in ahead of Creighton (43). Picked eight was Marquette (42), followed by DePaul (31), Villanova (22) and Seton Hall (10).
The top six teams in the final league standings will qualify for the 2022 BIG EAST Championship Presented by JEEP. The first round matchups will be hosted by the higher seed on Oct. 30 (3 vs. 6 and 4 vs. 5), while the number one seed will host the semifinals on Nov. 3 (1 vs. winner of 4/5 and 2 vs. winner of 3/6) and final match on Nov. 6.
Creighton finished 7-10-2 overall and 1-8-1 in league play to finish ninth in the BIG EAST during the 2021 season.Â
Kardovic Tabbed To Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Senior midfielder Aida Kardovic earned unanimous All-BIG EAST Preseason honors in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league announced on Aug. 11.Â
Kardovic was a First Team All-BIG EAST selection last season, when she led the Bluejays with 40 shots. The midfielder from Kassel, Germany, ranked second on the team with three goals and two assist.Â
Kardovic is the first Bluejay to be named to multiple All-BIG EAST preseason teams and is the first Creighton women's soccer player to earn all-conference preseason honors in back-to-back years since Brittney Neumann was named to the All-MVC Preseason team in 2011 and 2012.
In two seasons, she owns 17 points during 23 career matches from seven goals and three assists.
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BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Katie Soderstrom, Butler, R-Sr., F
BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Julia Leas, Georgetown, Sr., M
BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
Allie Augur, Georgetown, Sr., GK
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Aliyah Diagne, Butler, R-Jr., D
Katie Soderstrom, Butler, R-Sr., F*
Jaydah Bedoya, Connecticut, Jr., F
Aida Kardovic, Creighton, Sr., M*
Allie Augur, Georgetown, Sr., GK
Julia Leas, Georgetown, Sr., M*
Gia Vicari, Georgetown, Jr., F
Meg Hughes, Providence, Jr., F
Jessica Garziano, St. John's, Sr., M
Molly McLaughlin, Xavier, So., M
Ella Rogers, Xavier, So., M
*unanimous Selection
International Flavor
This year's roster features a more robust team with players from 10 different countries.
The Bluejays have 20 players from the United States while the remaining 11 players represent nine additional countries.Â
Australia: (1) Renée PountneyÂ
Canada: (1) Lara Kazandjian
England: (1) Hannah Luke
France: (1) Ariana MondiriÂ
Germany: (1) Aida Kardovic
Japan: (3) Kurumi Arakawa, Hitomi Yamaue, Azumi Manriki
New Zealand: (1) Ella Findlay
Puerto Rico: (1) Jess Torres
Sweden: (1) Lisa Hall
United State: (20)
Exhibition Recap:Â
Aug. 13: Creighton 1, South Dakota 0
A first half goal by junior Abigail Santana lifted the Creighton women's soccer team to a 1-0 win over South Dakota in an exhibition match on Saturday, Aug. 13.Â
Santana put the Bluejays on the board in the 37th minute, beating the Coyotes goalkeeper one-on-one and sending the ball into the back of the net.
Creighton outshot South Dakota 12-2, including holding the Coyotes shotless in the first half.
Season Outlook
The 2021 season got off to a stellar start as the Bluejays opened the year 6-1-1. Injuries, however, took a toll on the Bluejays as head coach Ross Paule guided his seventh Creighton team to a 7-10-2 record during the 2021 campaign.Â
Creighton looks to rebound with the return of 11 players who started 10 more matches a season ago and will be seeking its second trip to the BIG EAST Tournament in the past three seasons.
Individually, striker Aida Kardovic was named Preseason All-BIG EAST and produced on the pitch earning All-BIG EAST First Team honors for the second straight season.Â
Kardovic finished second on the team last season with three goals and two assists. The senior owns 21 starts during two seasons of action in Omaha and will be relied on to provide an offensive spark.Â
Junior Abigail Santana returns as the only player to record at least 10 points last season after pacing the team with eight goals. Santana will look to build off of her sophomore campaign and continue to contribute to the Bluejays' attack.
Ansley Atkinson, a co-captain of the 2021 squad, is expected to return to the pitch this season after having her year cut short due to a knee injury. Atkinson tallied a total of nine assists, which led all of Division 1, before suffering her injury. The fifth-year graduate student will once again make an impact in guiding the Bluejays offense.
Defenders Jordy Rothwell, Maddie Radke, Gabby Grimaldi and Peighton Steffen each return after playing significant roles for the Bluejays backline, which produced seven shutouts a season ago. Rothwell, a co-captain, started each of the first 12 matches and scored a pair of goals before suffering a season-ending foot injury. Steffen stepped up in the absence of Rothwell to lead the backline,starting all 19 contests and logging a team-high 1,764 minutes of action a year ago.
Senior Keelan Terrell is expected to lead Creighton's defense in her third season as the starting goalkeeper. The Olathe, Kan., native started all 19 matches in goal, posting a 0.98 goals against average. Terrell recorded seven clean sheets, including a stretch of five straight shutouts that set a program record with 507:38 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal.Â
Creighton welcomes in 11 newcomers for the 2022 season, which includes six freshmen, four players with two years of experience and one with one year of playing experience.
Ariana Mondiri, a transfer from the University of Northwestern Ohio, tallied 25 goals and five assists on the way to First Team All-Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference and NAIA Honorable Mention All-American honors in her two seasons with the Racers. A proven goal scorer, Mondiri will make an immediate impact in the Bluejays offensive production.Â
Lara Kazandjian comes to the Hilltop after playing two seasons at Memphis. As a Tiger, Kazandjian tallied two goals while appearing in 19 matches. Â
Freshmen Ella Findlay and Jess Torres are also expected to make an immediate impact for the Bluejays this season.Â
The Bluejays will be tested from the first day of the regular season as Creighton opens the year away from home for matches against Montana and Gonzaga.Â
Creighton starts its home slate with a match against Kansas City to open a stretch of five straight contests inside the friendly confines of Morrison Stadium. In total, Creighton will host 10 regular-season matches.Â
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Scoring First Yields Success
Creighton finished 7-2-1Â during the 2021 season when scoring first, but 0-8 when its opponent scores first.
Additionally, the Bluejays went 5-1-1when leading at the half, 0-6 when trailing after 45 minutes and 2-3-1 when the score was tied at halftime.
Creighton's last come-from-behind victory and last victory when trailing at the half came during the 2020 season against DePaul (April 4), when Aida Kardovic and Lea Høiness each netted goals in the second half for a 2-1 win.Â
The Rothwell Sister Duo
In their second season on the pitch together, sisters Hailey and Jordy Rothwell have a special bond on the field. It is a unique experience that a lot of people don't get to do.Â
This season Creighton is one of 50 Division I schools to have a set of sisters playing on the same team. Of those 50 schools, nine schools have two sister tandems.
BIG EAST Extends Contract With FloSports
The BIG EAST Conference, including Creighton University, has partnered with FloSports from 2021-25 to deliver hundreds of subscription-based events league wide. This includes virtually every Creighton-produced home webcast in men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball, women's basketball, baseball and softball.
A subscription is required to view events on FloSports.
Founded in 2006, FloSports features a growing library of more than 300,000 hours of premium content including news, expert commentary, films, documentaries and more.
A subscription to FloSports grants access to the entire FloSports catalog across all of its websites. So rather than paying for individual subscriptions to multiple BIG EAST schools to watch Creighton play road events, now one subscription to FloSports will let you watch all the school-produced events streamed on-line.
Subscribers who cannot watch a game "live" will still be able to watch an archived version of those games "on-demand".
For a complete rundown of the costs and options, go to the Bluejays website at https://gocreighton.com/news/2021/8/17/flosports-information.aspxÂ
