Men's Soccer Faces #3 Denver During 12th Annual Socctoberfest

Omaha, Neb. -- Three of the next four opponents for Creighton Men's Soccer are either ranked or receiving votes and the incline begins with a steep climb as No. 3 Denver comes to Omaha as the Bluejays' opponent in the 12th Annual Socctoberfest on Friday, September 6th at 7:45 p.m.

#3 Denver vs. Creighton
Friday, September 6 @ 7:45 pm

Stats: https://creighton.statbroadcast.com
Live Stream: https://www.flofc.com/teams/6969797-creighton-mens-soccer

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Socctoberfest History
Friday's match with No. 3 Denver marks Creighton's 12th Annual Socctoberfest event. The event is open to all Creighton fans and cost is $30 per person for advance reservations and, subject to availability, $35 per person at the door. The event includes live music by the band Pink Kadillac, a commemorative 20-ounce Creighton Socctoberfest glass stein,
a 20-ounce stein fill, a meal ticket and a complimentary general admission ticket good both the women's and men's soccer matches. Additional 20-ounce refills will also be available for purchase.

The Bluejays are an impressive 9-1-1 during Socctoberfest matches, falling only to No. 1 Georgetown in 2021.

Creighton has averaged a crowd of 4,215 during the 11 seasons of Socctoberfest, drawing a total of 46,469 fans to the event.

Previous 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    Cal State Northridge    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. 19, 2021    #1 Georgetown    L, 1-2    6,577 $
Sept. 9, 2022    #2 Stanford    T, 1-1    4,136
Sept. 8, 2023    Michigan    W, 3-1    4,092

$ - 2nd-best single match attendance
+ - 11th-best single match attendance
^ - 12th-best single match attendance
# - 14th-best single match attendance

Series History: Creighton Leads Denver, 3-1-3
The Bluejays and Pioneers will meet for the eighth time in the regular season. Creighton holds six results with three victories and three draws. In matches at home the Bluejays are 2-1-1 against the Pioneers. Denver, however, has held Creighton scoreless three times, including in two of the last three contests. The two squads met last season in Denver, playing to a 2-2 draw.

Friday will be the third time the Bluejays have battled a ranked Denver squad as the Pioneers enter the contest ranked third in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.

Date    Opponent    Score
Sept. 9, 1980    at Denver    T, 0-0 (OT)
Sept. 15, 2001    Denver    W, 2-1
Sept. 27, 2008    Denver    W, 2-0
Aug. 27, 2011    at Denver    W, 1-0
Sept. 21, 2016    #8 Denver    T, 0-0 (2OT)
Oct. 2, 2018    #5 Denver    L, 0-1 (2OT)
Sept. 4, 2023    at Denver    T, 2-2

Scouting Creighton (2-0-2)
Through four matches the Bluejays are undefeated, yet the schedule gets much tougher over the next four matches. Creighton will face #3 Denver, travel to (RV) Grand Canyon, then return home for Tulsa and #14 Georgetown to open BIG EAST play.

The Bluejays have delivered better offensively on Sunday, putting up nine of their 10 goals this season in the two Sunday contests. Conversely in the two Thursday matches the Bluejays have scored one goal.

Freshman Gavrilo Civric and sophomore Miguel Arilla share the team lead with six points thus far, Civric delivering three goals while Arilla has two goals and a pair of assists.

In net the Bluejays have gone with Blake Gillingham throughout. The junior has made nine saves and allowed six goals thus far for a 1.50 GAA.

Scouting #3 Denver (2-0-2)
The Pioneers will play their fifth consecutive road match on Friday, besting Stanford and Californa in the opening weekend and battling Washington and SMU to draws last weekend.

Denver has found the back of the net seven times this season, scoring in each match. The Pioneers have allowed five goals, posting a 1-0 shutout over Stanford on Aug. 25. Sam Bassett is the leading scorer with one goal and four assists (six points), while Oje Ofunrein and Keegan Kelly share the goal lead for the Pioneers with two.

Issac Nehme has manned the net in each match this season, saving seven shots and allowing five goals for a 1.25 GAA.

Bluejays Have More Than Held Their Own Against Top-25
Creighton is 90-66-18 (.569) in meetings with teams ranked in the Top-25, including a 48-17-5 record at home. Under head coach Johnny Torres the Bluejays are 10-10-3 against ranked foes, including a 5-3-1 mark at Morrison Stadium. Last season Creighton was 2-1-0 against teams in the Top-25, including home wins over No. 13 Marquette (2-1 on Sept. 15) and No. 7 Akron (3-2 on Oct. 18). The full history against Top-25 Teams can be found on page 7.

It Only Takes One
Earning a corner in the closing seconds of the first half against San Francisco on Sunday, September 1, Creighton made the most of the opportunity. Junior Roman Torres hustled to send a pass into the box. Freshman Gavrilo Civric lowered his head to push the pass into the back of the net with just one second remaining on the clock at 44:59.

Just a Corner Kick Away
Through the opening four matches of the 2024 season, Creighton has built a sizable edge in corners created. The Bluejays have a 32-12 edge on corners. The extra reps paid dividends as Creighton scored two of its four goals in the 4-2 win over San Francisco on September 1 via corner set pieces.

Men's Soccer Faces #3 Denver During 12th Annual Socctoberfest

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Players Mentioned

Miguel Arilla

Gavrilo Civric

Blake Gillingham

Roman Torres