Creighton University Athletics
Friday, September 4
Omaha, Neb.
2:00 pm
Creighton University
vs
Santa Clara vs. Loyola
Photo by: Creighton Athletics
Men's Soccer Follows Higher Calling for Jesuit Invitational this Weekend
9/2/2026 10:01:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Omaha, Neb. -- Creighton Men's Soccer will host Loyola Chicago, Santa Clara and Gonzaga during Labor Day weekend as part of the Jesuit Invitational in Morrison Stadium.
This Jesuit Invitational is a tournament with its roots in 1997 when Loyola hosted Fordham, Detroit-Mercy, and Saint Joseph. The event was inspired by Ray O'Connell, the Ramblers' first men's soccer coach (1980-2004), who believed that student-athletes at Jesuit schools are called not just to experience athletic success, yet more importantly to become men and women in service of others. Accordingly, Creighton, Gonzaga, Loyola and Santa Clara will compete on the field and also collaborate off the field.
"Creighton and cosponsor, Loyola Chicago, are excited to welcome Gonzaga and Santa Clara to our 2026 Jesuit Invitational," said Bluejay head coach Johnny Torres. "This will be a special event where we come together in our shared values on the pitch and service to others in our community. This event truly embodies the Jesuit Values!"
The event kicks on Thursday, September 3 with a dinner for all four teams at the Mattress Factory. Jesuit priest Fr. Tim Breen, S.J., will give the invocation and lead a brief program.  Fr. Breen is personally connected to three participating schools.  He was a student-athlete at Loyola University Chicago and subsequently team chaplain, during his philosophy studies. While working at Creighton during his regency (a multi-year apostolic missioning to work in a Jesuit-run facility), he served the Creighton Men's and Women's Soccer staffs from 2016-2019.  Fr. Breen currently serves in the athletic department at Gonzaga as the Program Director of Zags360, the Gonzaga student-athlete wellness program. The keynote speaker at the dinner will be Creighton Soccer legend Bob Warming, who guided the Bluejays to 190 victories and one College Cup during 13 seasons as the head coach over two stints.
The first two matches of the event see Loyola battle Santa Clara (2:00 pm) and Creighton face Gonzaga (7:45 pm) on Friday, September 4, while Loyola faces Gonzaga (2:00 pm) and Creighton takes on Santa Clara (5:30 pm) on Monday, September 7.
Arguably the most important portion of the Jesuit Invitational will occur on Saturday, September 5 as all four teams will work with over 120 children from the Omaha community via the PACE Organization at the Bob Campos Fields. Two of the core principles of PACE are to provide free athletic opportunities to at-risk and economically disadvantaged youth and bring together youth of different groups and cultures to facilitate cross cultural understanding and respect. Student-Athletes from Creighton, Gonzaga, Loyola and Santa Clara will be living out what it means to be a Jesuit-school student-athlete by leaving Omaha a better place than they found it.Â
This Jesuit Invitational is a tournament with its roots in 1997 when Loyola hosted Fordham, Detroit-Mercy, and Saint Joseph. The event was inspired by Ray O'Connell, the Ramblers' first men's soccer coach (1980-2004), who believed that student-athletes at Jesuit schools are called not just to experience athletic success, yet more importantly to become men and women in service of others. Accordingly, Creighton, Gonzaga, Loyola and Santa Clara will compete on the field and also collaborate off the field.
"Creighton and cosponsor, Loyola Chicago, are excited to welcome Gonzaga and Santa Clara to our 2026 Jesuit Invitational," said Bluejay head coach Johnny Torres. "This will be a special event where we come together in our shared values on the pitch and service to others in our community. This event truly embodies the Jesuit Values!"
The event kicks on Thursday, September 3 with a dinner for all four teams at the Mattress Factory. Jesuit priest Fr. Tim Breen, S.J., will give the invocation and lead a brief program.  Fr. Breen is personally connected to three participating schools.  He was a student-athlete at Loyola University Chicago and subsequently team chaplain, during his philosophy studies. While working at Creighton during his regency (a multi-year apostolic missioning to work in a Jesuit-run facility), he served the Creighton Men's and Women's Soccer staffs from 2016-2019.  Fr. Breen currently serves in the athletic department at Gonzaga as the Program Director of Zags360, the Gonzaga student-athlete wellness program. The keynote speaker at the dinner will be Creighton Soccer legend Bob Warming, who guided the Bluejays to 190 victories and one College Cup during 13 seasons as the head coach over two stints.
The first two matches of the event see Loyola battle Santa Clara (2:00 pm) and Creighton face Gonzaga (7:45 pm) on Friday, September 4, while Loyola faces Gonzaga (2:00 pm) and Creighton takes on Santa Clara (5:30 pm) on Monday, September 7.
Arguably the most important portion of the Jesuit Invitational will occur on Saturday, September 5 as all four teams will work with over 120 children from the Omaha community via the PACE Organization at the Bob Campos Fields. Two of the core principles of PACE are to provide free athletic opportunities to at-risk and economically disadvantaged youth and bring together youth of different groups and cultures to facilitate cross cultural understanding and respect. Student-Athletes from Creighton, Gonzaga, Loyola and Santa Clara will be living out what it means to be a Jesuit-school student-athlete by leaving Omaha a better place than they found it.Â
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