Men’s Soccer Opens Key Homestand vs. Xavier; Seton Hall

Match #13 • Wednesday, Oct. 20 • Xavier at Creighton • 6 pm Central

LIVE VIDEO | FLOSPORTS SUBSCRIPTION INFO | LIVE STATS | LA NUEVA | CU NOTES (PDF) | XU NOTES

Match #14 • Saturday, Oct. 23 • Seton Hall at Creighton • 7 pm Central

LIVE VIDEO | FLOSPORTS SUBSCRIPTION INFO | LIVE STATS | LA NUEVA | CU NOTES (PDF)

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Creighton hosts a pivotal two game homestand this week when it welcomes Xavier (Oct. 20, 6 pm) and Seton Hall (Oct. 23, 7 pm) to Morrison Stadium in Omaha, Neb.

Follow the Match

Both matches will feature live video and live stats.

Live video for both contests will be available on BEDN via FloSports while live stats will be featured through Creighton.StatBroadcast.com.

A subscription is required to view the event on FloSports, with discounted subscription info at GoCreighton.com/FloSports.

Links to video and live stats will be provided on the Creighton Men’s Soccer schedule page.

Updates will be provided during the match on Twitter (@CreightonMSOC).

Scouting Creighton (4-6-2, 1-4-1 BE)

Creighton returns home with some momentum after getting four points during a two-game road trip to Villanova (W, 4-2) and UConn (T, 2-2) last week.

Senior co-captain goalkeeper Paul Kruse has started all 12 matches overall, owns three total shutouts (two individual, one combined) and leads the BIG EAST in saves per match (4.08). He also holds a 1.57 goals against average.

Kruse made eight saves — one off his career-high — during the season opener (Aug. 26) against Tulsa before needing to make seven stops on Aug. 29 at Saint Louis.

Senior Diego Gutierrez produced seven points in two games last week and leads the Bluejays with 16 points from seven goals and two assists. The reigning BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year leads the league in goals scored  (7), goals per game (0.58), points (16) and points per game (1.33).

Freshman Manu Toledano owns four goals for the Bluejays, while seven other Bluejays have found the back of the net once.

Gutierrez, Charles Auguste and Dominic Briggs are tied for the team-lead with two assists.

Head coach Johnny Torres is 18-19-4 in his third year at the helm of the Bluejays after spending 12 years as an assistant coach.

Scouting Xavier (8-5-0, 2-4-0 BE)

Xavier is 8-5-0 this season, having been idle since last Wednesday’s 2-1 home loss vs. Butler. Each of XU’s past 11 games have been decided by a single goal.

Karsen Henderlong leads the Musketeers with six goals and 15 points this season, and Justus Kauppinen has three goals and tops the club with four assists. Jerome Jolly has just three goals, but all have been game-winners.

Matthew Rosenberg has played every minute in net thus far, owning five shutouts and a 0.84 goals against average.

Head coach Andy Fleming is in his 12th season at the helm of Xavier, where he is the winningest coach in program history with a 117-75-32 (.594) record.

Series History Against Xavier

Creighton is 7-3-1 all-time against Xavier, and 5-1-0 at Morrison Stadium. The lone loss came in 2015 when top-ranked Creighton had its 15-0-0 start ruined in a 2-1 loss.

Creighton has won five of the last six meetings, outscoring the Muskies 15-5 in that time. Creighton beat Xavier 2-1 in Omaha and 3-0 in Cincinnati earlier this year in March.

Johnny Torres  is 2-1 as a head coach vs. Xavier.

Scouting Seton Hall (5-5-3, 1-4-1 BE as of 10/19)

Seton Hall was 5-5-3 on the season and 1-4-1 in league play prior to Wednesday’s home game vs. UConn. The Pirates won last year’s BIG EAST Tournament Championship for the first time since 1991, advancing to the quarterfinals of its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005.

The Pirates snapped a five-game losing streak on Oct. 13 with a 1-0 win at DePaul, their first shutout since the season-opener.

Johannes Pex leads Seton Hall with five goals, five assists and 15 points. Three of his scores have come on penalty kicks. CJ Tibbling (3G, 2A), Raz Amir (2G, 4A) and JP Marin (2G, 4A) also have contributed eight points.

Andreas Nota is 5-4-2 in net and owns a 1.98 goals against average this fall. He owns a pair of shutouts.

Twenty of Seton Hall’s 31 players are from outside the United States.

Head coach Andreas Lindberg is in his fourth season at the helm of Seton Hall and 17th season overall as a head coach.

Series History Against Pirates

Creighton is 4-3 all-time against the Pirates, but the home team has won each of the last four meetings.

The Bluejays are 3-0 at Morrison Stadium with a 8-3 scoring advantage in Omaha.

Johnny Torres  is 0-1 as a head coach vs. Seton Hall.

Saving The Best For Last

Creighton’s Jackson Castro’s steal and score in the final minute of regulation at UConn last Saturday helped Creighton earn a crucial point in a 2-2 tie.

Castro’s goal was the latest game-tying or go-ahead goal in regulation since Ricky Lopez-Espin found the back of the net with 16 seconds left on Sept. 19, 2017 to tie the score vs. Tulsa. That score was memorable because it featured an assist by goalkeeper Michael Kluver when the Jays sent all 11 men into the box for its final push.

Creighton went on to win that game vs. Tulsa in even more dramatic fashion as Lopez-Espin assisted Luke Haakenson’s game-winner with 14 seconds left in the first overtime for a 2-1 victory.

First Of Many?

Not only did Jackson Castro earn his first career goal on Saturday vs. UConn, but teammate Duncan McGuire notched his first score of the fall earlier last week when he slotted home the game-winner vs. Villanova.

Five of Creighton’s 18 goals this season have come from freshmen, as Manu Toledano’s four scores supplement Castro’s tally. Eleven of CU’s goals have come from seniors, and the sophomore and junior classes have contributed one goal each.

DIEGOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!!

Senior Diego Gutierrez owns 22 goals and 21 assists in his fantastic college career, including 12 goals and eight assists during the 2021 calendar year as a Bluejay after three strong seasons across town at Nebraska-Omaha.

Gutierrez’s 21 assists rank ninth-most among active players nationally, his 65 points rank 20th-most and his 22 goals are 33rd-most.

Gutierrez has scored in each of Creighton’s last two games, and on Wednesday seeks to become the first Bluejay since Yudai Tashiro late in the 2019 campaign to score in three straight games. No CU player has scored in four straight games since Myles Englis in November of 2016.

Net Gain

Creighton’s Paul Kruse is 2-0 in his career against Xavier, while Nathan Schnur blanked Xavier in March to earn his lone career compete game shutout.

Xavier’s Matthew Rosenberg is 1-2 in his career against the Bluejays, owning five saves in addition to allowing five goals.

Seton Hall keeper Andreas Nota is 1-1 in his career vs. Creighton, splitting a pair of 1-0 shutouts.

Corner Kicks Record

The last time it played at home on Oct. 9th, Creighton tied a Morrison Stadium record with 15 corner kick attempts against Marquette.

The Bluejays also had 15 corners at home against Missouri State on Oct. 27, 2007.

Creighton’s 15 corner kicks marked the second time the team reached double-digit corner kicks this season (10 vs. UIC, Oct. 2).

The last time the Bluejays had 15 corner kicks in any match was on Nov. 11, 2010 at SMU.

Creighton ranks third in the BIG EAST and 30th nationally with 6.42 corner kicks per contest this season.

Second Official RPI Rankings Released

The second official RPI Rankings were released by the NCAA on Monday. The Bluejays are listed at No. 48 in the second release, two spots better than the initial announcement. Creighton is one of six BIG EAST teams listed inside the top 50.

All 11 BIG EAST programs are listed inside the top 83.

BIG EAST in the RPI (Oct. 18 edition)

3. Georgetown

16. Providence

32. St. John’s

36. Villanova

37. Butler

48. Creighton

62. Marquette

70. UConn

76. Seton Hall

77. Xavier

83. DePaul

Battle Tested Bluejays

Creighton owns a 4-6-2 record this season, but the 12 teams the Bluejays have played so far this fall have a combined record of 85-48-15 (.625).

Of the first 12 teams Creighton has faced this season, three (Tulsa, Saint Louis and Georgetown) still own one loss or less.

With the second RPI rankings released on Monday, the Bluejays have faced four teams currently listed in the top 25 (1-3-0 vs. those opponents), six teams in the top 50 (2-4-0) and nine teams inside the top 100 (2-6-1).

Team (RPI rank)    W-L-T (10/18)   CU’s Result

Tulsa (6)        10-1-0        L, 1-2

Saint Louis (19)     10-0-3        L, 0-4

Indiana (18)    8-3-1        W, 3-0

Ohio State (101)    4-8-1        T, 1-1

Georgetown (3)    11-1-0        L, 1-2

St. John’s     (32)    8-3-2        L, 0-2

Neb-Omaha (165)    3-6-1        W, 1-0

UIC (127)        6-5-2        W, 4-0

DePaul (83)    6-6-1        L, 0-1

Marquette    (62)    6-6-1        L, 1-3

Villanova (36)    8-5-0        W 4-2

UConn (70)    5-4-2        T 2-2

Scoring First Yields Success

The team who has scored first during 24 of the last 26 Creighton matches has proceeded to claim the victory. The two exceptions have been Creighton’s two ties in that time, on Sept. 6 vs. Ohio State and on Oct. 16 at UConn.

The Bluejays are 4-0-0 this season when scoring first and 0-6-2 when the opposition finds the back of the net first.

Creighton finished 6-0-0 during the 2020 season when scoring first, but 0-6-0 when its opponent scored first.

Head coach Johnny Torres is 15-1-1 when scoring first during his tenure at Creighton, but just 3-18-3 when the opposition finds the back of the net first.  

Additionally, the Bluejays are 3-0 when leading at the half this season, but 1-6-2 when trailing or tied at halftime.

Creighton’s last come-from-behind victory came during the 2019 regular-season finale against Butler.

The Bluejays’ last victory when trailing at the half was on Sept. 24, 2019 against Tulsa as Creighton fell behind 1-0 at the half before winning 4-3 in overtime.

Since Torres took over prior to the 2019 season, the Bluejays have just one win after trailing at halftime (1-9-2).

Converting Penalty Kick Opportunities

Creighton enters the week a perfect 4-for-4 in penalty kick opportunities. The Jays are one of six teams nationally without a PK miss and four or more attempts this season.

Three of Creighton’s four PKs during 2021 have come during conference play, including scores vs. Georgetown, Marquette and Villanova.

The four successful penalty kicks this season are the most since 2016 when the Bluejays ended the year 5-for-6 during PK opportunities.

The last time the Bluejays ended the year with a 100 percent conversation rate for penalty kicks with more than two successful tries was in 2015 when Creighton finished the year 4-for-4.

Since 1991, the Creighton single-season mark for most successful penalty kicks is six in 2001 when the Bluejays ended the season a perfect 6-for-6.

Bluejays During Road BIG EAST Matches

Since joining the BIG EAST prior to the 2013 season, the Bluejays are 17-17-6 during regular-season league matches on the road.

Creighton went 2-2 during league road matches last season (during spring semester) and 1-3-1 in 2019.

The Bluejays are 1-2-1 this season during BIG EAST road contests, but earned points in each of its last two league road games.

Creighton Ranks Second Nationally In Home Attendance

Creighton ranks second nationally in average home attendance (through matches played Oct. 18) with an average of 2,605 fans per match.

Creighton can take over the national lead with 3,587 fans on Wednesday or 6,356 total fans (3,178 average) during its two home games this week.

2021 Division I Avg. Attendance Leaders (10/18)

    Rk.    Team        Games    Total    Avg.

    1.    UConn        9    24,920    2,769

    2.    Creighton        5    13,027    2,605

    3.    Maryland        8    20,022    2,503

    4.    Indiana        8    19,503    2,438

    5.    Clemson        8    19,399    2,425

    6.    Saint Louis        8    18,399    2,300

    7.    Cal Poly        7    15,248    2,178

    8.    UC Santa Barbara        7    14,847    2,121

    9.    New Hampshire        8    15,272    1,909

    10.    Wake Forest        9    16,171    1,797

Creighton hosted 6,577 fans at Morrison Stadium on Sept. 18 against #1 Georgetown, the second largest crowd in program history and third largest crowd to watch a Division I soccer match this fall.

Shutouts, Shutouts and More Shutouts

Three of Creighton’s four victories this season have  come via shutouts. Conversely, the Bluejays have been kept off the scoreboard during three of their six losses.

Consecutive Shutouts For First Time In Three Years

Creighton posted shutouts in back-to-back matches against Nebraska-Omaha (Sept. 29) and UIC  (Oct. 2) marking the first time the Bluejays posted consecutive shutouts since September of 2018.

Creighton earned shutouts in three consecutive matches from Sept. 7-22, 2018 against Memphis, Butler and Villanova.

The Bluejays own three shutouts overall this season.

Creighton had just one clean sheet in the 2020 season and three during 2019.

Kruse Named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week

Senior goalkeeper Paul Kruse earned BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week accolades, the league announced on Oct. 4.

The Heilbronn, Germany native helped the Bluejays record a pair of shutouts against Nebraska-Omaha (Sept. 29) and UIC (Oct. 2). Kruse earned the solo clean sheet on Sept. 29 before earning a combined shutout on Oct. 2.  Overall during his Creighton career, Kruse claims 10 individual shutouts and one combined clean sheet.

The senior co-captain made four saves on Sept. 29 during Creighton’s 1-0 victory against the Mavericks and did not need to make a stop during 62 minutes of action as the Bluejays’ cruised to a 4-0 win against the Flames.

Senior Diego Gutierrez claimed a spot on the weekly honor. The Omaha native tallied five points from two goals and one assist during the previous week, including the game-winner against his former school and crosstown rival UNO on Sept. 29. Gutierrez leads the Bluejays this season with 16 points (seven goals, two assists).

Mike Tranchilla Enters Hall of Fame

Former Bluejay Mike Tranchilla entered the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 9th along with former volleyball player Kelli Browning and baseball standout Pat Venditte.

Tranchilla guided the Creighton men’s soccer team to four NCAA Tournament appearances from 1999-2002, helping the Bluejays reach the national championship match in 2000 and the College Cup twice (2000, 2002). He remains Creighton’s only two-time All-College Cup team honoree.

Tranchilla was a two-time finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy (2001, 2002) and finished fourth overall in the voting after his senior season. He claimed a spot on the NSCAA All-America First Team in 2002 and the NSCAA All-Region team twice.

He holds the Missouri Valley Conference career records for points scored (140) and goals (55). Tranchilla also paces CU in career NCAA Tournament points scored (17 in 11 games) and goals (6).

He ranks second on the program’s career lists for points and goals (trailing Creighton Hall of Famer Keith DeFini in each), while ranking third in multiple-goal games with 11. Tranchilla is one of seven players in Creighton history to score four goals in a single game.

The Dallas Burn selected Tranchilla with the 34th overall pick in the Fourth Round of the 2003 MLS SuperDraft.

The men’s soccer program welcomed back members of the 1990, 2000 and 2011 teams  as part of alumni weekend in conjunction with Tranchilla entering the Hall of Fame.

Scoring Surge Quiets Flames

The Bluejays scored just seven goals during the first seven matches before finding the back of the net a total of four times against UIC on Oct. 2

Creighton also scored three goals in the first half against the Flames, the most in a single half by the Bluejays since scoring three in the first half against DePaul last season (April 2).

Four different players scored goals during the against UIC and a total of seven different Bluejays had at least one point.

Four Is More

Last Wednesday at Villanova marked the first time Creighton scored four goals in a single half since Oct. 10, 2017 against Drake when the Bluejays had four goals in the first half before winning 6-1.

The last time Creighton had scored four goals in a single half against a conference opponent was Oct. 24, 2015, also against Villanova (four in first half).

The last time Creighton scored four goals after being shutout in the first half of that same game was Sept. 27, 2006 vs. Central Arkansas. CU won that contest 6-1 after a scoreless first half.

Fortress Morrison

Creighton is 149-32-21 overall at Morrison Stadium (opened in 2003), which includes a 2-3-0 record this season.

Three home losses this season matches the most in a single season at Morrison Stadium. The Bluejays also lost three home matches in the same season at Morrison in 2007 and 2019.

The Bluejays are 26-2-3 in their next home match following a home loss at Morrison, including a 1-1-0 this season.

This season is the first time Creighton has lost consecutive matches at Morrison Stadium during the same season.

The Bluejays are 67-17-8 at Morrison Stadium since the start of 2013 when the program joined the BIG EAST and 26-9-2 during home league matches.

Creighton Soccer Green Games

Spearheaded by Creighton’s women’s soccer sophomore Emma Yackley, the Creighton men’s and women’s soccer programs hosted Green Games on Thursday, September 30th (women’s vs. Marquette) and Saturday, October 2nd (men’s vs. UIC)..

Both matches were carbon neutral and zero waste, meaning the electricity consumed at the games were be offset by credits purchased by a sponsor (FCC) and all concessions were composted or recycled.

Bins were set out to collect gently used athletic equipment and gear. These items were donated to CUES, an organization representing three diverse, low-income Catholic elementary schools in Omaha.

The goal of these games was to promote a sustainable culture at Creighton and within our community, as well as to educate attendees about environmental stewardship.

Socctoberfest Success

Saturday, Sept. 18 marked Creighton’s ninth Socctoberfest event.

The Bluejays are 8-1 during Socctoberfest matches with wins over Bradley, Columbia, Western Illinois, Cal State Northridge, Penn, South Florida, Memphis and Akron. Creighton has outscored the opposition 16-3 in those eight victories.

Creighton’s 2-1 loss on Saturday against #1 Georgetown was the program’s first loss during a Socctoberfest match.

After hosting 1,843 fans for the inaugural Socctoberfest in 2012, Creighton has averaged a crowd of 4,537 during the last eight events,

including four of the largest crowds in program history.

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    CSUN, 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. 18, 2021    #1 Georgetown, L, 1-2    6,577$

+ – 10th-best single match attendance

^ – 11th-best single match attendance

# – 13th-best single match attendance

$ – 2nd-best single match attendance

Largest Crowds In Bluejay History

Creighton hosted 6,577 fans at Morrison Stadium on Sept. 18 against #1 Georgetown, the second largest crowd in program history.

The attendance also marked the highest attended game this fall across all of Division I Men’s Soccer (at that time).

 

Morrison Stadium has hosted more than 6,000 fans three times, more than 5,000 fans on 11 occasions and more than 4,000 fans a total of 24 times.

Top Home Crowds in Bluejay History

1.     6,848 vs. Old Dominion, Sept. 14, 2012 (L, 1-2)

2. 6,577 vs. Georgetown, Sept. 18, 2021 (L, 1-2) #

3. 6,453 vs. Tulsa, Sept. 29, 2015 (W, 1-0)

4.     5,812 vs. UCLA, Sept. 8, 2007 (T, 0-0, 2OT)

5.     5,743 vs. Stanford (exhibition), Aug. 26, 2005 (L, 0-1)

6.     5,609 vs. Missouri State, Sept. 19, 2009 (L, 0-1)

7.     5,473 vs. Clemson, Aug. 24, 2018 (W, 2-0)

8. 5,425 vs. Drexel, Sept. 4, 2011 (W, 3-0)

9.     5,386 vs. Seton Hall, Sept. 17, 2016 (W, 4-1)

10. 5,282 vs. St. John’s, Sept. 21, 2013 (W, 1-0, 2OT)

11.     5,102 vs. Columbia, Sept. 6, 2013 (W, 3-1) #

12.     4,907 vs. CSUN, Sept. 4, 2015 (W, 2-1) #

13.     4,838 vs. Michigan, Aug. 28, 2015 (W, 1-0)

14.     4,818 vs. Akron, Sept. 6, 2019 (W, 2-1) #

15.     4,766 vs. Nebraska-Omaha, Sept. 5, 2016 (T, 1-1, 2OT)

16.     4,711 vs. Butler, Sept. 15, 2018 (W, 3-0)

17.     4,544 vs. Saint Louis, Sept. 20, 2014 (L, 0-1 OT)

18.     4,367 vs. Memphis, Sept. 7, 2018 (W, 2-0)

19.     4,242 vs. Fordham, Sept. 9, 2011 (W, 1-0)

20.     4,223 vs. Villanova, Oct. 24, 2015 (W, 5-1)

21. 4,096 vs. Nebraska-Omaha, Sept. 16, 2019 (W, 2-1)

22. 4,089 vs. Virginia Tech, Aug. 25, 2017 (L, 0-2)

23. 4,071 vs. Gonzaga, Aug. 29, 2008 (W, 4-1)

24. 4,023 vs. Tulsa, Sept. 22, 2007 (L, 1-3)

#-Denotes Socctoberfest match

Creighton In BIG EAST Openers

Since joining the BIG EAST prior to the 2013 season, Creighton is 7-2-0 during the first conference match of the season, including its 2-1 loss against Georgetown on Sept. 18.

Creighton’s 3-2 overtime loss at Butler in 2017 marked the Bluejays’ first loss in a conference opener since 2011 when Creighton fell to Missouri State during its Missouri Valley Conference opener.

The Bluejays own a 43-26-8 record during regular-season BIG EAST matchups.

Creighton is 8-1-0 during the first home BIG EAST match of the season and 6-2-1 during the first BIG EAST road match of the year.

The Bluejays have captured two BIG EAST regular-season titles (2014, 2018) and finished runner-up at the conference tournament twice (2015, 2016).

Creighton owns a total of 14 regular-season conference titles (most recent in 2018) and 13 conference tournament titles (last in 2012) as the Bluejays were a member of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1991-2012.

Creighton’s BIG EAST Opener History

Year            Opener (Result)    Final Record (Place)

2013        #7 St. John’s (W)    4-4-1 (5th)

2014        at Villanova (W)    7-1-1 (1st)

2015        at Seton Hall (W)    7-2-0 (2nd)

2016        Seton Hall (W)    5-3-1 (T-3rd)

2017        at Butler (L)    3-4-2 (T-5th)

2018        Butler (W)        7-1-1 (1st)

2019        Marquette (W)    4-4-1 (T-4th)

2020    Marquette (W)    5-3-0 (MW 2nd)

2021        Georgetown (L)    ???

Bluejays All-Time vs. Top 25 Competition

Creighton is 81-62-17 all-time against United Soccer Coaches (formerly NSCAA) Top-25 opponents, including 1-1-0 this season.

The Bluejays are 43-17-4 at home against the top 25, including a 33-10-3 mark at Morrison Stadium.

Creighton’s 3-0 win at No. 1 Indiana on Sept. 3 was the Bluejays’ first victory against a ranked opponent since a 2-1 victory at home against No. 21 Akron on Sept. 6, 2019 and the first shutout of a ranked opponent since the 2018 season-opener against No. 11 Clemson.

Creighton also recorded its first win on the road against a ranked team since a 1-0 win at No. 24 UNO on Sept. 26, 2017.

Creighton vs. No. 1

The Bluejays’ match against Georgetown on Sept. 18 marked Creighton’s eighth match played in program history (second this season) against a team ranked No. 1 in the ISAA/NSCAA/United Soccer Coaches Poll.

The contest against the Hoyas was the first time Creighton has ever hosted a team ranked No. 1 in the national coaches poll.

The last time any Creighton Athletics team hosted the No. 1 team in the country was on Dec. 1, 2018 when the men’s basketball team hosted No. 1 Gonzaga.

Creighton earned its first win against a No. 1 ranked team in program history on Sept. 3 at Indiana, 3-0.

The Bluejays are 1-6-1 in matches against teams ranked No. 1 at the time of the match.

Creighton advanced to the 2010 Elite Eight after knocking off No. 1 Akron 5-4 in PKs following a 1-1 tie after 110 minutes.

Creighton vs. No. 1 Ranked Teams

11/27/94  at #1 Indiana    L, 0-1

10/14/01     at #1 SMU    L, 2-4

11/18/01     vs. #1 SMU    L, 1-2 (4OT)

10/27/10     at #1 Akron    L, 0-1

11/25/12     at #1 Akron    T, 1-1 (2OT)*

09/01/17     at #1 Stanford    L, 0-3

09/03/21     at #1 Indiana    W, 3-0

09/18/21     #1 Georgetown    L, 1-2

*Creighton advanced in NCAA Tournament on PKs

Across the Creighton sports landscape, prior to men’s soccer’s win against Indiana, the last time the Bluejays beat a No. 1-ranked team in any sport was April 24, 2001. On that night, the Creighton baseball team beat No. 1 Nebraska in Lincoln, with an 11-8 win in 10 innings at Buck Beltzer Field.

Match Against Drake Cancelled

Creighton’s match against Drake, scheduled for Sept. 10, was cancelled because of COVID-19 issues within the Bulldogs’ program.

The match marked the Bluejays’ first cancelled contest since Creighton had to cancel its match against Green Bay on Oct. 1, 2019 because of inclement weather.

Long Break

Because of the cancelled match on Sept. 10, the Bluejays played on Sept. 18 for the first time since Sept. 6.

The 12-day break between matches is Creighton’s longest stretch without a contest during the regular season since 2009 when the Bluejays had a full two-week break between Sept. 5 and Sept. 19.

Bluejays’ Defense Tested

Creighton tallied a total of nine saves during the  lid-lifter against Tulsa on Aug. 26.

Senior goalkeeper Paul Kruse made eight saves, while senior defender Musa Qongo contributed to a team save during the first half of action.

The nine saves were the most by Creighton since a neutral site contest last season against Missouri State (March 10, 2021) when the Bluejays also had nine.

The last time the Bluejays posted double-digit saves was during the 2019 regular-season finale at Georgetown (10 saves). Kruse made a career-high nine saves during that contest, while Creighton also recorded one team save.

Prior to the 10 saves against the Hoyas on Nov. 6, 2019, the last time Creighton needed to make double-digit saves was on Sept. 14, 2012 against Old Dominion (10).

Gutierrez Selected in MLS SuperDraft

The Portland Timbers selected Diego Gutierrez with the 70th overall pick during the third round of the 2021 MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 21.

Creighton owns 46 MLS draft picks since the league started in 1996, including at least one in all but one draft.

Gutierrez transferred to Creighton prior to the start of the 2020 fall semester. He played in 44 matches during three seasons at Nebraska-Omaha before making his way to the Bluejays, earning 37 starts and recording 10 goals and 13 assists. The Ralston, Nebraska native, moved into the top-10 in UNO history in assists (3rd), shots on goal (3rd), points (4th), shots (4th), game-winning goals (5th) and goals (7th.)

As a junior he had one goal and led the Mavericks with four assists and 30 shots, while starting all 13 appearances. Gutierrez earned First Team All-Summit League as a sophomore in 2018, with seven goals and seven assists and claimed selections to the Summit League All-Tournament Team and All-Newcomer Team in 2017.

He played at UNO for head coaches Bob Warming and Jason Mims, both of whom spent more than a decade at Creighton.

Gutierrez Earns BIG EAST Honor

Creighton forward Diego Gutierrez was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, Oct. 17th after helping the Bluejays pick up four points on the road last week.

 

Gutierrez had three goals and an assist as Creighton went 1-0-1 to help the Bluejays pick up their first points of the season in BIG EAST play. It’s the first time this season the Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year been honored by the BIG EAST with a weekly award, and joins an a similar accolade bestowed on him April 5, 2021 in the spring.

 

Gutierrez had two goals and an assist in Creighton’s 4-2 win at Villanova. He opened the scoring in the 51st minute when he converted his second penalty kick of the season.  After Villanova scored twice to tie the game at 2-2, Gutierrez assisted Duncan McGuire’s game-winning goal in the 79th minute that gave CU a 3-2 advantage. Five minutes later Gutierrez iced the game with a goal in the 84th minute that provided the final margin.

 

He then recorded his BIG EAST-leading seventh goal of the season in the 19th minute at UConn to help level the score at 1-1, scoring just three minutes after UConn had taken an early lead.

NCAA Tournament History

The 2020 season marked only Creighton’s fifth time missing the NCAA Tournament during the past 27 seasons.

Creighton is 34-20-7 during NCAA action, and has advanced to the College Cup five times (1996, 2000, 2002, 2011, 2012), including a runner-up

finish during the 2000 season.

With a victory against Kentucky during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Championship, the Bluejays won at least two NCAA Tournaments matches during a single season

for the first third consecutive year, and have 12 times in program history.

Johnny Torres advanced to the NCAA Tournament during each of his four years as a player at Creighton (1994-97) and has been on the bench as an assistant coach nine times.

The Bluejays are one of nine schools to make the NCAA tournament at least 20 times since 1992 (Creighton’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament).

Teams with at least 20 NCAA appearances since 1992:

Indiana – 29

Virginia – 28

Maryland – 26

UCLA – 26

Creighton – 24

North Carolina – 22

SMU – 22

Notre Dame – 21

St. John’s – 21

BIG EAST Partners With FloSports

The BIG EAST Conference, including Creighton University, has partnered with FloSports in 2021-22 to deliver hundreds of subscription-based events leaguewide. 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.

The BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) will feature each BIG EAST Men’s Soccer match throughout the entirety of the conference schedule, with the exception of a Georgetown-Seton Hall contest  on October 6 that was broadcast on FS1.