Elmar Bolowich is familiar with the Maryland Terrapins. While at North Carolina, Bolowich’s Tar Heel teams went 8-20-1 against the Terps. In his first season at Creighton, Bolowich takes his team to rowdy Ludwig Field for a Friday night showdown between two of the nation’s best soccer programs. Tonight’s match marks the first time the two schools will meet since 2008, when the Terps eliminated the Bluejays from the NCAA Tournament.
WBR caught up with Bolowich before the team left for College Park.
White & Blue Review: Your game against Saint Mary’s was a close, physical game. What do you guys take away from that match?
Elmar Bolowich: You have to give credit to Saint Mary’s, they made us grow and they made us play our game. We came out a bit slow, but we were able to come away with the win, and that is what matters. I was not pleased with the officiating. I thought they let the game get away from them a bit, and we were vocal about it on the sideline. They would not listen to us, and I was worried that someone was going to get hurt. Fortunately, we came away healthy and with a win.
WBR: Tonight marks the first in a stretch of tough games on the road. What do you expect coming into the match against Maryland?
EB: I am anticipating a really good game. They have a very strong offense and they will be a team that comes out and gives us a very tough game. They will have a very good crowd and it should be a very exciting atmosphere.
WBR: When you play at a venue like Ludwig Field, does the fact that your home games draw larger crowds help you or your players in any way?
EB: It is completely different. When we are at home, those 4,000-plus fans are cheering us on. We will have thousands of fans with a little different reaction. However, as an athlete, these are the games you want to play in. You want to play at venues where people care about the game like Creighton and Maryland. It makes you feel like people actually care about what you are doing out there.
WBR: Do you have any update on Jose Gomez?
EB: He is getting better every day. He will not be making the Maryland trip, but we will evaluate him prior to the Wisconsin game. Hamstrings are tough to put a time frame on. If it was a fracture, I would be able to say, four weeks and he should be good. But with hamstrings, it is really different with every player. Fortunately Choco is progressing very quickly.
