A month into the season, there has been a lot of buzz about this year’s Creighton men’s soccer team — and deservedly so. The one question people in the soccer community wanted to know was how would Creighton do against a formidable opponent? The Bluejays took a big step on Wednesday night when they were able tame the high powered offense of Kentucky. White & Blue Review caught up with Elmar Bolowich to discuss the big win and the week ahead.
WBR: You guys were able to get a big win over a tough Kentucky team on Wednesday, what was the feeling around the team before and after that win?
Elmar Bolowich: We beat a good team in Kentucky. Our guys were excited for the game and eager to play. We were prepared for Kentucky and we knew they had a lot of offensive power. Coming in to the match, they were second in the nation in goals scored this season and we knew it would be a test for our defense. We trained appropriately for them and I think we played pretty well. We came out in the first half a bit slow but we really cranked up the intensity in the second half and were able to come away with the win. I think we proved with that win that we are a legit opponent to play against.
WBR: How aware are your players about the shutout streak? Is that something you play on?
EB: The shutout streak is not something we discuss. It is all stats. If we are fortunate enough to play well enough in the back that our opponents do not score, great. However, if we do get scored on, then we simply need to push and score a few more to secure the win. If we play well enough, and are able to extend the streak a bit more, then that is fine. We focus on playing our game, and a big part of that is keeping possession. We need to focus on getting better at our game.
WBR: Fans on Wednesday saw Jose “Choco” Gomez fall and grab his right leg during the match; do you have an update on him and his status for this weekend?
EB: I am not a doctor, but when you see a guy go down like that without being touched and he is grabbing his hamstring, it is usually a full two weeks he is out or up to four. I have not received a report from the training staff, but he will be out for a while.
WBR: With the loss of Choco for an extended period, who do you see coming off the bench to fill that important role?
EB: Similar to what you saw on Wednesday, we could move Ethan Finlay to Choco’s spot and bring Liam Kelly in. Liam has given us some good minutes and he played well against Kentucky. Our other option would be to move Bruno Castro inside and have Kris Clark play on the outside. I had a lot of hope for Kris coming into this season as he has shown a lot of improvement during practice. I thought he played very well against Kentucky and showed a lot of speed and was aggressive with the ball. I think Wednesday was a sort of coming out game for Kris.
WBR: You will be hosting the Gaels of St. Mary’s on Saturday night; what can we expect out of this match up?
EB: They are coming in with a 1-2-3 record but they don’t give up a lot of goals. They have an older team with a lot of experience and they will play a tight game. I don’t think they will open up much and we will have to play a very tight game. We will try and force our style of play.
