The Creighton Bluejays men’s soccer team is in a rough stretch. The Jays are trying to put consecutive losses to Saint Louis and Tulsa behind them. CU starts Missouri Valley Conference action Saturday with a road match at Drake. We caught up with head coach Elmar Bolowich to discuss the losing streak and what needs to change entering Valley play.
WBR: You guys had a rough stretch there. Can you talk a bit about the past two games?
EB: I don’t think there was anything that really surprised me, as I knew we would struggle with very athletic teams. There were moments when I felt we were isolated and did not have enough help on the ball. There are some things we need to patch up. We need to have better cohesiveness and be more compact. We need to work on pressing the right way. If we have more dedicated to the ball applying pressure, it allows for better counter opportunities. Those are some of the things we are focused on in training right now.
WBR: We spoke at the beginning of the year that the schedule would be tough and we sort of expected to be challenged with such a young team. With the majority of the non-conference schedule behind you, how do you feel about the season so far?
EB: I feel like the last two losses were unnecessary. Saint Louis just came out and played harder than we did. They were athletic, but they were young as well and I felt like we could have won that game. Tulsa was avoidable. The second half, we simply had some crucial errors and were not able to come back.
WBR: With the conference schedule starting this weekend against Drake, what will you be looking to get out of this game?
EB: We want to get back to doing what we do well. We need to improve defensively at all positions. We need to better our attack. We need to make sure we are applying pressure at all positions.
WBR: You had a very difficult non-conference schedule this year. What challenges do you see in the Valley this year?
EB: It is just different from what we have seen. I imagine that Drake will play with more of a defensive mindset and look to counter quite a bit. SIU Edwardsville is a very good team. I was very impressed watching them play Akron here in Omaha. Bradley is always a tough game for us, and all the teams bring different styles to the game. It will be a challenge, but if we are able to play our game, we should be OK.
WBR: How is Vincent Keller and the health of the rest of the team?
EB: I am hoping to have Vincent back next week. As far as the rest of the team, they are in good health.
