Elmar Bolowich and the Creighton Bluejays begin another quest for an elusive national championship Friday, August 22. WBR will preview the 2014 version of the Jays position by position. Read all the previews.
The 2014 Creighton Bluejays return all three goalkeepers from last season’s roster. Incumbent starter Alex Bolowich returns for year 4 with the Jays. Bolowich has started for Creighton since the 2012 season. He’ll be joined by Connor Sparrow and Michael Kluver once again to form one of the strongest goalkeeping units in the Big East.
Alex Bolowich (#1)
Creighton’s Alex Bolowich (WBR/Spomer)
Bolowich started 16 matches last season for the Jays, holding a goals against average of 1.32 (up from 1.03 in 2013).Creighton did however lose All-American defender Andrew Ribiero. Couple that loss with a move from the offensively challenged Valley to the dynamic Big East and an increase in goals against was expected.
Bolowich has become one of the team leaders and will surely have to lead the team from the back this season. He’s the most vocal member of this team and this season he will be reunited with youth club teammates Mike Paye and Zarbarle Kollie, who helped Creighton Head Coach Elmar Bolowich and Triangle United to national prominence.
Alex Bolowich maintained his reputation last season as an excellent shot stopper who has a knack for making the impossible save. Alex, like World Cup Gold Gloves winner Manuel Neuer, is not afraid to come out of the net, close off angles, and force attackers into making quick decisions.
Bolowich was kept out of the Blue-White scrimmage with an injury to his left hand. He resumed light practice August 19, but is still not match ready. Bolowich will be meeting with his doctor’s for an update on his progress soon, with the home opener against Stanford in doubt. At this time it seems unlikely that Alex will make it back to start the match against the Cardinal.
Connor Sparrow (#0)
Sparrows enter the season as the clear back-up to Bolowich, but as we’ve seen in the past injuries can open the door to playing time. Creighton’s challenging schedule and difficult turnaround times demands that Creighton be deep at every position, including goalkeeper.
Sparrow notched four starts in 2013, including an impressive 0-0 tie at Georgetown last season. Sparrow’s 6-foot-2 frame came in very useful against some of the imposing Big East strike forces throughout the 2013 season, and will likely be called on again.
His ability to snag crosses out of the air and good positional awareness will likely be called on again by the staff in 2014. Having started his freshman year at UMKC, Sparrow is one of the most experienced back-ups in the country and will likely get plenty of opportunity this fall.
Michael Kluver (#30)
Kluver redshirted the 2013 season, which was a result of the quality in front of him and an early injury. Kluver is one of the more athletic players on Creighton’s roster.
Kluver’s agility for a 6-foot-4 goalkeeper is something to see. He was able to utilize the redshirt season to add strength to his body and continue to improve on his positional sense with the staff. An Omaha kid, Kluver is a fan favorite an should push Sparrow for playing time.