Big East Men’s Soccer Tournament Quarterfinals
- #5 Creighton vs. #4 Providence (1:00 p.m. CT, Providence, Rhode Island) // notes
- #6 Butler vs. #3 Xavier (5:00 p.m. CT, Cincinnati, Ohio)
To say the Creighton men’s soccer team has had a rough and tough season would be an understatement. The Jays faced one of the most difficult schedules in the nation and played nearly all of their most challenging conference matches on the road. Yet despite such a grueling calendar, the Jays find themselves with a top 20 RPI and with the ability to play themselves into the Big East semifinals by knocking off Providence today at 1 p.m.
The Jays will not be blindsided by the Friars. Creighton lost to Providence last Friday 2-1. Today’s match will see the same field, the same start time, and the same conditions as the first, a CU loss that left the Jays stranded in Rhode Island waiting to play a quarterfinal match on the road.
Leading up to the season Creighton staff and administration talked at length about the travel and schedule nightmares that might occur as a cost of joining the Big East. Many of the soccer coaches were quick to point out that there was a chance Creighton could play in Providence on Friday, November 8, and then have then quick turn around and head back to New England to play in a Big East play-in match on Tuesday, November 12. Unfortunately for the team, this is exactly what happened. Instead of returning to Omaha, the staff felt it best for the team to stay in Rhode Island over the weekend, thus the Jays have been away from home for nearly a week, living out of hotels and suitcases.
On top of the travel nightmare the Jays will also be without the services of junior talisman Jose Ribas and freshman dynamo Fabian Herbers. Both players picked up their fifth yellow cards of the season against Providence last Friday, requiring them to sit out the next match.
Can Bruno Castro help Creighton claim a Big East title? (WBR/Mike Spomer) CLICK TO BUY PHOTO
Still, despite missing Ribas and Herbers, a win today is not out of the question. Creighton will need center back sophomore duo Brendan Hines-Ike and Eric DeJulio to command the air. Reports from the previous match on November 8 stated the wind was so strong the ball was changing directions in the air. Creighton defenders Hines-Ike and DeJulio need to win balls in the air and keep Friars attackers from shooting whenever possible.
The Bluejays will need team leaders Zach Barnes and Eric Miller to drive this team forward and will rely heavily on Timo Pitter and Bruno Castro to bag the goals. Pitter has had an up and down season and yet the sophomore has the skill to change a game with one kick of the ball. Castro on the other hand started off slow and has really come on strong in the last month. Creighton will need the senior from Costa Rica to will the Jays through this week’s schedule.
If the Jays were to win today, they would likely stay on the east coast and travel directly down to Philadelphia to start preparations for the Big East Tournament. A loss today would finally bring the Jays home to start to recover for postseason play.