The Creighton Bluejays men’s soccer team begins regular season play tomorrow at the University of Denver. In the final installment of our position previews, we look at the defense for Elmar Bolowich’s first CU squad.
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Despite the recent ado over Coach Elmar Bolowich’s plans for a high-octane offense, this year’s Creighton defense is just as strong as ever. The Bluejays boast one of the best defenses in the NCAA over the last five years, and the 2011 back line should do a fine job of continuing that legacy.
Starting at center back will be seniors Andrew Duran and Jace Peters. Both Duran and Peters were injured for significant portions of last season, but both appear to have made full recoveries. Duran, coming in at #35 on a list of Top Seniors, has struggled with health problems but is already garnering praise for his strong play early this season. Soccer writer Joe Mauceri, covering the Creighton-Akron exhibition last week, praised Duran for his ability to play long balls right to the feet of Bluejay attackers.
Jace Peters returns from injuries to anchor the defense (WBR/Streur)
Duran is a composed leader and rarely makes mistakes, which explains why Creighton posted a shutout over the six matches in which he played last season. If he can stay healthy, he will be vital to the Jays’ success. Jace Peters is likely to see plenty of playing time this season, after battling injuries all of last year. Along with Duran, the Omaha-metro native will provide stability and leadership along the back line.
Creighton's Brent Kallman (WBR/Streur)
Brent Kallman, who was an MVC All-Freshman selection two years ago, replaced Peters last year and will surely be competing to get back into the lineup. He was a key contributor to the Bluejays’ lockdown defense last season, and even assisted a goal against conference foe Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. Transfer Jake Brown had a good showing at the Blue-White scrimmage, and last year was a major part of the back line on a good Saint Louis University team. Brown is a versatile player who could fill in at any of the defensive positions for the Bluejays.
Daniel Premenko, a transfer from Oral Roberts, will be fighting to crack the lineup this year following his recognition on last season’s Summit League All-Newcomer Team. If you haven’t heard much about Premenko, though, it’s probably because he’s been overshadowed by fellow sophomore Tyler Polak. Polak is already one of the most highly touted players in the country, at a position (left back) for which it’s notoriously difficult to gain recognition. Polak, a Lincoln, NE, product, has been named to pre-season All-MVC, All-Region, and All-American teams and is one of the top professional prospects in the United States. He was the Valley’s Freshman of the Year last season and has extensive experience playing with the U.S. youth national teams. In short, you might say Polak’s a pretty good player.
CU's Tyler Polak is one of the nation's best (WBR/Streur)
Freshman Eric Miller is projected to round out the back line. Miller was last year’s Gatorade Player of the Year from the state of Minnesota. He has been training with the team at Creighton since January, and has also had stints working with the U.S. under-18 team. He turned a lot of heads at this year’s Blue-White scrimmage, showing solid footwork, positioning and composure. Observers expect Miller to be starting at right back this fall, but irrespective of whether he starts Miller will be a big addition to an already-loaded Bluejay back line. Freshmen Christian Blandon, Sean Moyo, and Alec Bartlett aren’t likely to see much of the field this season, though each boasts an impressive soccer résumé.
All of the above are charged with the task of defending the Bluejay net, in partnership with the Creighton goalkeeping corps. The Jays carry five goalkeepers, an unusually large number, on this year’s roster, with senior Brian Holt being the only one with any significant playing experience. Holt makes up for his relative lack of size with quickness and tenacity, and is on pace to become a Hilltop legend: he’s currently CU’s all-time leader in shutouts and goals-against-average, and ranks fourth all-time in minutes played and wins.
Creighton's All-Valley keeper Brian Holt (WBR/Streur)
Holt is backed up by senior Brian Hoie, who earned his first official appearance last season in a match against UNC Greensboro, redshirt freshmen Taylor Reeves (previously of Indiana), Alex Bolowich (Florida International), and true freshman Jeff Gal.