If you were at Morrison Stadium on Saturday, you witnessed a college soccer game the way one was meant to be played. Creighton played host to 7th ranked UCLA on Halloween afternoon, and it as a real treat for the 2,273 Omaha soccer fans in attendance. As we have heard from Coach Warming in the past, it takes two teams that want to win to make a good game. Jays fans have seen over and over, teams enter Morrison Stadium with a very defensive game plan, packing the box, if you will. But Saturday was different. The Bruins came in with a chip on their shoulder after losing their first game in 11 matches to Stanford, and were looking to get back on track. The Jays were playing for their post season lives. They know the season has not gone as planned, but the also know they are not done yet.
The first half consisted of UCLA coming out on the attack, and their center attack was very strong. They looked crisp, fast and accurate. Their passes were strong and controlled but the Jays were able to play some solid defense. As we have seen over the course of the season, Creighton’s strength is their defense, that was no surprise. But today, Creighton was able to put it all together with solid counter attacks, and good pressure on the Bruins defense. The first 45 minutes consisted on runs down the side for the Jays, followed by some crisp shots on goal.
As the fans adjourned for a half time break, there was a buzz around the stadium. Creighton was playing well, they were putting the pieces together, this is what we have been waiting for. But we still have 45 minutes against a really good Bruins team.
The second half started with the teams going at it right out of the gate. The pace was fast and both squads wanted to get on the board. You could see that there was an adjustment done at half time, as Creighton was using the wings a bit more to push the ball into the UCLA half. Dion Acoff played a great second half and showed some great physical play as well as his usual finesse and brilliant touch. During the 49th minute of action, Dion was able to beat his defender on the right side and play a beautiful ball to the far post and a waiting Byron Dacy. Byron then misplayed the ball a bit, controlled it and found an open Ethan Finlay for the go ahead goal and the first points for Byron’s senior season.
Up 1-0, one would imagine that the Jays would pull back, and play solid defense and protect the win. Not Bob Warming’s Jays. Creighton continued to pound the attack and work for the insurance goal for the next 30 minutes. The defense held their ground and did not allow the Bruins to even things up.
UCLA showed that they were deserving of their ranking, playing not only a great attack, but holding their ground on the defensive end as well. Creighton was able to put together a solid offensive attack, out shooting the Bruins 12-5, while 6 of those shots were on goal in comparison to only 2 shots on goal for UCLA.
With the win, many Creighton fans, including myself, feel that the Jays are in a much better position than they were on Friday, a this win will look really good on the Jays resume for the selection committee. But Creighton still has quite an uphill battle in front of them, as I am sure they would rather control their own fate. With Missouri State beating Drake in overtime on Sunday, the Jays were eliminated from any shot at winning the regular season championship. This means the Jays will not get the #1 seed in the tournament, and most likely the #3 seed. With conference tournament format, 4 of the 6 teams participate, the Jays will most likely face off against Missouri State, a team that tends to frustrate the Jays with there defensive style of play.
Are the Jays up to the challange? We will find out what this team is made of down the stretch, starting with the conference finale in Des Moines on Saturday.