The Creighton men’s soccer team faces a particularly puzzling weekend. The Bluejays have some challenges they can control, and some they cannot.
Tomorrow afternoon, Bob Warming’s Bluejays will host #7 UCLA at Morrison Stadium. The Bruins come to Omaha following their first loss in 11 matches – the dropped their last match to Stanford after a 10-game unbeaten streak. With Creighton’s opportunity for a win, one that would certainly impress the NCAA Tournament selection committee, comes a series of difficult obstacles.
UCLA arrives in Omaha with a stacked roster, one filled with U.S. National Team players and Hermann Trophy Watch standouts. Led by senior midfielder Kyle Nakazawa (23 points), the Bruins look to improve on their 9-2-2 record, one they’ve been able to put together despite having a few of their standout players miss five matches due to U.S. under-20 National Team participation. Goalkeepr Brian Perk (.66 GAA) and Hermann Trophy Watch List member Michael Stephens both missed matches for UCLA, yet the Bruins remained unblemished in those games – truly a testament to the team’s depth.
There’s no way around it – this is a big match for the Bluejays. But they’ve beaten UCLA before; CU holds a 2-1-1 record all-time against the Bruins. The two teams played to a scoreless draw in Omaha in 2007; here’s hoping the Bluejays score some goals and snag a win on Halloween.
Hope is something Bluejays fans will feel quite a bit of this weekend for other reasons, too. There will be quite a bit of scoreboard watching during the weekend, as the Jays currently sit in third place in the MVC with just one conference game remaining for Creighton. The Jays’ remaining match comes against Drake next weekend, whereas the two teams ahead of CU in the standings – the Bulldogs and Missouri State – square off against each other this weekend.
The best scenario for Creighton finds MSU and DU battling to a draw on Sunday and then both teams losing the remainder of their matches. Next best for the Bluejays? Drake beats MSU, then loses the rest of their matches. I’m sure you’ve figured it out, but the worst case for the Jays would be a win by Missouri State, which would eliminate Creighton from any conference championship chances. It will be yet another challenge to win a title, though, because the Bluejays need these two teams to lose or tie the remainder of their games to have a shot at the regular season crown.
So where do you place the most importance this weekend? Beating a top 10 team at home, or hoping the other cards around the Valley fall your way?