It seems that both Creighton soccer programs are headed in the right direction. While the men’s team is undefeated and untied and sits among the top 25 teams in the nation, the women’s team has won two in a row and sits at 4-2-2 on the season.
As both teams enter a busy weekend of action, WBR caught up with women’s head coach Bruce Erickson and men’s head coach Jamie Clark.
Andrea Zuniga at the Creighton women’s soccer host Wyoming Friday night at 7 p.m. and Cal State Fullerton Sunday at 1 p.m.
White & Blue Review: With your team coming off two consecutive wins, what is the feeling in the locker room? What is your team’s mentality right now?
Bruce Erickson: Right now we are a really good team, it just seems like the girls don’t know why. We need to come out every game and play the way we know we can and have the mentality that we can win every game. The North Dakota State game is one that really stands out to me. We went in confident, were surprised, and lost track of our game plan. The Kansas game, on the other hand, was a game that we came in too pumped up and knew that if we didn’t play our best we would get beat. We need to have that every game, and we are getting there.
WBR: Andrea Zuniga was named the MVC Offensive Player of the Week; what sparked her offensive explosion?
BE: Andrea is very proactive in the sense she is always asking “what can I do to get better?” She watched from the sidelines for a bit there, and I think that was motivating for her to improve at practice and get where she needed to be to contribute. With our depth, there is always competition to play, and she has really turned it up. One area where she needed to improve was continuing to work off the ball, and play some defense. I think last week’s outburst was an example of that extra work paying off.
WBR: How has the team progressed so far this season? Are they progressing at a pace you would like?
BE: I think we are progressing, but I don’t know that it is at the pace I would like. There have been a few bumps in the road, but I would say we are a pretty good team right now. We have the ability to play hard, and we need to do it every game. In the non-conference schedule, it is always a bit harder to focus on each team. But we have the conference schedule right around the corner and that will be a time when every game is extremely important.
WBR: When you look at the team record right now, 4-2-2, and the two losses are 0-1 scores, do you look at that as frustrating or motivation that they were games you were in.
BE: I view the two ties as games we were good enough to win if it wasn’t for two debatable PK calls against us. Those PK’s came off of mental and physical mistakes, but it is frustrating to lose that way. The game that really frustrates me is the double overtime tie with North Dakota State. That is a game that we had won with 15 minutes to play, then a break down on defense gave up two goals and put it into overtime and we couldn’t capitalize on the offensive end. So, I guess I view the ties as a bit more frustrating because they are games we were in and maybe should have won.
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Jose Gomez and the Creighton men’s soccer team play SMU and Dartmouth this weekend in Peoria, Illinois
WBR: Your team had a good week last week with the shutout against DePaul, but then had some time off. How did you take advantage of the time between games this week?
Jamie Clark: The game against DePaul was a good win and it was nice to have a little extra time off. This was the first chance we had to give the guys a little time off so they were able to rest up on Sunday and Monday without any workouts.
WBR: How is the overall health of the team right now?
JC: I don’t really want to jinx anything, so I will simply say it is better unsaid, everyone is fine.
WBR: After the UC Santa Barbara game, a lot of fans were excited to get a big win on the schedule, but after our conversation it seemed like there was a lot to improve on in your eyes. Were you pleased with the DePaul win?
JC: I was very pleased with the second half, as I thought we really played well and put the game away. In the first half, there were a lot of things we needed to improve on, especially the intensity. We were able to pick it up in the final 45 minutes, but we need it for longer stretches. I know you can’t expect it for 90 minutes, but we need to stay focused and keep the energy up.
WBR: Jose Gomez has really played well so far this season. Can you tell us about him as a player?
JC: Jose, I knew, is a very talented player, but I would say that his productivity has somewhat surprised me. He is a player that really enjoys playing the game and has a great ability to make chances for his teammates. The combination of those two qualities really rubs off on his teammates. They know if they work hard to get to space, he will usually reward them with an opportunity, and his attitude really helps loosen people up.
WBR: You have two neutral site games coming up, one against nationally ranked SMU tonight. How do you prepare for a quick tournament like this at a neutral site?
JC: I hate regular season neutral site games. I think they take away from the game, especially when you have a matchup like we will have tonight. I will never schedule a neutral site game. SMU will be a really tough matchup, as they have a lot of talent on their team. I believe they will be starting four freshmen, so they should be a good team for a while.
WBR: With a number of home games under your belt, how has the home field been for you guys?
JC: The facilities here are amazing and the fan base has really been amazing. The best part about our fan base is you can tell they are knowledgeable about the game. When an individual on an opposing team has a great game, they let him know it and cheer him for his efforts. We hope to get a few more fans out for the rest of the season, but so far, it has been amazing.